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Vim cheatsheet
A useful collection of Vim 8.2 quick reference cheat sheets to help you learn vim editor faster.

# Getting started
Motion Diagrams Motions Insert Mode

▼/▶ Cursor ▽/▷ Target Arrow Insert

h | j | k | l
keys i / a before/after
cursor
Left-right motions
Half-
<C-u> / <C-d> page Insert
┌───────────── |
up/down I / A start/end of
├───────────── 0 $ ──────────────┐
line
│ ┌────────── ^ fe ────────┐ │ Page
<C-b> / <C-f>
│ │ ┌─────── Fo te ───────┐│ │ up/down Insert new
│ │ │┌────── To 30| ───┐ ││ │ o / O (letter) line
│ │ ││ ┌──── ge w ───┐ │ ││ │ Words below/above
│ │ ││ │ ┌── b e ─┐ │ │ ││ │ Previous/Next
b / w Delete
│ │ ││ │ │ ┌h l┐ │ │ │ ││ │ word
▽ ▽ ▽▽ ▽ ▽ ▽▼ ▼▽ ▽ s / S char/line
echo "A cheatsheet from quickref.me" Previous/Next and insert
ge / e
end of word
Change to
Up-down motions C
Line end of line

- SCREEN 1 START Start/End of Insert at last

0 (zero) / $ gi
┌─┬─────────▷ #!/usr/bin/python line insert point
│ │ ┌───▷
│ │ │ print("Hello" ^ Start of line Exit insert
(non-blank) Esc | <C-[>
│ │ { } ▶ print("Vim" mode
│ │ │ print("!" Character
│ │ └─▷
│ │ ┌───┬───▷ print("Welcome" Move to
G gg H M L k j ▶ print("to" Fe / fe previous/next
│ │ └─▷ print("quickref.me" e
│ │ print("/vim"
Move
│ │
before/after
│ └─────▷ To / to
previous/next
│ - SCREEN 1 END
o
└──────────────▷ print("SCREEN 2"
Go to first/nth
| / n|
column

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Saving and Exiting

:w Save

:q Close file

Save
:wq | :x | ZZ
and quit

Save
:wqa and quit
all files

Force
:q! | ZQ
quit

Close all
:qa
files

Force
:qa! quit all
files

Write to
:w new.txt
new.txt

Save
:sav new.txt and edit
new.txt

Write to
:w !sudo tee % readonly
file

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Normal Mode Cut and paste Repeating

Replace Delete Repeat last

.
r x character command
character (Cut)
Repeat latest f, t, F
;
Enter Paste or T
p / P
R Replace after/before
mode Repeat latest f, t, F
Swap two ,
xp or T reversed
Undo characters
changes & Repeat last :s
u / 3u Delete to
1
times D end of line Repeat a command-
@:
(Cut) line command
Undo
changes Delete
U dw
# Operators on one word (Cut)

Delete line
dd
Join
Usage with (Cut)
Available Operators Examples
J
next line
d w d Delete
Swap two Combination Description
ddp
Redo lines
Operator Motion y Yank (copy) Delete
changes dd
<C-r> / 5 <C-r> Yank line current line
1 yy Change
c (Copy)
times Delete two
dj
Paste from lines
p"*p | "+p Paste
system
Delete to next
Visual mode clipboard dw Macros
= Formats code word
Enter visual Paste to qi Record macro i
v
Combine operators with mode g~ Toggle case Delete to
"*y | "+y system
motions to use them db beginning
Stop of
recording
clipboard q
Enter visual line gU Uppercase word
macro
V
mode In visual mode
gu Lowercase @i Delete until a
Run macro i
Delete selection dfa
Enter visual d | x char
<C-v>
block mode > Indent(Cut)
right Run macro i 7
7@i
Deletetimes
until
Replace d/hello
ggVG Select all text <s Indent left hello
selection @@ Repeat last macro
Shift text Filter through external Change
> / < ! Yank selection cc
right/left y program current line
(Copy)
Copy current
yy
line

>j Indent 2 lines

Delete a
ggdG complete
document

Indent a

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Counts

[count] <operator> <motion>

<operator> [count] <motion>

2dd Delete 2 lines

6yy Copy 6 lines

#d3w
Text objects
Delete 3 words

Delete 5 lines
d5j Usage Text objects Delete
downwards
    i/ p Paragraph diw Delete inner word
v p
a Indent 4 lines
>4k w Word
upwards dis Delete inner sentence
inner / Text
Operator WORD
around object di" Delete in quotes
W
Delete in quotes
da"
(including quotes)
Operate with an operator inner s Sentence
or around text blocks dip Delete a paragraph
[({< A [], (), or {} block

Selections ])}> A [], (), or {} block Misc

Select inner quotes '"` A quoted string ciw Change inner word
vi"
"..."
b A block [( ci" Change inner quotes
va" Select quotes "..."
B A block in [{ Change inner tags
cit
Select inner brackets (HTML)
vi[
[...] t A HTML tag block
Change inner
cip
Select brackets paragraph
va[
[...]
yip Yank inner paragraph
viw Select inner word
Yank paragraph
yap
Select inner (including newline)
vip
paragraph

Select more
vipip See :help text-objects
paragraph

# Multiple files

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Buffers Windows Tabs

Edit a file in a <C-w> s Split window Edit file in

:e file :tabe [file]
new buffer a new tab
Split window
<C-w> v
Go to the next Open if
:bn
buffer :tabf [file] exists in
<C-w> w Switch windows new tab
Go to the
:bp
previous buffer <C-w> q Quit a window Close
:tabc current
Remove file Break out into a tab
:bd <C-w> T
from buffer list
Close
:tabo
:b 5 Open buffer #5 Swap current with other tabs
<C-w> x

