At some point, every engineer or researcher needs to edit files directly from the terminal.
Vim is a fast text editor designed for efficient keyboard-driven workflows. Learning Vim improves speed, focus, and productivity, especially when working on remote servers, configuring systems, writing code, or handling quick edits without leaving the command line.
Below is a concise and practical Vim cheat sheet covering the most useful commands for navigation, editing, searching, file management, and efficient terminal-based development.
Vim is a modal text editor with distinct modes for different tasks.
Understanding these modes is key to using Vim effectively:
Normal (default): For navigation, editing commands, and text manipulation.
Insert: For typing and inserting text.
Visual: For selecting text blocks.
Command-line: For executing commands.
💡 Vim is powerful, but I use it only for quick editing. If you are starting your career, it is wiser to focus on deeper skills than perfecting Vim/Neovim.
Life is wonderful! Go outside, enjoy it, and be happier.
Start with Vim Tutor
For anyone completely new to Vim, the best place to start is Vim Tutor. It’s designed to be completed in about 30 minutes. By the time you’re done, you’ll know how to navigate, insert, delete, and save text.
To launch the tutor, just type this command in your terminal:
vimtutorVim basic operations
A few essential commands to get you started.
Open a file in Vim
vim <filename>Basic operations
:h Open the help documentation
:w Save changes
:wq Save and quit
:q! Quit without saving changes
Vim modes and movement
Insert mode
These commands are used from Normal mode to enter Insert mode.
i Insert before the cursor
I Insert at the beginning of the line
a Append after the cursor
A Append at the end of the line
o New line and insert
O New line above and insert
Basic motions
Navigate your text quickly and efficiently.
h Move left
j Move down
k Up
l Right
0 Move to the start of the line
$ Move to the end of the line
^ Move to the first non-blank character of the line
gg Go to the first line of the file
G Go to the last line of the file
5G Go to line 5
Word motions
Move between words and characters.
w Move to the beginning of the next word
b Move to the beginning of the previous word
e Move to the end of the current or next word
ge Move to the end of the previous word
% Jump between matching parentheses, braces, and brackets
Vim editing and deleting
Deleting
Delete text with these powerful commands.
x Delete the character under the cursor
dd Delete the current line
dw Delete from the cursor to the end of the word
D Delete from the cursor to the end of the line
Changing
Change commands delete and then put you into Insert mode.
r Replace a single character
cw Change the current word
C Change to the end of the line
cc Change the entire line
Undo, redo, and repeating
Manage your edits with these essential commands.
u Undo the last change
Ctrl+r Redo the last undo
. Repeat the last change or command
Copy, cut, and paste
These operations are often referred to as yanking (copying), deleting (cutting), and pasting.
yy Copy the current line
yw Copy the current word
p Paste after the cursor
P Paste before the cursor
Vim visual mode
Use visual mode for selecting and operating on a block of text.
v Start character-wise visual selection
V Start line-wise visual selection
Ctrl+v Start block-wise visual selection
y Copy the selected text
d Delete the selected text
Vim searching and replacing
Find and replace text with power.
/word Search forward
?word Search backward
n Go to the next match
N Go to the previous match
* Search for the word under the cursor
# Search backwards for the word under the cursor
:%s/old/new/g Find and replace all
:%s/old/new/gc Find and replace all with confirmation
Vim has a built-in file explorer called Netrw to navigate your project without leaving the editor.
Open the file explorer
:Explore Open in the current window
:Lexplore Open in a new horizontal split (left)
:Vexplore Open in a new vertical split
Enter Open a directory or file
- Go up to the parent directory
u Go back to the previous directory in history
mb Bookmark the current directory
gb Jump to a bookmarked directory
Vim window management
Split your screen to work on multiple files or sections of the same file.
:split Horizontally split the window
:vsplit Vertically split the window
Ctrl-w h Move to the window to the left
Ctrl-w j Move to the window below
Ctrl-w k Move to the window above
Ctrl-w l Move to the window to the right
Ctrl-w q Close the current split
This is just the beginning
We’ve demystified some essential Vim shortcuts, giving you the confidence to navigate, search, and edit files efficiently.
The only thing left to do now is practice, practice, and practice.
This is just the beginning of your journey. May the Force be with you!