Vim Cheatsheet

This cheatsheet provides a comprehensive and practical reference for Vim commands, modes, and operations. Use it to quickly look up and learn essential Vim commands.

Use the search bar to quickly find specific commands or browse through categories for a complete reference.

Vim Cheatsheet

Complete Vim commands and shortcuts reference

546

Commands

Categories

Favorites

Sections

Getting Started

Exiting Vim

:qClose file (quit)

:q!Quit without saving (force)

:qaClose all files

:qa!Close all without saving

:wSave (write)

:w filenameSave as filename

:wqSave and quit

:xSave and quit (only if changed)

ZZSave and quit (normal mode)

ZQQuit without saving (normal mode)

Getting Started

Opening Files

:e filenameEdit a file

:e!Reload current file (discard changes)

:e .Open file explorer

:enewEdit new unnamed buffer

:r filenameInsert file content below cursor

:r !commandInsert command output

Getting Started

Exit Insert Mode

EscExit insert mode

Ctrl+[Exit insert mode (alternative)

Ctrl+CExit insert mode, abort command

jj / jkCommon custom mappings

💡 Many users remap jj or jk to Esc for faster exit

Editing

Entering Insert Mode

iInsert before cursor

IInsert at beginning of line

aAppend after cursor

AAppend at end of line

oOpen new line below

OOpen new line above

giInsert at last insert position

gIInsert at column 1

Editing

Change (Delete + Insert)

sDelete char and insert

SDelete line and insert

CDelete to end of line and insert

ccChange entire line

cwChange word

ciwChange inner word

ci"Change inside quotes

ci(Change inside parentheses

ci{Change inside braces

citChange inside tag

c$Change to end of line

c0Change to start of line

Editing

Replace

rReplace single character

REnter Replace mode

~Toggle case of character

g~wToggle case of word

gUwUppercase word

guwLowercase word

gUUUppercase entire line

guuLowercase entire line

Editing

Delete

xDelete character under cursor

XDelete character before cursor

ddDelete entire line

DDelete to end of line

dwDelete word

diwDelete inner word

dawDelete a word (with space)

di"Delete inside quotes

da"Delete around quotes

dipDelete inner paragraph

d$Delete to end of line

d0Delete to start of line

dGDelete to end of file

dggDelete to start of file

Editing

Clipboard (Yank/Paste)

yyYank (copy) line

YYank line (same as yy)

ywYank word

yiwYank inner word

yi"Yank inside quotes

y$Yank to end of line

pPaste after cursor

PPaste before cursor

gpPaste and move cursor after

gPPaste before and move cursor after

"+yYank to system clipboard

"+pPaste from system clipboard

"0pPaste from yank register

💡 Use "+ register for system clipboard

Editing

Undo & Redo

uUndo

UUndo all changes on line

Ctrl+RRedo

.Repeat last change

:earlier 5mGo back 5 minutes

:later 5mGo forward 5 minutes

g-Go to older text state

g+Go to newer text state

Navigation

Basic Movement

hMove left

jMove down

kMove up

lMove right

gjMove down (display line)

gkMove up (display line)

Navigation

Word Movement

wNext word start

WNext WORD start (space-separated)

eNext word end

ENext WORD end

bPrevious word start

BPrevious WORD start

gePrevious word end

gEPrevious WORD end

💡 WORD = sequence of non-blank characters

Navigation

Line Movement

0Start of line

^First non-blank character

$End of line

g_Last non-blank character

|Go to column 1

n|Go to column n

+First non-blank of next line

-First non-blank of previous line

Navigation

Screen Movement

Ctrl+FPage down (forward)

Ctrl+BPage up (backward)

Ctrl+DHalf page down

Ctrl+UHalf page up

Ctrl+EScroll down one line

Ctrl+YScroll up one line

HMove to top of screen

MMove to middle of screen

LMove to bottom of screen

ztScroll cursor to top

zzScroll cursor to center

zbScroll cursor to bottom

Navigation

Document Movement

ggGo to first line

GGo to last line

nGGo to line n

:nGo to line n

n%Go to n% of file

Ctrl+GShow file info and position

g Ctrl+GShow detailed position info

Navigation

Character Search

f{char}Find char forward

F{char}Find char backward

t{char}Till char forward

T{char}Till char backward

;Repeat last f/F/t/T

,Repeat last f/F/t/T reversed

💡 f lands on char, t lands before char

Navigation

Matching & Jumping

%Jump to matching bracket

[[Previous section/function

]]Next section/function

[{Previous unmatched {

]}Next unmatched }

[(Previous unmatched (

])Next unmatched )

