winget install --id=relmer.TCDir -e TCDir ("Technicolor Directory") is a fast, colorized directory listing tool for Windows consoles. Features include color by extension and attributes, Nerd Font file and folder icons, hierarchical tree view, cloud sync status (OneDrive, iCloud), file owner display, NTFS alternate data streams, sorting, recursion, wide output, and multi-threaded enumeration with native ARM64 support.
For your convenience, TCDir is now available through winget:
winget install relmer.TCDir
TCDir ("Technicolor Directory") is a fast, colorized directory listing tool for Windows consoles.
It's designed as a practical dir-style command with useful defaults (color by extension/attributes, Nerd Font file/folder icons, sorting, recursion, wide output, and a multi-threaded enumerator).
| Version | Highlights |
|---|---|
| 5.2 | Interactive PowerShell alias configuration (--set-aliases, --get-aliases, --remove-aliases) |
| 5.1 | --Tree hierarchical directory view with depth control |
| 5.0 | Nerd Font file/folder icons (~200 extensions, ~65 directories) |
| 4.2 | Cloud sync status badges (OneDrive, iCloud), file owner, NTFS alternate data streams |
| 4.1 | - and -- style switch prefixes |
| 4.0 | Multi-threaded enumeration (2–4× faster recursive listings), ARM64 native binary |
See CHANGELOG.md for full release history.
Hat tip to Chris Kirmse whose excellent ZDir from the '90s was the original inspiration for TCDir.
> Also available in Rust: RCDir is a parallel Rust implementation of TCDir with feature parity.
| Feature | dir | TCDir | eza | lsd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color-coded by extension & attribute | — | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cloud sync status (OneDrive, iCloud) | — | ✅ | — | — |
| Nerd Font file/folder icons | — | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Tree view with full metadata | — | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multi-threaded enumeration | — | ✅ | — | — |
| Native Windows (no WSL/MSYS) | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ | ⚠️ |
Familiar dir switch syntax | ✅ | ✅ | — | — |
| ARM64 native binary | ✅ | ✅ | — | — |
| NTFS alternate data streams | ✅ | ✅ | — | — |
| Configurable via environment variable | — | ✅ | — | — |
If you're not a winget enthusiast, youc an grab the latest binary for your architecture directly:
Place the .exe somewhere on your PATH, or add its directory to your PATH.
See all releases on the Releases page.
TCDir includes a built-in alias configuration wizard. Run from PowerShell:
tcdir --set-aliases
The wizard walks you through:
d) that maps to tcdirdt (tree), dw (wide), dd (dirs-only), ds (recursive), dsb (recursive bare)The generated aliases are PowerShell functions stored between marker comments in your profile. To inspect or remove them later:
tcdir --get-aliases # show configured aliases
tcdir --remove-aliases # interactive removal
tcdir --set-aliases --whatif # preview without writing
Both PowerShell 7+ (pwsh) and Windows PowerShell 5.1 (powershell) are supported — the wizard auto-detects which version launched it.
pwsh) to run the build/test scriptsUnitTest project)vswhere.exe to locate MSBuild and the test runner.vscode/ tasks wired up to scripts/Build.ps1 and scripts/RunTests.ps1)Build:
TCDir.sln and Build Solutionpwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\Build.ps1 -Configuration Release -Platform x64 -Target BuildRun:
.\x64\Release\TCDir.exe.\ARM64\Release\TCDir.exeShow help:
TCDir.exe -?
Basic syntax:
TCDIR [drive:][path][filename] [-A[[:]attributes]] [-O[[:]sortorder]] [-T[[:]timefield]] [-S] [-W] [-B] [-P] [-M] [--Env] [--Config] [--Owner] [--Streams] [--Icons] [--Tree] [--Depth=N] [--TreeIndent=N] [--Size=Auto|Bytes]Common switches:
-A[:]: filter by file attributes-O[:]: sort results
-oe and -o:e forms are supportedN name, E extension, S size, D date/time- to reverse-T:: select which timestamp to display and sort by
C creation time, A last access time, W last write time (default)-S: recurse into subdirectories-W: wide listing format-B: bare listing format-P: show performance timing information-M: enable multi-threaded enumeration (default); use -M- to disable--Env: show TCDIR environment variable help/syntax/current value--Config: show current color configuration--Owner: display file owner (DOMAIN\User format); not allowed with --Tree--Streams: display NTFS alternate data streams--Icons: enable Nerd Font file/folder icons; use --Icons- to disable--Tree: hierarchical directory tree view; use --Tree- to disable--Depth=N: limit tree depth to N levels (requires --Tree)--TreeIndent=N: tree indent width per level, 1–8, default 4 (requires --Tree)--Size=Auto|Bytes: Auto shows abbreviated sizes (e.g., 8.90 KB); Bytes shows exact comma-separated sizes. Tree mode defaults to Auto, non-tree defaults to Bytes--set-aliases: interactive wizard to configure PowerShell aliases for tcdir--get-aliases: display all configured tcdir aliases and their source profiles--remove-aliases: interactive removal of tcdir aliases from profile files--whatif: dry-run modifier for --set-aliases or --remove-aliases (preview only, no file changes)/A:)Standard attributes: D (directory), H (hidden), S (system), R (read-only), A (archive)
Cloud sync attributes (OneDrive, iCloud, etc.):
O - cloud-only placeholder files (not locally available)L - locally available files (hydrated, can be dehydrated)V - pinned/always available files (won't be dehydrated)Extended attributes:
X - not content indexed (excluded from Windows Search)I - integrity stream enabled (ReFS only)B - no scrub data (ReFS only)F - sparse fileU - unpinned (allow dehydration)Use - prefix to exclude (e.g., /A:-H excludes hidden files).
