Introduction

Looking for a simple way to play your local music files directly from the terminal on Linux? The mpv CLI tool offers a straightforward solution with minimal setup and easy controls. Here’s how you can get started quickly.

Installation

To get started with mpv, you need to install it. For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems, open your terminal and run:

sudo apt install mpv

For other Linux distributions, use the appropriate package manager. For example, on Fedora use sudo dnf install mpv, and on Arch Linux use sudo pacman -S mpv.

Usage

1. Navigate to Your Music Directory:

   Use the cd command to go to the folder containing your MP3 files.

   cd /path/to/your/music
   

2. Play Music Files:

   Run mpv in the directory to start playing the files.

   mpv .
   

Essential Commands to Know

• Play/Pause: Space
• Stop Playback: q
• Next Song: > (tip: press Shift) or Enter
• Previous Song: < (tip: press Shift)
• Volume Up: 0
• Volume Down: 9
• Mute/Unmute: m
• Seek Forward: Right Arrow (5 secs) & Up Arrow (1 min)
• Seek Backward (5 seconds): Left Arrow (5 secs) & Down Arrow (1 min)
• Quit: q or Ctrl+C

Additional Tips

• Playlist Support: mpv can also play playlists. Simply add a playlist file (e.g., .m3u) to your directory and run mpv playlist.m3u.
• Configuration: Customize mpv settings by creating a configuration file at ~/.config/mpv/mpv.conf.

Conclusion

With these commands and tips, you’re all set to enjoy your music collection using mpv. This tool offers a clean and efficient way to handle your audio files directly from the terminal. Happy listening!