[mPrevious method start

]mNext method start

Search & Replace

/patternSearch forward

?patternSearch backward

nNext match

NPrevious match

*Search word under cursor forward

#Search word under cursor backward

g*Search partial word forward

g#Search partial word backward

/\cCase insensitive search

/\CCase sensitive search

:nohClear search highlighting

Search & Replace

Search Patterns

/\<word\>Exact word match

/^patternPattern at line start

/pattern$Pattern at line end

/pat1\|pat2Match pat1 OR pat2

/pat.*ternMatch with wildcard

/[abc]Match any of a, b, c

/[^abc]Match except a, b, c

/\dMatch digit

/\wMatch word character

/\sMatch whitespace

💡 Vim uses its own regex flavor

Search & Replace

Replace (Substitute)

:s/old/new/Replace first on line

:s/old/new/gReplace all on line

:%s/old/new/gReplace all in file

:%s/old/new/gcReplace all with confirm

:%s/old/new/giReplace case insensitive

:5,10s/old/new/gReplace in lines 5-10

:'<,'>s/old/new/gReplace in selection

:%s/\s\+$//Remove trailing whitespace

:%s/^/prefix/Add prefix to all lines

:%s/$/suffix/Add suffix to all lines

Search & Replace

Replace Special

&Matched pattern in replacement

\1, \2Captured groups

\rNewline in replacement

\tTab in replacement

\uUppercase next char

\UUppercase until \E

\lLowercase next char

\LLowercase until \E

💡 Use  for capture groups

Operators

Operator List

dDelete

cChange (delete + insert)

yYank (copy)

>Indent right

<Indent left

=Auto-indent

g~Toggle case

gUUppercase

guLowercase

!Filter through external command

gqFormat text

💡 Operators work with motions: operator + motion

Operators

Operator + Motion Examples

dwDelete word

d2wDelete 2 words

d$Delete to end of line

d0Delete to start of line

dGDelete to end of file

dggDelete to start of file

df)Delete to and including )

dt)Delete until )

d/patternDelete to pattern

y3jYank 3 lines down

>}Indent to end of paragraph

=apAuto-indent paragraph

Operators

Double Operator (Line)

ddDelete line

ccChange line

yyYank line

>>Indent line

<<Unindent line

==Auto-indent line

gUUUppercase line

guuLowercase line

g~~Toggle case line

💡 Double operator = apply to current line

Operators

Count + Operator

3ddDelete 3 lines

5yyYank 5 lines

2>>Indent 2 lines

d3wDelete 3 words

c2f)Change to 2nd )

y5jYank 5 lines down

Text Objects

Inner vs Around

iInner (inside, excluding delimiters)

aAround (including delimiters)

💡 Use with operators: d + i/a + object

Text Objects

Word Objects

iwInner word

awA word (with trailing space)

iWInner WORD

aWA WORD (with trailing space)

Text Objects

Sentence & Paragraph

isInner sentence

asA sentence

ipInner paragraph

apA paragraph

Text Objects

Block Objects

i( / i)Inside parentheses

a( / a)Around parentheses

i[ / i]Inside brackets

a[ / a]Around brackets

i{ / i}Inside braces

a{ / a}Around braces

i< / i>Inside angle brackets

a< / a>Around angle brackets

ibInside block (same as i()

aBAround Block (same as a{)

Text Objects

Quote Objects

i"Inside double quotes

a"Around double quotes

i'Inside single quotes

a'Around single quotes

i`Inside backticks

a`Around backticks

Text Objects

Tag Objects

itInside tag

atAround tag

💡 Works with HTML/XML tags

Text Objects

Text Object Examples

diwDelete inner word

dawDelete a word

ci"Change inside quotes

ca"Change around quotes

yi{Yank inside braces

vipSelect inner paragraph

ditDelete inside tag

>ipIndent inner paragraph

Visual Mode

Enter Visual Mode

vCharacter-wise visual

VLine-wise visual

Ctrl+VBlock-wise visual

gvReselect last selection

oMove to other end of selection

OMove to other corner (block)

Visual Mode

Visual Mode Actions

d / xDelete selection

yYank selection

cChange selection

r{char}Replace with character

>Indent selection

<Unindent selection

=Auto-indent selection

~Toggle case

UUppercase

uLowercase

JJoin lines

gJJoin lines without space

:Command on selection

EscExit visual mode

Visual Mode

Block Visual Special

IInsert at start of each line

AAppend at end of each line

cChange each line

$Extend to end of lines

💡 Block mode allows multi-line editing

Visual Mode

Expand Selection

awExpand to word

abExpand to () block

aBExpand to {} block

atExpand to tag

apExpand to paragraph

Windows & Tabs

Window Splits

:sp [file]Horizontal split

:vsp [file]Vertical split

:newNew horizontal split

:vnewNew vertical split

Ctrl+W sSplit horizontally

Ctrl+W vSplit vertically

Ctrl+W nNew window

Windows & Tabs

Window Navigation

Ctrl+W wCycle through windows

Ctrl+W hGo to left window

Ctrl+W jGo to window below

Ctrl+W kGo to window above

Ctrl+W lGo to right window

Ctrl+W pGo to previous window

Ctrl+W tGo to top-left window

Ctrl+W bGo to bottom-right window

Windows & Tabs

Window Management

Ctrl+W qClose window

Ctrl+W cClose window (keep buffer)

