VisiData is an open-source interactive multitool for exploring and manipulating tabular data in the terminal. It combines the clarity of a spreadsheet, the efficiency of the terminal, and the power of Python into a lightweight utility that can handle millions of rows.

Key features:

Multi-format support: CSV, TSV, JSON, Excel, SQL, HDF5, YAML, and more
Terminal-based interface for quick data exploration
Built-in visualization: histograms, scatterplots, and geographic maps
Python integration for computational operations
Session management for reproducible workflows
No need to leave the command line

From a user agency perspective, VisiData is excellent because it’s format-agnostic, runs anywhere with a terminal, and provides powerful data manipulation without vendor lock-in or cloud dependencies.

VisiData Cheat Sheet

A quick reference guide for VisiData v3.3 keyboard shortcuts and commands.

Getting Started

Installation

# Using pip
pip install visidata
 
# Using Homebrew (macOS)
brew install visidata
 
# Using apt (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install visidata

Opening Files

# Open single file
vd data.csv
 
# Open multiple files as separate sheets
vd file1.csv file2.json file3.xlsx
 
# Open from URL
vd https://example.com/data.csv
 
# Open from stdin
cat data.csv | vd
 
# Open SQLite database
vd database.db
 
# Open directory as sheet of filenames
vd .

Program Control

Basic Commands

Key	Action
`q`	Quit current sheet
`Q`	Quit sheet and free memory
`gq`	Exit cleanly (all sheets)
`^Q`	Exit immediately (force quit)
`^C`	Cancel current operation or abort threads
`g^C`	Abort all async threads

Help & Documentation

Key	Action
`Alt+H`	Open help menu
`g^H`	View manual page
`z^H`	Display command names and bindings
`Space`	Open command palette (search commands)

Cursor Movement

Basic movement (vim-style or arrows):
  h/j/k/l  or  ←/↓/↑/→    Move cursor left/down/up/right

Jump to edges:
  gh / gj / gk / gl       Go to leftmost/bottom/top/rightmost cell
  G / gg                  Go to last/first row
  ^B / ^F                 Page up/down (scroll backward/forward)
  ^Left / ^Right          Page left/right

Center and navigate:
  zz                      Center current row on screen
  ^^                      Jump to previous sheet (toggle)
  Enter                   Dive into current cell (open as new sheet)

Key	Action
`H` / `L`	Jump to first/last column
`[` / `]`	Sort by current/previous column ascending
`{` / `}`	Sort by current/previous column descending

Data Viewing

Sheet Management

Key	Action
`S`	Open Sheets sheet (list all sheets)
`^6` or `^^`	Jump to previous sheet
`gS`	Open Status History
`Alt+number`	Jump to sheet by index

Column Width

Key	Action
`_`	Toggle column width (full width/default)
`g_`	Toggle widths for all visible columns
`z_`	Set column width to specific number
`-`	Hide current column
`gv`	Unhide all columns

Column Operations

Column Types

Set column type:
  ~                       String (text)
  #                       Integer
  %                       Float
  $                       Currency
  @                       Date

Advanced types:
  z#                      Length of string
  z%                      Float with custom precision
  z@                      Date with custom format

Column Manipulation

Key	Action
`^`	Rename current column
`!`	Toggle column as key column (for joins)
`=`	Create new column from Python expression
`g=`	Set current column to Python expression
`'`	Add frozen copy of current column
`z'`	Add evaluated formula column

Column Visibility

Key	Action
`-`	Hide current column
`gv`	Unhide all columns
`g-`	Hide columns with only one value
`C`	Open Columns sheet (column metadata)

Row Operations and Selection

Selection

Single row selection:
  s                       Select current row
  t                       Toggle selection of current row
  u                       Unselect current row

Bulk selection:
  gs                      Select all rows
  gt                      Toggle selection of all rows
  gu                      Unselect all rows

Pattern selection:
  |  (pipe)               Select rows matching regex in current column
  \  (backslash)          Unselect rows matching regex in current column
  g|                      Select rows matching regex in any visible column
  g\                      Unselect rows matching regex in any visible column
  ,  (comma)              Select rows where current column matches current cell
  g,                      Select rows where any column matches current row

Filtering

Key	Action
`"`	Open duplicate sheet with only selected rows
`g"`	Open duplicate sheet with all rows
`z"`	Open duplicate sheet with deepcopy

Searching and Filtering

Search Commands

Search in column:
  /                       Search forward in current column
  ?                       Search backward in current column
  n / N                   Next/previous match

Search across columns:
  g/                      Search forward in all visible columns
  g?                      Search backward in all visible columns

Expression search:
  z/                      Search forward by Python expression
  z?                      Search backward by Python expression

