Vim Cheat Sheet: Essential Commands & Quick Guide

The vim cheat sheet is a practical guide for developers, sysadmins, and anyone who uses the Vim text editor. Vim is a powerful, modal-based editor widely used in programming, system administration, and Linux environments. While Vim has a steep learning curve, a handy cheat sheet makes navigation, editing, and customization much easier.

In this guide, you’ll find essential Vim commands, categorized for quick reference, along with useful tips to boost productivity. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, this cheat sheet will help you master Vim faster.

What is Vim and Why Use It?

Vim (Vi IMproved) is an advanced text editor based on the older vi editor. Unlike graphical editors, Vim runs in the terminal and is highly efficient once you learn its commands.

Many developers and sysadmins prefer Vim because:

• It’s lightweight and available on nearly every Unix-like system.
• It allows lightning-fast text editing without leaving the keyboard.
• It offers advanced features like macros, registers, and syntax highlighting.

Mastering Vim can save countless hours in editing and improve overall productivity.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Basic Modes

Understanding modes is the foundation of using Vim effectively. Unlike most editors, Vim works in different modes, each designed for specific tasks.

Normal Mode

• Default mode when Vim starts.
• Used for navigation and text manipulation.
• Example: Press dd to delete a line.

Insert Mode

• Used for inserting text like a normal editor.
• Enter with i, a, or o.
• Exit with Esc to return to Normal mode.

Visual Mode

• Allows text selection for copying, deleting, or modifying.
• Enter with v (character), V (line), or Ctrl+v (block).

Command-Line Mode

• For running commands like saving or quitting.
• Enter with : from Normal mode.
• Example: :wq saves and exits.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Navigation Commands

Efficient movement is key to Vim productivity. Instead of arrow keys, use these commands:

• h → Move left
• l → Move right
• k → Move up
• j → Move down
• 0 → Jump to beginning of line
• $ → Jump to end of line
• gg → Go to beginning of file
• G → Go to end of file
• Ctrl+d → Move half screen down
• Ctrl+u → Move half screen up

Mastering these commands reduces reliance on a mouse or arrow keys.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Editing Commands

Text manipulation is where Vim shines. These commands help you edit efficiently:

• i → Insert before cursor
• a → Append after cursor
• o → Open new line below
• O → Open new line above
• x → Delete character under cursor
• dd → Delete current line
• yy → Copy (yank) current line
• p → Paste below cursor
• P → Paste above cursor
• u → Undo last change
• Ctrl+r → Redo undone change

These shortcuts replace complex editing steps with single keystrokes.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Search and Replace

Finding and replacing text is easy with Vim commands:

• /word → Search forward for “word”
• ?word → Search backward for “word”
• n → Repeat search in same direction
• N → Repeat search in opposite direction
• :%s/old/new/g → Replace all occurrences of “old” with “new”
• :s/old/new/ → Replace first occurrence in current line
• :s/old/new/g → Replace all in current line

Vim’s search supports regex, making it powerful for advanced text processing.

Vim Cheat Sheet: File Management

Working with files is quick in Vim with these commands:

• :w → Save changes
• :q → Quit Vim
• :wq → Save and quit
• :q! → Quit without saving
• :e filename → Open another file
• :ls → List open buffers
• :bn → Switch to next buffer
• :bp → Switch to previous buffer

This makes Vim an efficient multi-file editor inside the terminal.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Window and Tab Management

Vim allows splitting windows and working with tabs for multitasking.

• :sp filename → Open file in horizontal split
• :vsp filename → Open file in vertical split
• Ctrl+w s → Split current window horizontally
• Ctrl+w v → Split current window vertically
• Ctrl+w w → Switch between windows
• :tabnew → Open new tab
• :tabn → Go to next tab
• :tabp → Go to previous tab

These commands make Vim behave like a modern IDE for multitasking.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Advanced Commands

Once comfortable, explore advanced commands to speed up editing further:

• . → Repeat last command
• >> → Indent line
• << → Un-indent line
• :%!sort → Sort entire file
• :set number → Show line numbers
• :set relativenumber → Show relative line numbers
• q: → Open command history
• q/ → Open search history

Advanced commands transform Vim into a highly customizable editing powerhouse.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Registers and Macros

Registers and macros allow repetitive tasks to be automated.

• "ayy → Copy current line to register a
• "ap → Paste from register a
• q{register} → Start recording macro into register
• q → Stop recording macro
• @{register} → Play macro from register
• @@ → Replay last executed macro

Macros are a game-changer for tasks requiring repeated edits.

Vim Cheat Sheet: Customization and Plugins

Vim can be customized with settings and plugins to suit your workflow.

• :set tabstop=4 → Set tab width to 4 spaces
• :set expandtab → Use spaces instead of tabs
• :syntax on → Enable syntax highlighting
• :colorscheme desert → Change color theme

With Vim plugins like NerdTree, Fugitive, and CoC, you can turn Vim into a complete development environment.

Practical Tips for Mastering Vim

1. Learn gradually – Focus on a few commands each week.
2. Avoid arrow keys – Train yourself to use Vim navigation.
3. Use cheat sheets – Keep a reference handy while practicing.
4. Practice daily – The more you use Vim, the faster it becomes.
5. Experiment with plugins – Customize Vim to fit your coding needs.

FAQ: Vim Cheat Sheet