How to Install fzf on Ubuntu: The Command-Line Fuzzy Finder

fzf is a general-purpose command-line fuzzy finder. Feed it any list on standard input, filenames, branches, running processes, shell history, and it lets you filter interactively with fuzzy matching before printing your selection to standard output. Because that interface is so minimal, fzf slots into practically any command pipeline and turns it into an interactive picker.

Ubuntu carries an fzf package, but the archive version often lags upstream, and older builds lack the recent flags, preview behaviour and shell integration niceties that make fzf a joy to use. The project moves fast, so a current build is worth having.

The unofficial deb.griffo.io repository ships an up-to-date fzf as a proper Ubuntu .deb, installable and upgradable with APT alongside everything else on your system.

What Makes fzf Special?

  • 🔍 Fuzzy matching - A handful of scattered characters is enough to surface the match you want.
  • ⚡ Blazing fast - The Go implementation stays snappy across enormous lists.
  • 🪟 Live preview window - Show file contents, diffs or command output next to the results.
  • ⌨️ Shell key-bindings - CTRL-T, CTRL-R and ALT-C bring fuzzy files, history and directory jumps to your shell.
  • 🔧 Completion integration - Fuzzy-complete arguments with the **<TAB> trigger.
  • 🧩 Endlessly composable - Any list piped in becomes an interactive selection.
  • 🎨 Fully themeable - Colours, borders, layout and preview are all tunable.
  • 🖱️ Multi-select - Select several entries at once with TAB.

Why Use the deb.griffo.io Repository?

  • Easy installation and updates through APT.
  • Automatic dependency management provided by the Ubuntu packaging.
  • Always tracks upstream releases so you get the newest fzf features.
  • No compiling from source and no Go toolchain to install.
  • Works across supported Ubuntu releases, with the codename detected automatically.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have:

  • An Ubuntu system (Jammy 22.04 LTS, Noble 24.04 LTS, or newer)
  • sudo privileges
  • curl installed (sudo apt install curl if needed)

Step 1: Add the deb.griffo.io Repository

Register the key and repository source:

# Create the keyrings directory
sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings

# Download and install the repository GPG key
curl -fsSL https://deb.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg

# Add the repository (auto-detects your distro codename)
echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg] https://deb.griffo.io/apt $(lsb_release -sc 2>/dev/null) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list > /dev/null

# Update the package list
sudo apt update

Step by step:

  1. Create the keyrings directory - guarantees /etc/apt/keyrings exists with sensible permissions.
  2. Install the GPG key - fetches the key and de-armours it into a dedicated keyring so APT can check signatures.
  3. Add the repository - writes a signed-by source line, with lsb_release -sc detecting your Ubuntu codename.
  4. Update the package list - refreshes APT’s package index.

Step 2: Update the Package List

If you did not run the last command, refresh now:

sudo apt update

Step 3: Install fzf

Install with APT:

sudo apt install fzf

APT installs the fzf binary along with its shell integration scripts.

Step 4: Verify the Installation

The binary is fzf. Confirm the version:

fzf --version

You should see something like:

0.54.3 (a1b2c3d)

Type fzf on its own to launch an interactive finder over the current directory tree.

Getting Started with fzf

Enabling Shell Key-Bindings and Completion

Start with the shell integration, since that is where fzf earns its keep. Recent fzf builds provide a one-line generator, which is the simplest option on Ubuntu. Add to ~/.bashrc:

# Bash integration (fzf 0.48+)
eval "$(fzf --bash)"

If you prefer the packaged example scripts, they live under /usr/share/doc/fzf/examples:

[ -f /usr/share/doc/fzf/examples/key-bindings.bash ] && source /usr/share/doc/fzf/examples/key-bindings.bash
[ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/completions/fzf ] && source /usr/share/bash-completion/completions/fzf

Open a new terminal and you get three bindings:

  • CTRL-T - insert a fuzzy-selected path onto the command line.
  • CTRL-R - fuzzy-search through your command history.
  • ALT-C - fuzzy-pick a directory and cd into it.

Fuzzy Completion with **

With completion active, use the ** trigger followed by TAB:

# Complete a file path fuzzily
cat **<TAB>

# Complete an environment variable to unset
unset **<TAB>

# Complete a host for ssh
ssh **<TAB>

Piping Any List Through fzf

The underlying pattern is list in, choice out:

# Pick a file and open it
nvim "$(fzf)"

# Fuzzy-select and kill a process
kill -9 "$(ps -ef | fzf | awk '{print $2}')"

# Choose a Git commit to show
git log --oneline | fzf | awk '{print $1}' | xargs git show

Preview Windows

Add a preview command to inspect entries before choosing:

# Simple content preview
fzf --preview 'cat {}'

# Syntax-highlighted preview with bat
fzf --preview 'bat --style=numbers --color=always {}' --preview-window=right:60%

Setting Persistent Defaults

Configure fzf globally through environment variables in your shell config:

export FZF_DEFAULT_OPTS="--height 50% --layout=reverse --border=rounded --marker='*'"
export FZF_CTRL_T_OPTS="--preview 'bat --color=always {}'"

Keeping fzf Updated

fzf follows your normal Ubuntu update cycle:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Whenever deb.griffo.io ships a newer fzf, apt upgrade picks it up with the rest of your packages.

Other Tools from deb.griffo.io

The repository packages several tools that work beautifully with fzf:

  • zoxide - a smarter cd with an interactive fzf-powered mode.
  • eza - a modern, colourful replacement for ls.
  • Neovim - the editor behind fuzzy pickers like Telescope.
  • Lazygit - a Git terminal UI that complements fuzzy branch and commit selection.

Troubleshooting

GPG or Key Errors

If APT reports the repository as unsigned or the key as invalid, re-add it:

curl -fsSL https://deb.griffo.io/EA0F721D231FDD3A0A17B9AC7808B4DD62C41256.asc | sudo gpg --dearmor --yes -o /etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg
sudo apt update

Package Not Found

If APT cannot find fzf:

  1. Re-run sudo apt update after adding the repository.
  2. Confirm your Ubuntu release is supported (Jammy, Noble, or newer).
  3. Inspect the source list: cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list.

If CTRL-R opens the plain Bash reverse search rather than fzf, the integration is not loaded or another tool has rebound the key. Confirm the setup and check for conflicts:

grep -n "fzf --bash" ~/.bashrc
bind -p | grep -i "C-r"

Ensure the eval "$(fzf --bash)" line is present and start a fresh shell.

Uninstalling

Remove fzf with:

sudo apt remove fzf

To also remove the repository and key:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/deb.griffo.io.list
sudo rm /etc/apt/keyrings/deb.griffo.io.gpg
sudo apt update

Do not forget to remove any fzf source or eval lines from ~/.bashrc.

Conclusion

On Ubuntu, deb.griffo.io delivers a current fzf through APT, sidestepping both a lagging archive package and a manual Go build. With the shell key-bindings and completion switched on, fuzzy file insertion, history search and directory jumping become second nature.

fzf rewards a small amount of setup with a large amount of daily leverage, and thanks to APT, keeping it up to date is just part of your usual apt upgrade.

Resources

Disclaimer: The deb.griffo.io repository is an unofficial community project and is not affiliated with the official Debian or Ubuntu projects, or with the upstream fzf project.