Navigate by Value

Key	Action
`<` / `>`	Jump to previous/next value in column
`z<` / `z>`	Jump to previous/next null value

Editing Data

Basic Editing

Edit operations:
  e                       Edit current cell
  ge                      Edit current cell and move right
  ^O                      Open cell in external $EDITOR

Adding rows:
  a                       Append blank row after current row
  ga                      Append N blank rows
  za                      Append row with duplicate values

Deleting:
  d                       Delete current row
  gd                      Delete selected rows

Copy, Cut, Paste

Key	Action
`y`	Yank (copy) current row
`gy`	Yank (copy) selected rows
`x`	Cut current row
`gx`	Cut selected rows
`p`	Paste after current row
`P`	Paste before current row

Fill Operations

Key	Action
`f`	Fill nulls in column with value
`gf`	Fill nulls in all visible columns

Sorting and Ordering

Sort Commands

Sort by column:
  [                       Sort ascending by current column
  ]                       Sort descending by current column
  g[                      Sort ascending by all key columns
  g]                      Sort descending by all key columns

Reverse and shuffle:
  z[                      Reverse sort order
  gz[                     Shuffle rows randomly

Data Manipulation

Derived Sheets

Aggregation and analysis:
  F                       Create frequency table for current column
  gF                      Create frequency table for all key columns

Statistical analysis:
  I                       Describe sheet (show stats for all columns)
  gI                      Describe column (detailed stats)

Pivot and reshape:
  W                       Create pivot table
  M                       Melt sheet (unpivot)
  T                       Transpose rows and columns

Joins and Combinations

Key	Action
`&`	Join two sheets (inner join)
`+`	Concatenate two sheets (append)
`*`	Join sheets (multiply/product)

Aggregation and Analysis

Frequency Tables

# Open file and create frequency table
vd data.csv
 
# Navigate to column of interest
# Press F to create frequency table
F
 
# The frequency table shows:
# - Unique values in the column
# - Count of each value
# - Percentage of total

Statistics

Show column statistics:
  I                       Describe sheet (all columns)
  gI                      Describe current column in detail

Statistics shown:
  - Count, nulls, distinct values
  - Mean, median, mode
  - Min, max, standard deviation
  - Quantiles

Aggregations

Key	Action
`+`	Add aggregator to current column
`z+`	Show available aggregators

Common aggregators:

sum - Sum of values
mean - Average value
median - Median value
min / max - Minimum/maximum value
count - Count of non-null values
distinct - Count of unique values

Visualization

Creating Plots

Plot commands:
  .                       Plot current numeric column (histogram)
  g.                      Plot all visible numeric columns (scatterplot)

Canvas navigation:
  +/-                     Zoom in/out
  _                       Fit to extent
  x                       Set x-axis range
  y                       Set y-axis range
  d                       Delete plotted row
  gd                      Delete selected rows
  Enter                   Open row details sheet

Plot Types

VisiData automatically chooses plot type based on columns:

1 numeric column: Histogram
2 numeric columns: Scatterplot
1 numeric + 1 categorical: Bar chart
Geographic columns: Map visualization

Saving and Exporting

Save Commands

# Save current sheet
^S
 
# You'll be prompted for filename and format
# VisiData auto-detects format from extension:
data.csv          # CSV
data.tsv          # TSV
data.json         # JSON
data.xlsx         # Excel
data.html         # HTML table
data.md           # Markdown table

Format-Specific Options

Format	Extension	Notes
CSV	`.csv`	Standard comma-separated
TSV	`.tsv`	Tab-separated
JSON	`.json`	Array of objects
Excel	`.xlsx`	Requires openpyxl
SQLite	`.db` / `.sqlite`	Requires sqlite3
HTML	`.html`	Web table
Markdown	`.md`	Markdown table

Save Selected Rows Only

# Select rows you want to export
s  (on each row)

# Open new sheet with only selected rows
"

# Save the filtered sheet
^S

Advanced Features

Python Expressions

Create computed columns:
  =                       New column from expression

Example expressions:
  =len(name)              Column with length of 'name' column
  =price * quantity       Multiply two columns
  =date.year              Extract year from date column
  =name.upper()           Convert name to uppercase

Macros

Key	Action
`m` followed by key	Start recording macro
`m` again	Stop recording
`gm`	Open macro sheet
` + key	Play macro

Command Log

CommandLog tracks all operations:
  D                       Open CommandLog sheet

The CommandLog shows:
  - Every command executed
  - Timestamp
  - Sheet name
  - Can be saved as Python script

