Vim Commands you must Know

Vim Commands you must Know

Basic Vim Commands

These commands work in command mode.

Esc is used to exit insert mode and enter command mode.

1. Move Cursor

j - down
k - up 
h - left
l - right

8j - 8 lines down
8k - 8 lines up

gg - top 
G - bottom

w - move forward one word
b - move backward one word

2. Enter into INSERT mode


i - insert before the current character
I - insert at the beginning of the line

a  - inset after the current character 
A -  insert at the end of the line

o - insert next to the current line 
O ( not zero) - insert before the current line

3. Exit Vim


:q - exit if no change are made 
:q! - exit and ignore the change made 
:wq - write the change and then exit 

:w new_name - save the file with the new name

ZZ - Write the current file, if modified, and exit.

4. Deleting Text

x - delete the current character 
dd - delete the current line

5. Copy Paste


yy - copy the current line **to the store buffer**

p - paste after the current line  ** from the storage buffer ** 
P - paster before the current line

Vim copy and pastes to and from the storage buffer and not the system clipboard

If you want to use the system clipboard then just enter in to insert mode and to copy select the text and press ctrl + c and to paste press ctrl + v

6. Undo and redo

u - Undo the last operation 
CTRL + r - redo the last undo

Did you find this article valuable?

Support Harshit Saini by becoming a sponsor. Any amount is appreciated!