Ncmpcpp - MPD Client Configuration and Keybindings - cmd Cheatsheets

Ncmpcpp is a highly configurable Music Player Daemon (MPD) client that offers a user interface similar to ncmpc but with enhanced features. It is also compatible with Mopidy, a music server that can play music from various sources, including local files, YouTube, Spotify, and more.

Ncmpcpp Configuration

To get started with ncmpcpp, you'll need to create a configuration directory and set up your preferences. This typically involves specifying the MPD host, port, and the directory where your music is stored.

# ncmpcpp
# An mpd client (compatible with mopidy) with a UI very similar to ncmpc, but
# it provides new useful features such as support for regular expressions for
# library searches, extended song format, items filtering, the ability to
# sort playlists, and a local filesystem browser.

# configure ncmpcpp
mkdir ~/.ncmpcpp
cat <<EOF > ~/.ncmpcpp/config
ncmpcpp_directory =         "~/.ncmpcpp"
mpd_host =                  "127.0.0.1"
mpd_port =                  "6600"
mpd_music_dir =             "/var/lib/mpd/music/"
EOF

Ncmpcpp Keybindings Overview

Ncmpcpp provides an extensive set of keyboard shortcuts to control playback, manage playlists, navigate the interface, and interact with the media library. Mastering these keybindings can significantly enhance your workflow.

Global Controls

These commands affect the overall playback and application state.

s: Stop playback
p: Pause/Resume playback
>: Next track
<: Previous track
Ctrl-H Backspace: Replay the current song
f: Seek forward in the current song
b: Seek backward in the current song
- Left: Decrease volume by 2%
Right +: Increase volume by 2%
t: Toggle space mode (select/add)
T: Toggle add mode (add or remove/always add)
|: Toggle mouse support
v: Reverse selection
V: Remove selection
B: Select all songs of the album around the cursor
a: Add selected items to the playlist
`: Add random items to the playlist
r: Toggle repeat mode
z: Toggle random mode
y: Toggle single mode
R: Toggle consume mode
Y: Toggle replay gain mode
#: Toggle bitrate visibility
Z: Shuffle the playlist
x: Toggle crossfade mode
X: Set crossfade duration
u: Start music database update
:: Execute a command
Ctrl-F: Apply a filter to the current view
/: Find item forward
?: Find item backward
,: Jump to the previous found item
.: Jump to the next found item
w: Toggle find mode (normal/wrapped)
G: Locate the current song in the browser
~: Locate the current song in the media library
Ctrl-L: Lock/unlock the current screen
Left h: Switch to the master screen (move left)
Right l: Switch to the slave screen (move right)
E: Locate the current song in the tag editor
P: Toggle display mode
\: Toggle user interface
!: Toggle displaying separators between albums
g: Jump to a given position in the current song (formats: mm:ss, x%)
i: Show song information
I: Show artist information
L: Toggle lyrics fetcher
F: Toggle fetching lyrics for playing songs in the background
q: Quit ncmpcpp

Movement Keys

Navigate through lists and views efficiently.

Up k: Move cursor up
Down j: Move cursor down
[: Move cursor up one album
]: Move cursor down one album
{: Move cursor up one artist
}: Move cursor down one artist
Page Up: Page up
Page Down: Page down
Home: Go to the top of the list
End: Go to the bottom of the list
Tab: Switch to the next screen in sequence
Shift-Tab: Switch to the previous screen in sequence
F1: Show help
1: Show playlist screen
2: Show browser screen
3: Show search engine screen
4: Show media library screen
5: Show playlist editor screen
6: Show tag editor screen
7: Show outputs screen
8: Show music visualizer
=: Show clock
@: Show server info

Playlist Screen Controls

Manage your current playback queue.

Enter: Play the selected item
Delete: Delete selected item(s) from the playlist
c: Clear the entire playlist
C: Clear the playlist except for selected item(s)
Ctrl-P: Set priority for selected items
Ctrl-K m: Move selected item(s) up
n Ctrl-J: Move selected item(s) down
M: Move selected item(s) to the cursor position
A: Add item to the playlist
e: Edit song metadata
S: Save the current playlist
Ctrl-V: Sort the playlist
Ctrl-R: Reverse the playlist order
o: Jump to the currently playing song
U: Toggle playing song centering

Browser Screen Controls

Navigate your music files and MPD database.

Enter: Enter directory / Add item to playlist and play it
Space: Add item to playlist / Select it
e: Edit song metadata / directory name / playlist name
2: Browse MPD database / local filesystem
`: Toggle sort mode
o: Locate the currently playing song
Ctrl-H Backspace: Jump to the parent directory
Delete: Delete selected items from disk
G: Jump to the playlist editor (for playlists only)

Search Engine Screen Controls

Find music based on various criteria.

Enter: Add item to playlist and play it / change option
Space: Add item to playlist
e: Edit song metadata
y: Start searching
3: Reset search constraints and clear results

Media Library Screen Controls

Browse your music library organized by tags and albums.

4: Switch between two/three columns mode
Left h: Previous column
Right l: Next column
Enter: Add item to playlist and play it
Space: Add item to playlist
e: Edit song metadata / tag (left column) / album (middle/right column)
`: Toggle the type of tag used in the left column
m: Toggle sort mode

Playlist Editor Screen Controls

Create, edit, and manage playlists.

Left h: Previous column
Right l: Next column
Enter: Add item to playlist and play it
Space: Add item to playlist / select it
e: Edit song metadata / playlist name
Ctrl-K m: Move selected item(s) up
n Ctrl-J: Move selected item(s) down
Delete: Delete selected playlists (left column) / Delete selected item(s) from playlist (right column)
c: Clear the playlist
C: Clear playlist except for selected items
Ctrl-P: Set priority for selected items
M: Move selected item(s) to the cursor position
A: Add item to the playlist
S: Save the current playlist
Ctrl-V: Sort the playlist
Ctrl-R: Reverse the playlist order
o: Jump to the currently playing song
U: Toggle playing song centering

Lyrics Screen Controls

Manage lyrics for your songs.

Space: Toggle reloading lyrics upon song change
e: Open lyrics in an external editor
`: Refetch lyrics

Tiny Tag Editor Controls

Quickly edit tags.

Enter: Edit tag
y: Save changes

Tag Editor Screen Controls

Edit metadata for songs, albums, and tags.

Enter: Edit tag / filename of selected item (left column)
Enter: Perform operation on all/selected items (middle column)
Space: Switch to albums/directories view (left column)
Space: Select item (right column)
Left h: Previous column
Right l: Next column
Ctrl-H Backspace: Jump to parent directory (left column, directories view)

Ncmpcpp - MPD Client Configuration and Keybindings

Ncmpcpp - Music Player Daemon Client