Vim cheatsheet

Getting started

Introduction

Vim is a highly efficient text editor. This reference covers Vim 9.2.

For shortcut notation, see :help key-notation. Run :Tutor for the built-in tutorial.

Vim documentation (vimhelp.org)
Vim source code (github.com)

Exiting

Shortcut	Description
`:q`	Close window
`:qa`	Close all windows
`:w`	Save
`:wq` / `:x`	Save and close file
`ZZ`	Save and quit
`:q!` / `ZQ`	Quit without checking changes

See: Writing and quitting

Exiting insert mode

Shortcut	Description
`Esc` / `<C-[>`	Exit insert mode
`<C-C>`	Exit insert mode without abbreviations
`<C-O>`	Run one command, then resume insert

See: Insert mode

Editing

Shortcut	Description
`a`	Append
`A`	Append from end of line
`i`	Insert
`o`	Next line
`O`	Previous line
`s`	Delete char and insert
`S`	Delete line and insert
`C`	Delete until end of line and insert
`r`	Replace one character
`R`	Enter Replace mode
`J`	Join next line
`gJ`	Join next line without space
`u`	Undo changes
`<C-R>`	Redo changes

See: Insert mode

Clipboard

Shortcut	Description
`x`	Delete character
`dd`	Delete line (Cut)
`yy`	Yank line (Copy)
`p`	Paste after cursor
`P`	Paste before cursor
`"*p` / `"+p`	Paste from system clipboard
`"*y` / `"+y`	Copy to system clipboard

See: Registers

Visual mode

Shortcut	Description
`v`	Enter visual mode
`V`	Enter visual line mode
`<C-V>`	Enter visual block mode
`gv`	Reselect last selection

In visual mode

Shortcut	Description
`d` / `x`	Delete selection
`s`	Change selection
`y`	Yank selection (Copy)
`>` / `<`	Shift selection right/left
`o`	Move to other end of selection

See Operators for other things you can do.

Find and replace

Shortcut	Description
`:%s/foo/bar/g`	Replace in whole document
`:%s/foo/bar/gc`	Replace with confirmation
`:s/foo/bar/g`	Replace in current line

See: Search and replace

Navigating

Directions

Shortcut	Description
`h` `j` `k` `l`	Arrow keys
`<C-U>` / `<C-D>`	Half-page up/down
`<C-B>` / `<C-F>`	Page up/down

See: Left-right motions

Words

Shortcut	Description
`b` / `w`	Previous/next word
`ge` / `e`	Previous/next end of word

See: Word motions

Line

Shortcut	Description
`0` (zero)	Start of line
`^`	Start of line (after whitespace)
`$`	End of line

See: Line motions

Character

Shortcut	Description
`fc`	Go forward to character `c`
`Fc`	Go backward to character `c`
`tc` / `Tc`	Go just before/after `c`
`;` / `,`	Repeat character search

See: Character motions

Document

Shortcut	Description
`gg`	First line
`G`	Last line
`:{number}`	Go to line `{number}`
`{number}G`	Go to line `{number}`
`{number}j`	Go down `{number}` lines
`{number}k`	Go up `{number}` lines

See: Go to line

Screen

Shortcut	Description
`zz`	Center this line
`zt`	Top this line
`zb`	Bottom this line
`H`	Move to top of screen
`M`	Move to middle of screen
`L`	Move to bottom of screen

See: Scrolling

Search

Shortcut	Description
`/pattern`	Search forward
`?pattern`	Search backward
`n` / `N`	Next/previous match
`*` / `#`	Next/previous word under cursor
`:noh`	Clear search highlight

See: Search commands

Operators

Usage

Operators let you operate in a range of text (defined by motion). These are performed in normal mode.

Operator	Motion
`d`	`w`
Operator	Motion

See: Operators

Operators list

Shortcut	Description
`d`	Delete
`y`	Yank (copy)
`c`	Change (delete then insert)
`>`	Indent right
`<`	Indent left
`=`	Reindent
`g~`	Swap case
`gU`	Uppercase
`gu`	Lowercase
`!`	Filter through external program

See: Operators

Examples

Combine operators with motions to use them.

Shortcut	Description
`d`d	(repeat the letter) Delete current line
`d`w	Delete to next word
`d`b	Delete to beginning of word
2`dd`	Delete 2 lines
`d`ip	Delete a text object (inside paragraph)
(in visual mode) `d`	Delete selection

See: :help motion.txt

Text objects

Usage

Text objects let you operate (with an operator) in or around text blocks (objects).

Operator	[i]nside or [a]round	Text object
`v`	`i`	`p`
Operator	[i]nside or [a]round	Text object

See: Text objects

Text objects

Shortcut	Description
`p`	Paragraph
`w`	Word
`s`	Sentence
`[` `(` `{` `<`	A [], (), {}, or <> block
`'` `"` `	A quoted string
`b`	Alias for `(` block
`B`	Alias for `{` block
`t`	An XML tag block

See: Text objects

Examples

Shortcut	Description
`vip`	Select paragraph
`vipipipip`	Select more
`yip`	Yank inner paragraph
`yap`	Yank paragraph (including newline)
`dip`	Delete inner paragraph
`cip`	Change inner paragraph

See Operators for other things you can do.

Files and windows

Diff

Shortcut	Description
`vimdiff file1 file2`	Edit files in diff mode
`gvimdiff file1 file2`	Same, in the GUI
`:diffthis`	Add window to diff mode
`:diffoff`	Stop diff mode
`:set diffopt+=linematch:60`	Align similar diff lines

See: Diff mode

Tab pages

Shortcut	Description
`:tabnew` / `:tabedit`	New tab
`:tabfind [file]`	Find file in a new tab
`:tabclose`	Close current tab
`:tabs`	List all tabs
`gt` / `gT`	Next/previous tab
`:tabfirst`	Go to first tab
`:tablast`	Go to last tab
`:tabn` / `:tabp`	Next/previous tab

Vim 9.2 adds a vertical tabpanel: :set showtabpanel=2 always shows it.

