vim

What it does

How to write it

vim [OPTIONS] [FILE ...]
vim +NUMBER FILE
vim -d FILE1 FILE2

Main parts

Move (normal mode)

h j k l

Left, down, up, right (arrow keys also work).

w b e

Next word, back one word, end of the word.

0 ^ $

Start of the line, first character, end of the line.

gg G

First line, last line. 25G (or :25) goes to line 25.

Ctrl+F Ctrl+B

One page down, one page up.

%

Jump to the matching bracket.

Insert

i a

Insert before the cursor / after the cursor.

I A

Insert at the start / at the end of the line.

o O

New line below / above, in insert mode.

Esc

Back to normal mode.

Edit

x

Delete the character under the cursor.

dd

Delete (cut) the line. 5dd = 5 lines.

dw d$

Delete to the next word / to the end of the line.

cw cc

Change a word / change the whole line.

yy yw

Copy (yank) the line / a word.

p P

Paste after / before the cursor.

u Ctrl+R

Undo / redo.

.

Repeat the last change.

r

Replace one character.

>> <<

Indent / unindent the line.

J

Join the next line to this one.

Search and replace

/text ?text

Search forward / backward.

n N

Next / previous match.

*

Search the word under the cursor.

:s/old/new/

Replace the first "old" in this line.

:%s/old/new/g

Replace every "old" in the whole file.

:%s/old/new/gc

Replace everywhere, but ask each time.

Files and quitting

:w

Save. :w newname saves to another file.

:q

Quit (only when nothing changed).

:wq :x ZZ

Save and quit.

:q!

Quit and throw the changes away.

:w !sudo tee %

Save a file you opened without root (asks the sudo password).

:e file

Open another file.

:r file

Read (insert) a file under the cursor.

Settings

:set number

Show line numbers (:set nonumber to hide).

:set paste

Paste text without automatic indent.

:syntax on

Colors for code.

:set list

Show tabs and line ends (find hidden characters).

Most used

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$ run as a normal user# run as root (or with sudo)

1. 1Open a file and save after an edit

   $vim /etc/hosts
   (press i, type your line, press Esc, then type :wq and Enter)

   The basic cycle: i → type → Esc → :wq.

2. 2Leave without saving when you made a mistake

   $vim /etc/fstab
   (press Esc, then type :q! and Enter)

   :q! throws all changes away. Your safety exit.

3. 3Open a file at a line number from an error message

   $vim +42 /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

   Error messages often say "line 42". Jump straight there.

4. 4Replace a word in the whole file

   $vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config
   :%s/^#PermitRootLogin yes/PermitRootLogin no/

   ^ anchors the match at the line start. Then :wq.

5. 5Look at a file without changing it

   $vim -R /var/log/messages

   Read-only: no risk of saving by mistake. Same as view.

6. 6Compare two config files side by side

   $vim -d /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.rpmnew

   Differences are colored. ]c jumps to the next difference, do takes the other side's version.

7. 7Save a file you opened without sudo

   $vim /etc/motd
   :w !sudo tee % > /dev/null

   % means the current file. Type the sudo password, then :q! to leave.

8. 8Comment out many lines at once

   $vim app.conf
   (Ctrl+V, move down with j, press I, type #, press Esc)

   Block insert puts # before every selected line.

9. 9Show hidden tabs and spaces in a YAML file

   $vim deploy.yaml
   :set list

   YAML breaks on tabs. :set list shows them as ^I.

10. 10Recover a file after a crash or a lost SSH session

    $vim -r notes.txt

    vim keeps a swap file (.notes.txt.swp). Delete the swap file after a good recovery.

11. 11Run vim commands in a script (no screen)

    $vim -Es -c '%s/8080/9090/g' -c 'wq' app.conf

    Batch edit without opening the editor. For simple jobs sed -i is easier.

12. 12Learn vim in 30 minutes

    $vimtutor

    A lesson file you edit while you learn. Do it once; it pays back every day.

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Files

~/.vimrc

Your vim settings (like set number).

/etc/vimrc

System-wide settings.

~/.viminfo

History of commands, searches and marks.