Display Images in a Linux Terminal with lsix – Install and Use Guide

Linux terminals are traditionally text‑only, but with the lsix tool you can render images right inside the terminal.

What is lsix?

lsix

is a Bash script that displays pictures using the Sixel graphics protocol. Its key features are:

Automatically adapts image colors to the terminal's foreground and background.

Works locally and over SSH.

Supports image formats such as PNG, JPEG, SVG, EPS, PDF, XCF, etc.

Implemented in Bash, so it runs on most Linux distributions.

Installing lsix

lsix relies on ImageMagick. Install ImageMagick first:

sudo pacman -S imagemagick

sudo apt-get install imagemagick

Download the lsix source and place the script in a directory that is in $PATH (e.g., /usr/local/bin), then make it executable:

wget https://github.com/hackerb9/lsix/archive/master.zip

unzip lsix-master.zip

sudo cp lsix-master/lsix /usr/local/bin/

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/lsix

Enabling Sixel support in Xterm

lsix requires a terminal that understands the Sixel format. Start Xterm in vt340 emulation mode: xterm -ti vt340 To make Sixel the default, edit .Xresources (create it if missing) and add: xterm*decTerminalID : vt340 Save the file (press ESC then type :wq ) and merge the changes: xrdb -merge .Xresources After this, any new Xterm window will have Sixel enabled.

Using lsix

Display a specific image (e.g., logo.jpg) with: lsix logo.jpg Show all images in the current directory: lsix Use wildcards to filter, for example all JPEG files: lsix *.jpg The tool works the same way over SSH; a separate Xterm window will pop up to render the graphics.