Save CommandLog:
  ^D                      Save CommandLog

Undo/Redo

Key	Action
`U`	Undo last operation
`R`	Redo undone operation

Configuration

Options Sheet

Open options:
  O                       Open Options sheet

Common options to configure:
  - disp_column_sep       Column separator character
  - color_*               Color scheme settings
  - disp_date_fmt         Date format string
  - encoding              File encoding (default utf-8)

Configuration File

VisiData reads configuration from ~/.visidatarc (Python file):

# ~/.visidatarc
from visidata import *
 
# Set options
options.color_key_col = 'cyan'
options.disp_date_fmt = '%Y-%m-%d'
 
# Custom keybindings
Sheet.addCommand('', 'custom-command', 'custom_function()')

Real-World Examples

CSV Analysis

# Open CSV and explore
vd sales_data.csv
 
# Create frequency table of product categories
# Navigate to 'category' column, press F
 
# Calculate total sales by category
# Press W for pivot table
# Set category as row, select sales column
# Press + to add 'sum' aggregator
 
# Export results
# Press ^S, enter filename.csv

Data Cleaning

# Open messy data
vd messy.csv
 
# Find null values
# Press z< to jump to next null
 
# Fill nulls with default value
# Press f, enter replacement value
 
# Remove duplicate rows
# Select columns as keys with !
# Press F to see duplicates
# Delete duplicates with gd
 
# Export cleaned data
# Press ^S

Log File Analysis

# Open log file
vd server.log
 
# Search for errors
# Press / then type "ERROR"
# Press n to cycle through matches
 
# Create frequency table of error types
# Press F on the error column
 
# Select rows with specific error
# Use , to select matching rows
# Press " to open sheet with only those rows
 
# Export for further analysis
# Press ^S, save as errors.csv

JSON Exploration

# Open nested JSON
vd complex_api_response.json
 
# VisiData automatically flattens nested structures
# Press Enter on nested objects to dive deeper
# Press ^^ to go back to parent sheet
 
# Create columns from nested data
# Use = with expressions like item.price

Joining Datasets

# Open multiple files
vd customers.csv orders.csv
 
# Switch to Sheets sheet
# Press S
 
# Mark key columns in each sheet
# Navigate to customer_id column
# Press ! to mark as key column
 
# Open join sheet
# Press & for inner join
 
# Save joined result
# Press ^S

Performance Tips

For large files:

1. Lazy loading:
   # VisiData loads data progressively
   # Navigate without waiting for full load

2. Sampling:
   # Open subset of rows
   vd --replay-wait 0 huge.csv

3. Use filters early:
   # Select and filter to reduce working set
   # Use " to create filtered sheet

4. Column types:
   # Set appropriate types (# for int, % for float)
   # Improves sorting and aggregation performance

5. Memory management:
   # Use Q instead of q to free memory
   # Close unused sheets

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: Garbled unicode characters
Solution: Set encoding
  vd --encoding=utf-8 file.csv

Problem: Column too narrow to see data
Solution: Auto-fit width
  Press _ to expand current column

Problem: Can't edit cells
Solution: Check if column is key
  Key columns (!) are read-only by default

Problem: Slow performance on large file
Solution: Filter to reduce working set
  Select relevant rows, press "

Problem: Date not parsing correctly
Solution: Set date format
  Press @ then specify format like %Y-%m-%d

Getting Help

In VisiData:
  Alt+H                   Open help menu
  g^H                     View manual
  Space                   Command palette (search commands)
  z^H                     Show all keybindings

External resources:
  https://visidata.org    Official documentation
  Alt+H -> Tutorial       Built-in tutorial
  #visidata on IRC        Community support

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
`vd file.csv`	Open file in VisiData
`q`	Quit current sheet
`Alt+H`	Help menu
`h/j/k/l`	Navigate (left/down/up/right)
`/`	Search in column
`s`	Select row
`F`	Frequency table
`I`	Describe sheet (statistics)
`W`	Pivot table
`.`	Plot/visualize
`=`	Create column from expression
`e`	Edit cell
`^S`	Save sheet
`Space`	Command palette

Keyboard Layout Summary

Movement: h/j/k/l (vim) or arrow keys
Pages: ^F/^B (forward/back), ^Left/^Right
Edges: G/gg (bottom/top), gh/gj/gk/gl (left/bottom/top/right)

Selection: s (select), t (toggle), u (unselect)
           | (select regex), , (select value)

Types: ~ (str), # (int), % (float), $ (currency), @ (date)

Actions: e (edit), d (delete), a (append), y (yank), p (paste)

Analysis: F (frequency), I (describe), W (pivot), . (plot)

Special: = (expr), ! (key), ^ (rename), _ (width)

Sheets: S (sheets), C (columns), D (cmdlog), O (options)

Tip: Start with vd --play tutorial for an interactive tutorial, or press Alt+H once inside VisiData for context-sensitive help!

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