README
¶
winls
A Unix-like ls command for Windows, written in Go.
List directory contents with long format, human-readable sizes, color output, recursive listing, and flexible sorting — all the ls flags you already know, working natively on Windows.
Rename the binary to anything you like (ll, dir2, etc.) — all usage and error messages derive from the executable name automatically.
Installation
go install (recommended)
Requires Go 1.21+.
go install github.com/fermat-tech/winls@latest
The binary lands in %USERPROFILE%\go\bin, which should already be on your PATH.
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/fermat-tech/winls.git
cd winls
go build -ldflags "-X main.version=v1.4.0" -o winls.exe .
Omit the -ldflags part for a quick local build; winls --version will report dev.
Download a pre-built binary
Grab the latest binary from Releases, or download directly with PowerShell:
# Replace v1.4.0 with the latest tag shown on the Releases page
$ver = "v1.4.0"
Invoke-WebRequest "https://github.com/fermat-tech/winls/releases/download/$ver/winls.exe" -OutFile winls.exe
Usage
winls [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
With no arguments, lists the current directory.
Options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-l |
Long format: mode, size, date, name |
-a |
Include hidden entries (starting with .), including . and .. |
-A |
Include hidden entries, excluding . and .. |
-h |
Human-readable sizes with -l (e.g. 1.2M, 340K) |
-R |
Recursively list subdirectories |
-r |
Reverse sort order |
-t |
Sort by modification time (newest first) |
-S |
Sort by file size (largest first) |
-1 |
One entry per line |
-d |
List directory itself, not its contents |
-F |
Append type indicator: / dir, * executable, @ symlink |
-p |
Append / to directory names |
-i |
Show inode number (always 0 on Windows) |
--color |
Force color output on |
--no-color |
Force color output off |
--version |
Print version and exit |
Flags can be combined: -lhA, -lt, -lSr, etc.
Color output
Colors work on all Windows terminals including the old Command Prompt (cmd.exe), PowerShell, and Windows Terminal.
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bold blue | Directory |
| Bold green | Executable |
| Bold cyan | Symbolic link |
| Dim white | Hidden file |
Color is controlled by the following, in order of priority (highest wins):
| Method | Example |
|---|---|
--no-color flag |
winls --no-color |
--color flag |
winls --color |
NO_COLOR env var |
set NO_COLOR=1 — disables color (no-color.org) |
WINLS_COLOR env var |
set WINLS_COLOR=always / never / auto |
| Auto (default) | Enabled when stdout is a terminal, disabled when piped |
Examples
# List current directory
winls
# Long format with human-readable sizes
winls -lh
# Show all files including hidden, long format
winls -la
# Sort by size, largest first
winls -lS
# Sort by modification time, newest first
winls -lt
# Recursive listing
winls -R src/
# List specific path with type indicators
winls -F C:\Users
# Combine flags freely
winls -lhAtr
License
MIT
Documentation
¶
Overview ¶
winls is a Unix-like ls command for Windows.
It lists directory contents with long format, color output, recursive listing, human-readable sizes, and flexible sorting — all the ls flags you already know, working natively on Windows (cmd.exe, PowerShell, and Windows Terminal).
Install:
go install github.com/fermat-tech/winls@latest
Usage:
winls [OPTIONS] [FILE...]
See winls --help for the full option list.
Source Files