Skip to content

How to use vi editor without going crazy

Updated: at 12:00 PM

Vi has two modes:

In command mode, the letters of the keyboard perform editing functions (like moving the cursor, search, replace, copy and paste, etc..). In insert mode you can type the text like a classic editor.

These are the most importart commands to learn:

BASIC EDITING

 i         insert mode
 ESC       terminate insert mode

 x         delete character
 X         delete character before cursor
 D         delete characters from cursor to end of line

 r         replace character under cursor
 cw        replace a word

 o         insert blank line below cursor (goes into insert mode)      
 O         insert blank line above cursor (goes into insert mode) 
 
 u         undo last change
 U         restore current line

SEARCH

 /         start search, enter the text to search for and press <Return>
 n         repeat last search in forward direction
 N         repeat last search in backward direction

ADVANCED EDITING

 nx        delete n characters
 dw        delete word
 ndw       delete n words
 dd        delete line
 ndd       delete n lines
 
 ncw       replace n words
 C         replace text from cursor to end of line (goes into insert mode)

 J         join succeeding line to current cursor line
 nJ        join n succeeding lines to current cursor line

COPY AND PASTE

v          begin character-based visual selection
V          select whole lines
Ctrl-v     select a block

<Move>     Move the cursor to the end of the text to be cut/copied

d          cut selected text
y          copy selected text

<Move>     Move the cursor to the desired paste location

p          paste after the cursor
P          paste before the cursor

MOVING AROUND IN A FILE

 w            forward word by word
 b            backward word by word
 $            to end of line
 0 (zero)     to beginning of line
 H            to top line of screen
 M            to middle line of screen
 L            to last line of screen
 G            to last line of file
 1G           to first line of file
 <Ctrl>f      scroll forward one screen
 <Ctrl>b      scroll backward one screen
 <Ctrl>d      scroll down one-half screen
 <Ctrl>u      scroll up one-half screen

CLOSING AND SAVING A FILE

 ZZ            save file and then quit
 :w            save file
 :q!           discard changes and quit file