--- title: "VIM Cheat Sheet" description: "VIM is a highly configurable text editor available on most Linux distributions. Ideal for editing files via the command line, its modal design offers distinct modes for various tasks. This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for VIM's essential commands and features." author: "Mohammad Abu Mattar" canonical: https://mkabumattar.com/blog/post/vim-cheat-sheet --- # VIM Cheat Sheet ## What is VIM? VIM (Vi Improved) is a versatile text editor pre-installed on most Linux systems, known for its efficiency in command-line file editing. Its modal nature, switching between modes like Normal, Insert, and Command, makes it a favorite among developers and system administrators. This cheat sheet is a handy guide to VIM's core features. ## VIM modes VIM operates in three primary modes, each designed for specific tasks, letting you navigate, edit, and manage files without leaving the keyboard. ### Normal Mode Normal Mode is VIM's default state for navigation and manipulation. Use it to move the cursor, delete text, or copy content, entering it with the Esc key. ### Insert Mode Insert Mode enables text input and editing. Activate it with the i key to start typing at the cursor's position. ### Command Mode Command Mode lets you execute file-level operations like saving or quitting. Access it by pressing : from Normal Mode. ## VIM commands This section lists essential VIM commands, organized by function. ### Global Global commands affect the entire file or VIM environment, such as saving files or accessing help. | Command | Description | | :----------------------------------------- | :------------------------------- | | :h[elp] keyword | Open help for keyword. | | :sav[eas] file | Save the file as file. | | :clo[se] | Close the current file. | | :ter[minal] | Open a terminal. | | K | Open help for word under cursor. | ### Cursor movement These commands control cursor navigation, helping you move efficiently within a file. | Command | Description | | :------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | h | Move left. | | j | Move down. | | k | Move up. | | l | Move right. | | gj | Move down a screen. | | gk | Move up a screen. | | H | Move to top of screen. | | M | Move to middle of screen. | | L | Move to bottom of screen. | | w | Move forward one word. | | W | Move forward one WORD. | | e | Move to end of word. | | E | Move to end of WORD. | | b | Move back one word. | | B | Move back one WORD. | | ge | Move to end of previous word. | | gE | Move to end of previous WORD. | | % | Move to matching character (default supported pairs: (), {}, []). | | 0 | Move to the start of the line. | | ^ | Move to the first non-blank character of the line. | | $ | Move to the end of the line. | | g\_ | Move to the last non-blank character of the line. | | gg | Move to the first line of the file. | | G | Move to the last line of the file. | | 5G | Move to line 5. | | gd | Move to the definition of the word under the cursor. | | gD | Move to the definition of the WORD under the cursor. | | fx | Move to the next occurrence of character x. | | Fx | Move to the previous occurrence of character x. | | tx | Move to the character before the next occurrence of character x. | | Tx | Move to the character after the previous occurrence of character x. | | ; | Repeat the previous f, t, F, or T movement. | | , | Repeat the previous f, t, F, or T movement, but in the opposite direction. | | `}` | Move to the next paragraph (or function/block, when editing code). | | `{` | Move to the previous paragraph (or function/block, when editing code). | | zz | Center cursor on screen. | | Ctrl + e | Move screen down one line (without moving cursor). | | Ctrl + y | Move screen up one line (without moving cursor). | | Ctrl + b | Move back one full screen. | | Ctrl + f | Move forward one full screen. | | Ctrl + d | Move forward half a screen. | | Ctrl + u | Move back half a screen. | ### Insert Mode Insert Mode commands handle text entry and minor adjustments while typing. | Command | Description | | :-------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------- | | i | Insert before the cursor. | | I | Insert at the beginning of the line. | | a | Insert (append) after the cursor. | | A | Insert (append) at the end of the line. | | o | Append (open) a new line below the current line. | | O | Append (open) a new line above the current line. | | ea | Insert (append) at the end of the word. | | Ctrl + h | Delete the character before the cursor. | | Ctrl + w | Delete the word before the cursor. | | Ctrl + j | Begin a new line. | | Ctrl + t | Shift the current line one tab to the right. | | Ctrl + d | Shift the current line one tab to the left. | | Ctrl + n | Insert the next completion of the word under the cursor. | | Ctrl + p | Insert the previous completion of the word under the cursor. | | Ctrl + rx | Insert the register x contents. | | Ctrl + ox | Temporarily enter Normal Mode to issue a single command. | | ESC | Exit Insert Mode. | ### Editing Editing commands allow you to modify text, from single characters to entire lines. | Command | Description | | :------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------ | | r | Replace a single character. | | R | Replace multiple characters. | | J | Join line below to