Ctrl+W oClose all other windows

Ctrl+W =Equal size windows

Ctrl+W _Maximize height

Ctrl+W |Maximize width

Ctrl+W +Increase height

Ctrl+W -Decrease height

Ctrl+W >Increase width

Ctrl+W <Decrease width

Ctrl+W rRotate windows down

Ctrl+W RRotate windows up

Ctrl+W xExchange with next window

Windows & Tabs

Window Moving

Ctrl+W HMove window to far left

Ctrl+W JMove window to bottom

Ctrl+W KMove window to top

Ctrl+W LMove window to far right

Ctrl+W TMove window to new tab

Windows & Tabs

Tab Pages

:tabnew [file]Open new tab

:tabe [file]Edit file in new tab

:tabcloseClose current tab

:tabonlyClose all other tabs

gtGo to next tab

gTGo to previous tab

ngtGo to tab n

:tabsList all tabs

:tabm nMove tab to position n

:tabm +1Move tab right

:tabm -1Move tab left

Windows & Tabs

Buffers

:lsList buffers

:b nGo to buffer n

:bnNext buffer

:bpPrevious buffer

:bdDelete buffer

:b nameGo to buffer by name

:bufdo cmdRun command on all buffers

Marks & Jumps

Setting Marks

maSet mark 'a' at cursor

mASet global mark 'A'

:marksList all marks

:delmarks aDelete mark 'a'

:delmarks!Delete all lowercase marks

💡 a-z local marks, A-Z global marks

Marks & Jumps

Jumping to Marks

'aJump to line of mark 'a'

`aJump to position of mark 'a'

''Jump to last jump position

``Jump to exact last position

'.Jump to last change

'"Jump to position when last edited

'[Start of last change/yank

']End of last change/yank

'<Start of last visual selection

'>End of last visual selection

Marks & Jumps

Jump List

Ctrl+OGo to older position

Ctrl+IGo to newer position

:jumpsList jump history

:clearjumpsClear jump list

Marks & Jumps

Change List

g;Go to older change

g,Go to newer change

:changesList change history

Macros

Recording Macros

qaStart recording macro 'a'

qStop recording

@aRun macro 'a'

@@Repeat last macro

5@aRun macro 'a' 5 times

:reg aView macro 'a' content

💡 Macros are stored in registers a-z

Macros

Editing Macros

"apPaste macro 'a' content

"ay$Yank line into macro 'a'

:let @a='...'Set macro content

:let @A='...'Append to macro 'a'

Macros

Running on Multiple Lines

:5,10norm @aRun macro on lines 5-10

:%norm @aRun macro on all lines

:'<,'>norm @aRun macro on selection

:g/pattern/norm @aRun on matching lines

Registers

""Unnamed register (default)

"0Yank register

"1-9Delete registers (history)

"a-zNamed registers

"A-ZAppend to named register

"+System clipboard

"*Selection clipboard (X11)

"_Black hole register

"/Last search pattern

":Last command

".Last inserted text

"%Current filename

"#Alternate filename

"=Expression register

Registers

Using Registers

:regShow all registers

:reg aShow register 'a'

"ayYank into register 'a'

"apPaste from register 'a'

"AyAppend yank to register 'a'

"_dDelete without saving

"+pPaste from clipboard

"+yYank to clipboard

Ctrl+R aInsert register 'a' (insert mode)

Folds

Fold Commands

zoOpen fold under cursor

zOOpen all folds under cursor

zcClose fold under cursor

zCClose all folds under cursor

zaToggle fold

zAToggle all folds under cursor

zvOpen folds to show cursor line

zMClose all folds

zROpen all folds

zmFold more (increase foldlevel)

zrFold less (decrease foldlevel)

Folds

Creating Folds

zf{motion}Create fold

zf'aFold to mark 'a'

:n,mfoldFold lines n to m

zdDelete fold under cursor

zDDelete all folds under cursor

zEDelete all folds in file

Folds

Fold Navigation

zjMove to next fold

zkMove to previous fold

[zMove to start of open fold

]zMove to end of open fold

Folds

Fold Methods

:set foldmethod=manualManual folding

:set foldmethod=indentFold by indent

:set foldmethod=syntaxFold by syntax

:set foldmethod=markerFold by markers

:set foldmethod=exprFold by expression

:set foldmethod=diffFold unchanged text

Insert Mode

Insert Mode Commands

Ctrl+HDelete character before cursor

Ctrl+WDelete word before cursor

Ctrl+UDelete to start of line

Ctrl+TIndent line

Ctrl+DUnindent line

Ctrl+JInsert newline

Ctrl+MInsert newline

Insert Mode

Insert Special

Ctrl+R aInsert register 'a'

