---
name: "ncls"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "notcurses"
version: "3.0.17-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ncls"
---

# ncls(1)

List paths with rendering of multimedia

## NAME

ncls - List paths with rendering of multimedia

## SYNOPSIS

**ncls** \[**-h**\|**--help**\] \[**-V**\|**--version**\] \[**-d**\] \[**-l**\] \[**-L**\] \[**-R**\] \[**-a**\|**--align** ***type***\] \[**-b**\|**--blitter** ***blitter***\] \[**-s**\|**--scale** ***scale***\] \[ paths \]

## DESCRIPTION

**ncls** uses a multimedia-enabled Notcurses to list paths, similarly to the **[ls(1)](/ls/1.md)** command, rendering images and videos to a terminal.

## OPTIONS

**-d**: list directories themselves, not their contents.

**-l**: use a long listing format.

**-L**: dereference symbolic links

**-R**: list subdirectories recursively.

**-V**\|**--version**: Print version information, and exit with success.

**-h**\|**--help**: Print help information, and exit with success.

**-a**\|**--align** ***type***: Align images on **left**, **center**, or **right**.

**-b**\|**--blitter** ***blitter***: Blitter, one of **ascii**, **half**, **quad**, **sex**, **braille**, or **pixel**. The default is **pixel**. If the chosen blitter is unavailable, **ncls** will degrade (see **[notcurses\_visual(3)](/notcurses_visual/3.md)**).

**-s**\|**--scale** ***scalemode***: Scaling mode, one of **none**, **hires**, **scale**, **scalehi**, or **stretch**.

paths: Run on the specified paths. If none are supplied, run on the current directory.

If no scaling is specified, **hires** will be used with the **pixel** blitter, and **scalehi** will be used otherwise.

## NOTES

Optimal display requires a terminal advertising the **rgb** [terminfo(5)](/terminfo/5.md) capability, or that the environment variable **COLORTERM** is defined to **24bit** (and that the terminal honors this variable), along with a fixed-width font with good coverage of the Unicode Block Drawing Characters.

## SEE ALSO

**[notcurses(3)](/notcurses/3.md)**, **[notcurses\_visual(3)](/notcurses_visual/3.md)**, **[terminfo(5)](/terminfo/5.md)**, **[unicode(7)](/unicode/7.md)**

## AUTHORS

nick black ⟨nickblack@linux.com⟩\\c.