the current one with one space in between. | | gJ | Join line below to the current one without space in between. | | gwip | Reformat paragraph. | | g~ | Switch case of character under cursor. | | gu | Make character under cursor lowercase. | | gU | Make character under cursor uppercase. | | cc | Change (replace) an entire line. | | c$ | Change (replace) to the end of the line. | | C | Change (replace) to the end of the line. | | ciw | Change (replace) the entire word. | | cw | Change (replace) to the end of the word. | | ce | Change (replace) to the end of the word. | | s | Delete character under cursor and substitute text. | | S | Delete line and substitute text (same as cc). | | xp | Transpose two letters (delete and paste). | | u | Undo. | | U | Undo all changes on line. | | Ctrl + r | Redo. | | . | Repeat last command. | ### Marking text (Visual Mode) Visual Mode commands help you select text for further actions like copying or deleting. | Command | Description | | :------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------- | | v | Start Visual Mode, mark lines, then do a command (like y-yank). | | V | Start linewise Visual Mode. | | o | Move to other end of marked area. | | O | Move to other corner of block. | | Ctrl + v | Start Visual Block Mode. | | aw | Mark a word. | | ab | A block with () | | aB | A block with {} | | at | A block with <> | | ib | Inner block with () | | iB | Inner block with {} | | it | Inner block with <> | | Esc | Exit Visual Mode. | ### Visual commands These commands operate on text selected in Visual Mode, such as shifting or copying. | Command | Description | | :------------------------------ | :------------------------------- | | > | Shift text right. | | < | Shift text left. | | y | Yank (copy) marked text. | | d | Delete marked text. | | ~ | Switch case. | | u | Change marked text to lowercase. | | U | Change marked text to uppercase. | ### Registers Registers store text for later use during copy and paste. | Command | Description | | :-------------------------------------- | :-------------------------- | | :reg[isters] | List all registers. | | "xy | Yank text into register x. | | "xp | Paste text from register x. | | "xP | Paste before cursor. | | "+y | Yank into system clipboard. | ### Marks and positions Marks and positions let you bookmark and jump to specific locations in a file. | Command | Description | | :------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------- | | :marks | List all marks. | | ma | Set current position for mark a. | | a | Jump to mark a. | | y'a | Yank to mark a. | | 0 | Jump to start of line. | | " | Jump to last edit position. | | . | Jump to last edit position. | | | Jump to last edit position. | | :ju[mps] | List all jump positions. | | Ctrl + o | Jump to previous position. | | Ctrl + i | Jump to next position. | | :changes | List all changes. | | g, | Jump to previous change. | | g; | Jump to next change. | | Ctrl + j | Jump to next change. | ### Macros Macros record and replay sequences of commands to automate repetitive tasks. | Command | Description | | :---------------------------- | :----------------------- | | qa | Start recording macro a. | | q | Stop recording macro. | | @a | Execute macro a. | | @@ | Execute last macro. | ### Cut and paste Cut and paste commands handle copying, deleting, and moving text. | Command | Description | | :----------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | yy | Yank (copy) a line. | | 2yy | Yank (copy) 2 lines. | | yw | Yank (copy) the characters of the word from the cursor position to the start of the next word. | | y$ | Yank (copy) to end of line. | | yiw | Yank (copy) inner word. | | yaw | Yank (copy) a word including the surrounding white space. | | p | Put (paste) the clipboard after cursor. | | P | Put (paste) before cursor. | | gp | Put (paste) after cursor. | | gP | Put (paste) before cursor. | | dd | Delete (cut) a line. | | 2dd | Delete (cut) 2 lines. | | dw | Delete (cut) the characters of the word from the cursor position to the start of the next word. | | D | Delete (cut) to the end of the line. | | d$ | Delete (cut) to the end of the line. | | diw | Delete (cut) inner word. | | daw | Delete (cut) a word including the surrounding white space. | | x | Delete (cut) character. | ### Indent text Indentation commands adjust text alignment, useful for code formatting. | Command | Description | | :---------------------------------- | :-------------------------- | | >> | Shift text right. | | << | Shift text left. | | >% | Shift selected lines right. | | <% | Shift selected lines left. | | >ib | Shift inner block right. | | <ib | Shift inner block left. | | >at | Shift block right. | | <at | Shift block left. | | 3== | Auto indent 3 lines. | | =% | Auto indent selected lines. | | =iB | Auto indent inner block. | | gg=G | Auto indent whole file. | | ]p | Paste and indent. | ### Exiting Exiting commands manage how you save and close files in VIM. | Command | Description | | :---------------------------------------- | :----------------------------------------- | | :w | Write (save) the file, but don't exit. | | :w !sudo tee % | Write out the current file using sudo. | | :wq | Write (save) and quit. | | :x | Write (save) and quit. | | ZZ | Write (save) and quit. | | :q | Quit (fails if there are