Introduction to vim

Why vim?

vim is a powerful, keyboard‑driven text editor that comes preinstalled on almost every Linux system. Even if you prefer other editors, knowing basic vim is extremely useful because:

It’s almost always available (including in minimal/rescue environments).
Many tools open vim by default (e.g., git commit in some setups).
You can edit files over SSH without a graphical interface.

This chapter gives you just enough vim to open, edit, save, and quit files without panic.

Starting and Exiting vim

Opening files

Open (or create) a file:

bash

  vim filename.txt

Open vim without a file (you can still start editing, then choose a name when saving):

bash

vim

Inside vim, your whole terminal becomes the editor.

The three main modes (just the basics)

vim is “modal”: the same keys do different things depending on the mode.

For now, remember only these three:

Normal mode: for commands (moving, deleting, saving, quitting).
Insert mode: for typing text.
Command-line mode: for commands that start with : (like :w to save).

You’ll mostly switch between Normal and Insert.

How to know your mode

If you see -- INSERT -- at the bottom: you’re in Insert mode.
If the bottom line is empty or shows file info, you’re usually in Normal mode.
If you see : at the bottom: you’re in Command-line mode.

When in doubt, press Esc once (or a couple of times). You’ll end up in Normal mode.

Quitting vim

These commands are typed from Normal mode, starting with ::

Quit (no changes made):

:q then Enter

Quit and discard all unsaved changes:

:q! then Enter

Save (write) the file:

:w then Enter

Save and quit:

:wq then Enter
or :x then Enter (similar behavior)

If vim refuses to quit with :q it’s usually because there are unsaved changes; use :wq to save them or :q! to discard them.

Basic Editing Workflow

Entering Insert mode (to type text)

From Normal mode, use one of these:

i — insert before the cursor.
a — append (insert) after the cursor.
o — open a new line below the current one and start inserting.
O — open a new line above the current one and start inserting.

After pressing one of these keys, you’re in Insert mode and can type normally.

Leaving Insert mode

Press Esc to go back to Normal mode.

Develop the habit: type → Esc → move → i or a → type → Esc, etc.

Saving while editing

From Normal mode:

:w then Enter to save.
:w filename then Enter to save to a new file name (Save As).

Combine with :q when you’re done (:wq).

Moving Around in vim

Movement commands are given in Normal mode.

Arrow keys

Most terminals let you use arrow keys:

Up, Down, Left, Right

These are fine when starting; classic vim users often prefer h j k l.

Basic vim movement keys

You can use these instead of arrow keys:

h — left
j — down
k — up
l — right

Try resting your right hand on the keyboard: index on j, middle on k, ring on l, pinky on ;. Then h is just to the left of j.

Moving by words and lines

All from Normal mode:

w — move to the start of the next word.
b — move to the start of the previous word.
e — move to the end of the current/next word.
0 (zero) — move to the start of the line.
$ — move to the end of the line.

Moving by lines and file

gg — go to the first line.
G — go to the last line.
:<number> then Enter — go to a specific line (e.g. :10 to line 10).

You can see line numbers by:

:set number then Enter (temporary for the current session).

Deleting and Undoing

Deleting characters and words

All in Normal mode:

x — delete the character under the cursor.
dw — delete from the cursor to the start of the next word (like “delete word”).
db — delete backwards to the start of the previous word.
dd — delete the whole current line.

Deleted text is copied into a buffer (vim’s clipboard); basic paste is covered below.

Undo and redo

u — undo the last change.
Ctrl+r — redo the last undone change.

This works for almost all edits: inserts, deletes, etc.

Copying and Pasting (Yank and Put)

vim uses its own terms:

yank = copy
put = paste

All commands here are in Normal mode:

yy — yank (copy) the current line.
yw — yank from the cursor to the start of the next word.
p — put (paste) after the cursor (or below current line for line yanks).
P — put (paste) before the cursor (or above for line yanks).

For example:

Move to a line.
Press yy to copy it.
Move somewhere else.
Press p to paste it below the current line.

Combining Commands with Counts

Many Normal mode commands can be repeated by prefixing them with a number.

Examples:

3w — move 3 words forward.
5j — move 5 lines down.
3x — delete 3 characters from the cursor to the right.
4dd — delete 4 lines (current line + next 3).

Pattern: $N$<command>$ applies the command $N$ times.

Searching Inside a File

Search is done from Normal mode.

Basic search

/text then Enter — search forward for text.
?text then Enter — search backward for text.

After a search:

n — go to the next match (same direction).
N — go to the previous match (opposite direction).

Search is case‑sensitive by default. To make it case‑insensitive just for one search, you can use \c:

/Text\c — search for Text, text, TEXT, etc.

Searching for the word under cursor

From Normal mode:

* — search forward for the word under the cursor.
# — search backward for the word under the cursor.

Then use n / N to move between matches.

Opening and Saving Files from Inside vim

These commands assume you’re already in vim, in Normal mode.

Opening another file

:e otherfile.txt then Enter — open another file in the same vim window.

If the current file has unsaved changes, vim may warn you. Save first (:w), or force the edit with :e! otherfile.txt (discarding unsaved changes).

Saving under a new name

:w newname.txt then Enter — write the current contents to a new file.

You’ll still continue editing the original file unless you also :e newname.txt.

Basic Visual Selection (Optional but Useful)

Visual mode lets you select text before operating on it.

From Normal mode:

v — start character-wise visual selection.
V — start line-wise visual selection.

Then:

Move with arrow keys or h j k l to expand/shrink the selection.
Use:

y — yank (copy) the selection.
d — delete the selection.
p — paste after the cursor (or replace the selection if in some setups).

Press Esc to exit Visual mode without changing anything.

Very Minimal Configuration for Beginners

vim is highly configurable but you don’t need much to start. For small quality-of-life improvements, you can create a simple configuration.

Creating a basic vim config

Create (or edit) ~/.vimrc using an editor you’re comfortable with (even vim itself):

vim ~/.vimrc

Add a few simple settings:

set number        " show line numbers
set ignorecase    " case-insensitive search by default
set smartcase     " but case-sensitive if search contains capitals
set hlsearch      " highlight search matches
set incsearch     " show matches as you type the search

These lines:

Start with set to change options.
Everything after " on a line is a comment.

Save and quit (:wq). Next time you run vim, these options will be enabled.

Safe Practice Ideas

To build confidence:

Create a test file:

bash

   vim practice.txt

Try this sequence a few times:

Enter Insert mode: i
Type some text.
Exit Insert mode: Esc
Move with h j k l.
Delete a line with dd.
Undo with u.
Save with :w.
Quit with :q or :wq.

Practice searching:

Add repeated words.
Use /word then n and N.

The goal at this stage is not to master vim, but to be comfortable enough that you can open, edit, save, and quit without getting stuck.

Comments

Please login to add a comment.

Don't have an account? Register now!

Introduction to vim

Why vim?

Starting and Exiting vim

Opening files

The three main modes (just the basics)

How to know your mode

Quitting vim

Basic Editing Workflow

Entering Insert mode (to type text)

Leaving Insert mode

Saving while editing

Moving Around in vim

Arrow keys

Basic vim movement keys

Moving by words and lines

Moving by lines and file

Deleting and Undoing

Deleting characters and words

Undo and redo

Copying and Pasting (Yank and Put)

Combining Commands with Counts

Searching Inside a File

Basic search

Searching for the word under cursor

Opening and Saving Files from Inside vim

Opening another file

Saving under a new name

Basic Visual Selection (Optional but Useful)

Very Minimal Configuration for Beginners

Creating a basic vim config

Safe Practice Ideas

Comments

Where to Move