Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

Ncdu

ncdu is a disk utility for Unix systems. Its name refers to its similar purpose to the du utility, but ncdu uses a text-based user interface under the [n]curses programming library. Users can navigate the list using the arrow keys and delete files that are taking up too much space by pressing the 'd' key. It provides a swift and efficient way to view directories that are taking up disk space, and was primarily meant for remote shells. It runs on UNIX-based systems, such as Linux, BSD, and POSIX. Users can install ncdu by running a package manager command in their terminal emulator. Version 1.09 and later can export the file listing in JSON format.

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
257 w
Citations
6
Source
Wikipedia ↗
NCurses Disk Usage
DeveloperYoran Heling
ReleaseFebruary 21, 2007 (2007-02-21)1
Stable release
2.9.22 Edit this on Wikidata / 24 October 2025 (24 October 2025)
Written inC (version 1.x), Zig (version 2.x)
Operating systemLinux, BSD, UNIX
PlatformPOSIX
TypeDisk utility
LicenseMIT License
Websitedev.yorhel.nl/ncdu
Repository

ncdu (NCurses Disk Usage) is a disk utility for Unix systems. Its name refers to its similar purpose to the du utility, but ncdu uses a text-based user interface under the [n]curses programming library.3 Users can navigate the list using the arrow keys and delete files that are taking up too much space by pressing the 'd' key. It provides a swift and efficient way to view directories that are taking up disk space, and was primarily meant for remote shells. It runs on UNIX-based systems, such as Linux, BSD, and POSIX.4 Users can install ncdu by running a package manager command in their terminal emulator (i.e. for Debian-based systems, apt install ncdu).5 Version 1.09 and later can export the file listing in JSON format.

ncdu was developed by Yoran Heling to learn C and to serve as a disk usage analyzer on remote systems over ssh. Version 2.0 of the program brought a full rewrite in the Zig programming language.6

References

References

  1. "Ncdu Release History". dev.yorhel.nl. Archived from the original on 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. https://dev.yorhel.nl/ncdu/changes2. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. "Heitorlessa.com". www.heitorlessa.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  4. "NCurses Disk Usage". dev.yorhel.nl. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  5. "Ncdu | ANS Documentation". www.ans.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  6. "Ncdu 2: Less hungry and more Ziggy". dev.yorhel.nl. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
External links