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---
publish: true
permalink: /apps/zathura
title: zathura
created: 2026-02-05T09:08:26.899-07:00
modified: 2026-02-05T12:16:30.770-07:00
tags:
- pdf
- documents
- reader
cssclasses: ""
---
zathura is a minimalist document viewer with vim-like keybindings. Fast, keyboard-driven, and highly customizable.
## Installation
**Arch Linux:**
```bash
sudo pacman -S zathura zathura-pdf-mupdf
```
When prompted for tesseract data (for OCR), select `tesseract-data-eng` for English.
### Backend plugins
| Plugin | Formats |
|--------|---------|
| `zathura-pdf-mupdf` | PDF, EPUB, XPS (recommended) |
| `zathura-pdf-poppler` | PDF (alternative) |
| `zathura-djvu` | DjVu |
| `zathura-ps` | PostScript |
| `zathura-cb` | Comic books (CBZ/CBR) |
## Key Bindings
### Navigation
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `j/k` | Scroll down/up |
| `h/l` | Scroll left/right |
| `Ctrl+d/u` | Half page down/up |
| `gg/G` | First/last page |
| `nG` | Go to page n |
| `Space` | Next page |
### Zoom
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `+/-` | Zoom in/out |
| a` | Fit page |
| `s` | Fit width |
### View
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `d` | Toggle dual-page |
| `r` | Rotate |
| `R` | Reload |
| `Tab` | Toggle index |
| `F11` | Fullscreen |
### Other
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `/` | Search |
| `n/N` | Next/prev match |
| `y` | Copy selection |
| `o/O` | Open file |
| `q` | Quit |
## Configuration
`~/.config/zathura/zathurarc`:
```bash
# Enable clipboard
set selection-clipboard clipboard
# Recolor for dark mode
set recolor true
set recolor-darkcolor "#ebdbb2"
set recolor-lightcolor "#282828"
# Default zoom
set zoom-min 10
set adjust-open "best-fit"
# Status bar
set statusbar-home-tilde true
# Window
set window-title-basename true
set window-title-page true
```
## Make Default PDF Viewer
```bash
xdg-mime default org.pwmt.zathura.desktop application/pdf
```
## Synctex (LaTeX integration)
For LaTeX editors that support synctex:
```bash
zathura --synctex-forward <line>:<col>:<input> <pdf>
```
Configure your editor to call this for forward search.
## Tips
- `:help` or `man zathura` for full documentation
- Use `:bmark` to bookmark pages
- Use `i` to invert colors (quick dark mode)
- Index/TOC navigation with `Tab` is very useful for long documents