See: Tab pages

Windows

Shortcut	Description
`:sp [file]`	Split horizontally
`:vsp [file]`	Split vertically
`<C-W>w`	Next window
`<C-W>h/j/k/l`	Go to window left/down/up/right
`<C-W>c`	Close window
`<C-W>o`	Close other windows
`z{height}<Cr>`	Resize to `{height}` lines
`:terminal`	Open a terminal window
`:vertical terminal`	Terminal in vertical split

See: Windows, Terminal

Reference

Folds

Shortcut	Description
`zo` / `zO`	Open
`zc` / `zC`	Close
`za` / `zA`	Toggle
`zv`	Open folds for this line
`zM`	Close all
`zR`	Open all
`zm`	Fold more (foldlevel += 1)
`zr`	Fold less (foldlevel -= 1)
`zi`	Toggle folding
`zx`	Update folds

Uppercase ones are recursive (eg, zO is open recursively).

See: Folds

Shortcut	Description
`%`	Matching `()`, `[]`, `{}`
`[(` `[{`	Previous unmatched `(`/`{`
`])` `]}`	Next unmatched `)`/`}`
`[m` / `[M`	Previous method start/end
`]m` / `]M`	Next method start/end

See: Matching pairs

Jumping

Shortcut	Description
`<C-O>`	Go back to previous location
`<C-I>`	Go forward
`gf`	Go to file in cursor

See: Jump motions

Counters

Shortcut	Description
`<C-A>`	Increment number
`<C-X>`	Decrement
`g<C-A>` / `g<C-X>`	In visual mode: increment/decrement lines

See: CTRL-A

Shortcut	Description
`:tag Classname`	Jump to first definition of Classname
`<C-]>`	Jump to definition
`g]`	See all definitions
`<C-T>`	Go back to last tag
`<C-O> <C-I>`	Back/forward
`:tselect Classname`	Find definitions of Classname
`:tjump Classname`	Find definitions of Classname (jump if one)

Case

Shortcut	Description
`~`	Toggle case (Case => cASE)
`gU`	Uppercase
`gu`	Lowercase
`gUU`	Uppercase current line (also `gUgU`)
`guu`	Lowercase current line (also `gugu`)

Do these in visual or normal mode.

See: Changing case

Marks

Shortcut	Description
`^	Last position of cursor in insert mode
`.	Last change in current buffer
`"	Last exited current buffer
`0	In last file edited
`''`	Back to line in current buffer where jumped from
``	Back to position in current buffer where jumped from
`[	To beginning of previously changed or yanked text
`]	To end of previously changed or yanked text
`<	To beginning of last visual selection
`>	To end of last visual selection
`ma`	Mark this cursor position as `a`
`a	Jump to the cursor position `a`
`'a`	Jump to the beginning of the line with position `a`
`d'a`	Delete from current line to line of mark `a`
d`a	Delete from current position to position of mark `a`
`c'a`	Change text from current line to line of `a`
y`a	Yank text from current position to position of `a`
`:marks`	List all current marks
`:delm a`	Delete mark `a`
`:delm a-d`	Delete marks `a`, `b`, `c`, `d`
`:delm abc`	Delete marks `a`, `b`, `c`

See: Marks

Misc

Shortcut	Description
`.`	Repeat last command
`]p`	Paste under the current indentation level
`:set ff=unix`	Write with Unix line endings
`:set ff=dos`	Write with DOS line endings

See: Repeating commands

Command line

Shortcut	Description
`<C-R><C-W>`	Insert current word
`<C-R>"`	Paste from unnamed register

See: Command-line editing

Insert completion

Shortcut	Description
`<C-N>` / `<C-P>`	Complete word from buffer
`<C-X><C-F>`	Complete file path
`<C-X><C-L>`	Complete whole line
`<C-X><C-R>`	Complete from registers (Vim 9.2)
`<C-X>s`	Suggest spelling

Vim 9.2 matches fuzzily with :set completeopt+=fuzzy.

See: Insert completion

Text alignment

:center [width]
:right [width]
:left

See: Aligning text

Calculator

Shortcut	Description
`<C-R>=128/2`	Shows the result of the division : '64'

Do this in insert mode.

See: Expression register

Exiting with an error

:cq
:cquit

Quits like :qa!, abandoning changes, and returns an error code. Great for aborting Git commands.

See: :cquit

Spell checking

Shortcut	Description
`:set spell spelllang=en_us`	Turn on US English spell checking
`]s`	Next misspelled word
`[s`	Previous misspelled word
`z=`	Suggest spellings
`zg`	Add word to spell list
`zw`	Mark word as misspelled
`zug`	Undo `zg`/`zw` for word
`<C-X>s`	Suggest spelling (insert mode)

See: Spell checking

Also see

Vim 9.2 release notes (vim.org)
Vim FAQ (vimhelp.org)
Vim downloads (vim.org)

Getting started

Introduction

Exiting

Exiting insert mode

Editing

Editing

Clipboard

Visual mode

In visual mode

Find and replace

Navigating

Directions

Words

Line

Character

Document

Screen

Search

Operators

Usage

Operators list

Examples

Text objects

Usage

Text objects

Examples

Files and windows

Diff

Tab pages

Windows

Reference

Folds

Navigation

Jumping

Counters

Tags

Case

Marks

Misc

Misc

Command line

Insert completion

Text alignment

Calculator

Exiting with an error

Spell checking

Also see