When browsing cloud-synced folders (OneDrive, iCloud Drive, etc.), TCDir displays sync status symbols:
○ (hollow) - cloud-only placeholder, not available offline◐ (half) - locally available, can be dehydrated● (solid) - pinned, always available offlineWhen a Nerd Font is detected, the cloud symbols are automatically upgraded to dedicated NF glyphs (cloud-outline, cloud-check, pin).
When TCDir detects a Nerd Font installed, it automatically displays file and folder icons next to each entry — in normal, wide, and bare listing modes.
Detection works via:
Icon mappings (~200 extensions, ~65 well-known directories) are aligned with the Terminal-Icons PowerShell module default theme.
Use --Icons to force icons on, or --Icons- to force them off, regardless of detection.
--Tree)Tree mode displays the directory hierarchy with Unicode box-drawing connectors (├──, └──, │). All metadata columns (date, time, attributes, size, cloud status) appear at every level. Directories and files are sorted together (interleaved) rather than grouped.
tcdir --Tree — show full tree from the current directorytcdir --Tree --Depth=2 — show only 2 levels deeptcdir --Tree --TreeIndent=2 — narrower indentation (default is 4)tcdir --Tree *.cpp — show only .cpp files; empty subdirectories are prunedTree mode uses abbreviated file sizes (--Size=Auto) by default for consistent column alignment across directories. Junction points and symlinks are listed but not expanded, preventing infinite cycles.
Incompatible with -W (wide), -B (bare), -S (recurse), --Owner, and --Size=Bytes.
TCDir.exe --Tree
Examples:
Recurse through subdirectories: TCDir.exe -s
Wide listing: TCDir.exe -w
TCDir supports customizing colors (and default switch behavior) via the TCDIR environment variable.
Syntax:
$env:TCDIR = "[] | [ | Attr: | <.ext>] = [on ][;...]"set TCDIR=[] | [ | Attr: | <.ext>] = [on ][;...]Note: Switch names in the TCDIR variable do NOT include prefixes (/, -, --). Use just the switch name (e.g., W, Owner, Streams).
Enable default switches by including the switch name:
W - enable wide listing by defaultS - enable subdirectory recursion by defaultP - enable performance timing by defaultM - enable multi-threading by default (already on by default)B - enable bare listing by defaultOwner - display file ownership by defaultStreams - display NTFS alternate data streams by defaultIcons - enable Nerd Font icons by default; Icons- to force offTree - enable tree view by default; Tree- to force offDepth=N - set default tree depth limitTreeIndent=N - set default tree indent width (1–8)Size=Auto / Size=Bytes - set default size display formatConfigure colors for display items, file attributes, and extensions:
Example:
$env:TCDIR = "W;D=LightGreen;S=Yellow;Attr:H=DarkGrey;.png=Black on Magenta"set TCDIR=W;D=LightGreen;S=Yellow;Attr:H=DarkGrey;.png=Black on MagentaDecoded breakdown of the example:
W sets the default switch /W (wide listing) onD=LightGreen sets the Date display item color to LightGreenS=Yellow sets the Size display item color to YellowAttr:H=DarkGrey sets the Hidden file attribute color to DarkGrey.png=Black on Magenta sets the .png extension color to black text on a magenta backgroundDisplay items for color configuration:
D (Date), S (Size), N (Name), Attr (Attributes)CloudOnly, Local, Pinned - cloud sync status symbol colorsIcon override (<.ext>=,U+):
.rs=DarkRed,U+E7A8.js=Yellow.md=,U+F48AFile attribute colors (Attr:):
H (hidden), S (system), R (read-only), D (directory)
Here's an example of the default output, setting the TCDIR environment variable, then showing its effects:
To see the full list of supported colors and a nicely formatted explanation, use --Env.
TCDir.exe --Env:
To see your current color configuration, use --Config:
TCDir.exe --Config:
TCDir.sln and Build Solution.vscode/ (tasks/launch/settings), with tasks wired up to scripts/Build.ps1 and scripts/RunTests.ps1pwsh -File .\scripts\Build.ps1 -Configuration -Platform -Target Buildpwsh -File .\scripts\Build.ps1 -Configuration -Platform -Target Cleanpwsh -File .\scripts\Build.ps1 -Configuration -Platform -Target Rebuildpwsh -File .\scripts\Build.ps1 -Target BuildAllReleaseBuild outputs land under:
x64\Debug\TCDir.exe, x64\Release\TCDir.exeARM64\Debug\TCDir.exe, ARM64\Release\TCDir.exeRun unit tests:
pwsh -File .\scripts\RunTests.ps1(Uses Visual Studio’s vstest.console.exe, discovered via vswhere.)
The build number is auto-incremented by a pre-build script. Details are in BUILD_VERSION.md.
MIT License. See LICENSE.