feh - A Lightweight Image Viewer for Linux

feh is a fast, lightweight image viewer for Linux that runs from the command line. It’s particularly useful for viewing images in a minimal environment or through SSH.

Installation

On Debian/Ubuntu systems:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install feh -y

Basic Usage

View a Single Image

feh image.jpg

View Multiple Images

feh image1.jpg image2.jpg image3.jpg

View All Images in a Directory

feh ./

Useful Options

Slideshow Mode

feh -D 5 --cycle-once ./
# -D 5: 5 second delay between images
# --cycle-once: Exit after showing all images

Fullscreen Mode

feh -F image.jpg

Thumbnail View

feh -t -E 100 -y 100 -W 800 ./
# -t: Thumbnail mode
# -E 100: Thumbnail height (pixels)
# -y 100: Thumbnail width (pixels)
# -W 800: Window width (pixels)

Set as Wallpaper

feh --bg-fill wallpaper.jpg
# --bg-fill: Fill the screen with the image
# Other options: --bg-center, --bg-scale, --bg-tile

Recursively View Images in Subdirectories

feh --recursive ./ # --recursive or r

Practical Examples

View Images with Navigation

feh --cycle-once --auto-zoom --draw-filename ./
# --auto-zoom: Automatically zoom images to fit window
# --draw-filename: Show filename as overlay

Create a Simple Image Browser

feh -g 800x600 -d -S filename ./
# -g: Set window geometry (width x height)
# -d: Draw file info
# -S filename: Sort by filename

Delete Unwanted Images

feh ./
# Press 'd' to mark for deletion
# Press 'D' to delete all marked images

Keybindings

• ← / →: Previous/Next image
• + / -: Zoom in/out
• f: Toggle fullscreen
• q: Quit
• r: Reload current image
• d: Mark for deletion
• D: Delete marked images

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: Error opening file
• 2: No files matched the given criteria
• 3: User aborted (e.g., pressed q)
• 4: Other error

Tips

• Use feh in scripts to display images in a minimal environment
• Combine with other commands using pipes for image processing workflows
• Use --info to display image information
• Check man feh for all available options