unsaved changes). | | :q! | Quit and throw away unsaved changes. | | ZQ | Quit and throw away unsaved changes. | | :wqa | Write (save) and quit on all tabs. | | :qa | Quit on all tabs. | ### Search and replace Search and replace commands help you find and modify text efficiently. | Command | Description | | :---------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------- | | /pattern | Search for pattern. | | ?pattern | Search backward for pattern. | | \vpattern | Search for lines not containing pattern. | | n | Repeat search in same direction. | | N | Repeat search in opposite direction. | | :%s/old/new/g | Replace all old with new throughout file. | | :%s/old/new/gc | Replace all old with new throughout file with confirmations. | | :s/old/new/g | Replace all old with new in the current line. | | :s/old/new/gc | Replace all old with new in the current line with confirmations. | | :noh[lsearch] | Remove highlighting of search matches. | ### Search in multiple files These commands extend search capabilities across multiple files. | Command | Description | | :----------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------ | | :vimgrep /pattern/ \{file\} | Search for pattern in multiple files. | | :cn[ext] | Jump to the next match. | | :cp[revious] | Jump to the previous match. | | :cope[n] | Open a window containing the list. | | :ccl[ose] | Close the window. | ### Tabs Tab commands manage multiple files in separate tabs for multitasking. | Command | Description | | :----------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ | | :tabe | Open a new tab. | | :tabnew \{page.words.file\} | Open a new tab. | | gt | Move to the next tab. | | :tabn[ext] | Move to the next tab. | | gT | Move to the previous tab. | | :tabp[revious] | Move to the previous tab. | | #gt | Move to tab #. | | :tabm[ove] \{number\} | Move the current tab to the \{number\}th position (indexed from 0). | | :tabc[lose] | Close the current tab. | | :tabo[nly] | Close all tabs except for the current one. | | :tabr[ewind] | Move to the first tab. | | :tabfir[st] | Move to the first tab. | | :tabl[ast] | Move to the last tab. | | :tabs | List all tabs. | | :tabdo | Run a command for each open tab. | | :tabdo \{cmd\} | Run \{cmd\} for each open tab. | ### Working with multiple files These commands handle multiple files using buffers and window splits. | Command | Description | | :-------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------- | | :e[dit] \{file\} | Edit a file in a new buffer. | | :bn[ext] | Go to the next buffer. | | :bp[revious] | Go to the previous buffer. | | :bd[elete] | Delete a buffer. | | :b[uffer]\{number\} | Go to buffer \{number\}. | | :b[uffer] file | Go to buffer \{file\}. | | :ls | List all open buffers. | | :buffers | List all open buffers. | | :sp[lit] \{file\} | Open a file in a new buffer and split window. | | :vsp[lit] \{file\} | Open a file in a new buffer and vertically split window. | | :vert[ical] ba[ll] | Open a file in a new buffer and vertically split window. | | :tab ba[ll] | Open a file in a new buffer and split window. | | :tabe[dit] \{file\} | Open a file in a new buffer and split window. | | :tabnew \{file\} | Open a file in a new buffer and split window. | | :tab sball | Open a file in a new buffer and split window. | | Ctrl + ws | Split window. | | Ctrl + ww | Move to the next window. | | Ctrl + wq | Close the current window. | | Ctrl + wv | Split window vertically. | | Ctrl + wh | Move to the window on the left. | | Ctrl + wl | Move to the window on the right. | | Ctrl + wj | Move to the window below. | | Ctrl + wk | Move to the window above. | | Ctrl + w= | Make all windows the same height. | | Ctrl + wH | Move the current window to the far left. | | Ctrl + wL | Move the current window to the far right. | | Ctrl + wJ | Move the current window to the bottom. | | Ctrl + wK | Move the current window to the top. | ## Summary This guide covers VIM's essentials: navigating files, editing text, performing search-and-replace operations, and managing multiple files. With practice, these commands will speed up your day-to-day editing. ## References - [VIM Official Website](https://www.vim.org/) - [VIM Documentation](https://www.vim.org/docs.php) - [VIM Adventures (Interactive Tutorial)](https://vim-adventures.com/) - [OpenVIM (Interactive Tutorial)](https://www.openvim.com/) - [VIM Cheat Sheet by vim.rtorr.com](https://vim.rtorr.com/) - [A VIM Tutorial and Primer by Daniel Miessler](https://danielmiessler.com/p/vim/) - [Learn Vim (the Smart Way) - Free Code Camp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-vim-beginners-tutorial/) - [Vim User Manual by Bram Moolenaar](http://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/usr_toc.html) - [Practical Vim: Edit Text at the Speed of Thought (Book by Drew Neil)](https://pragprog.com/titles/dnvim2/practical-vim-second-edition/) - [VIM Galore - A comprehensive guide to VIM](https://github.com/mhinz/vim-galore) - [VIM Wiki](https://vim.fandom.com/wiki/Vim_Tips_Wiki) - [Thoughtbot - Learn Vim](https://thoughtbot.com/upcase/vim) - [Vimcasts - Free Vim Screencasts](http://vimcasts.org/) - [Devhints VIM Cheat Sheet](https://devhints.io/vim) - [Linux.com - An Introduction to the VIM Editor](https://www.linux.com/training-tutorials/vim-101-beginners-guide-vim/)