Ctrl+R "Insert unnamed register

Ctrl+R +Insert clipboard

Ctrl+R =Insert expression result

Ctrl+R /Insert last search

Ctrl+AInsert last inserted text

Ctrl+@Insert last inserted and exit

Ctrl+OExecute one normal command

Ctrl+VInsert literal character

Ctrl+V u1234Insert unicode character

Insert Mode

Completion

Ctrl+NNext completion

Ctrl+PPrevious completion

Ctrl+X Ctrl+FFilename completion

Ctrl+X Ctrl+LLine completion

Ctrl+X Ctrl+OOmni completion

Ctrl+X Ctrl+KDictionary completion

Ctrl+X Ctrl+]Tag completion

Command Line

Command Line Basics

:Enter command mode

:!Execute shell command

:!!Repeat last shell command

:r !cmdInsert command output

:w !cmdSend buffer to command

:%!cmdFilter buffer through command

:shOpen shell

Ctrl+ZSuspend Vim

Command Line

Command History

q:Open command history window

q/Open search history window

Ctrl+FEdit command in window

↑ / ↓Navigate command history

:historyShow command history

Command Line

Ranges

.Current line

$Last line

%All lines (same as 1,$)

nLine number n

n,mLines n to m

'a,'bFrom mark a to mark b

'<,'>Visual selection

/pat1/,/pat2/Pattern range

.+33 lines after current

.-33 lines before current

Command Line

Global Command

:g/pattern/cmdRun cmd on matching lines

:g!/pattern/cmdRun cmd on non-matching

:v/pattern/cmdSame as :g!

:g/pattern/dDelete matching lines

:g/^$/dDelete empty lines

:g/pattern/y AYank matches to register

:g/pattern/m$Move matches to end

Settings

Common Settings

:set numberShow line numbers

:set relativenumberRelative line numbers

:set nonumberHide line numbers

:set wrapWrap long lines

:set nowrapDon't wrap lines

:set listShow invisible characters

:set nolistHide invisible characters

:set cursorlineHighlight current line

:set hlsearchHighlight search results

:set incsearchIncremental search

:set ignorecaseCase insensitive search

:set smartcaseSmart case search

Settings

Indentation

:set tabstop=4Tab width

:set shiftwidth=4Indent width

:set expandtabUse spaces instead of tabs

:set autoindentAuto indent new lines

:set smartindentSmart auto indent

:retabConvert tabs to spaces

Settings

File Settings

:set encoding=utf-8Set encoding

:set fileformat=unixUnix line endings

:set fileformat=dosWindows line endings

:set autoreadAuto reload changed files

:set hiddenAllow hidden buffers

:set backupCreate backup files

:set noswapfileDisable swap files

Settings

Toggle Settings

:set option!Toggle boolean option

:set option?Show option value

:set option&Reset to default

:setlocal optionSet for current buffer

Advanced

Spell Checking

:set spellEnable spell check

:set spelllang=enSet spell language

]sNext misspelled word

[sPrevious misspelled word

z=Suggest corrections

zgAdd word to dictionary

zwMark word as wrong

zugUndo add to dictionary

Advanced

Diff Mode

:diffsplit fileDiff with file

:diffthisMake current window diff

:diffoffTurn off diff mode

:diffupdateUpdate diff

doObtain diff from other

dpPut diff to other

]cNext difference

[cPrevious difference

Advanced

Sessions

:mksession file.vimSave session

:source file.vimLoad session

vim -S file.vimStart with session

Advanced

Quickfix

:makeRun make and populate quickfix

:copenOpen quickfix window

:ccloseClose quickfix window

:cnNext quickfix item

:cpPrevious quickfix item

:cfirstFirst quickfix item

:clastLast quickfix item

:cdo cmdRun cmd on each quickfix item

Advanced

Vim Modes Quick Reference

Normal

Default mode for navigation and commands

Esc

Insert

For typing and editing text

i, a, o, I, A, O

Visual

For selecting text

v, V, Ctrl+V

Command

For Ex commands

Pro Tips

•

Use . to repeat the last change - one of Vim's most powerful features

•

Combine operators with text objects: ci" changes inside quotes

•

Use * to search for the word under cursor instantly

•

Record macros with q{a-z} for repetitive tasks

Features

Quick search functionality
Organized by categories
Mode-specific commands
Common and advanced operations
Clear command descriptions
Responsive design
Perfect for quick reference

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