Go to a buffer List all

:b file :tabs
by file Decrease/Increase tabs
<C-w> - / +

List all open Go to first

:ls :tabr
buffers Decrease/Increase tab
<C-w> < / >

Open and split Go to last

:sp file :tabl
window <C-w> | Max out the width tab

Open and Equally high and Move to

<C-w> = :tabm 0
:vs file vertically split position 0
window
Go to the left/right Go to next
<C-w> h / l :tabn
:hid Hide this buffer tab

Write file and Go to the up/down Go to

:wn <C-w> j / k
move to next :tabp previous
tab
Edit all buffers
:tab ba
as tabs Normal mode

gt Go to next tab

gT Go to previous tab

2gt Go to tab number 2

# Search and Replace

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Search Replace LINE Replace FILE

Search :[range]s/{pattern}/{str}/[flags]
:%s/{pattern}/{str}/[flags]
/foo
forward

Search Replace Replace

:s/old/new :%s/old/new
/foo\c forward first first

Replace Replace
:s/old/new/g :%s/old/new/g
Search all all
?foo
backward
Replace Replace
Search with :s/\vold/new/g all with :%s/old/new/gc all
/\v\d+ regex (Confirm)
regex

Next matching replace Replace

n :s/old/new/gc all all
search pattern :%s/old/new/gi
(Confirm)
Previous
N Ignore
match
case Replace
:s/old/new/i
Search for replace :%s/\vold/new/g all with
* current word first regex
forward
Replace
Search for :2,6s/old/new/g between
# current word lines 2-6
backward

Ranges Global command Inverse :g

% Entire file :[range]g/{pattern}/[command :[range]v/{pattern}/[command

’<,’> Current selection

Delete lines Delete lines not
5 Line 5 :g/foo/d containing containing foo
:v/foo/d
foo
5,10 Lines 5 to 10
Delete lines
$ Last line :g/foo/d containing
foo
2,$ Lines 2 to Last
Delete lines
. Current line not
:g!/foo/d
containing
,3 Next 3 lines foo

-3, Forward 3 lines Delete all

:g/^\s*$/d
blank lines

Copy lines
:g/foo/t$ containing
foo to EOF

Move lines

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Flags

g Replace all occurrences

i Ignore case

I Don't ignore case

Confirm each
c
substitution

Substitute expression (magic) Examples

Replace with the :s/a\|b/xxx\0xxx/g # Modifies "a b"

& | \0
whole matched
to "xxxaxxx xxxbxxx"
:s/test/\U& file/ # Modifies "test"
Replace with the
\1...\9 to "TEST FILE"
group 0-9
:s/\(test\)/\U\1\e file/ # Modifies "test"
Uppercase next to "TEST file"
\u
letter :s/\v([abc])([efg])/\2\1/g # Modifies "af fa
bg" to "fa fa gb"
Uppercase :s/\v\w+/\u\0/g # Modifies "bla bla"
\U following to "Bla Bla"
characters
:s/\v([ab])|([cd])/\1x/g # Modifies "a b c d"
to "ax bx x x"
Lowercase next
\l :%s/.*/\L&/ # Modifies "HTML"
letter
to "html"
Lowercase :s/\v<(.)(\w*)/\u\1\L\2/g # Make every first
# Vimdiff
\L following
characters
letter of a word uppercase
:%s/^\(.*\)\n\1/\1/ # Remove duplicate
lines
Usage
End of \u, \U Editing Folds
\e :%s/<\/\=\(\w\+\)\>/\U&/g # Convert HTML-Tags
to uppercase
:[range]diffget [bufspec] zo / zO Open
:g/^pattern/s/$/mytext
$ vimdiff file1 file2 [file3] :[range]diffput [bufspec] # Find and append
zc / zC Close
$ vim -d file1 file2 [file3] text to the end
:g/pattern/normal @q # Run a macro on
Obtain za / zA Toggle
matching lines
do / :diffget (get)
/^\(.*\)\(\r\?\n\1\)\+$ # View the Open folds
difference
duplicates lines zv
for this line
:v/./,/./-j # Compress blank
dp / :diffput
difference
lines into a blank line zM Close all
:g/<p1>/,/<p2>/d # Delete inclusively
from Re-scan zR Open all
:dif<p1> to <p2>
differences
Fold more
Switch off zm
:diffo

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Jumping

]c Next difference

[c Previous difference

# Miscellaneous
Case Jumping Misc command-lines

Uppercase Go back to Help open

vU <C-o> :h
character previous help view

Lowercase <C-i> Go forward Reload

vu
character :edit! current
Go to file in file
gf
Toggle case cursor
~
character Move
Display hex, :2,8m0 lines 2-8
ga
Uppercase ascii value to 0
viw U
word
Clear
Lowercase :noh search
viw u
word highlights

Toggle case :sort Sort lines

viw ~
word
Open a
Uppercase
VU / gUU :ter terminal
line
window

Lowercase
Vu / guu Enable
line
Insert
:set paste
Paste
Toggle case
V~ / g~~ sub-mode
line
disable
Uppercase
gggUG Insert
all text :set nopaste
Paste
Lowercase sub-mode
ggguG
all text
Exiting
Toggle case with an
ggg~G :cq error
all text

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Navigating

Nearest/matching
%

Previous
[( | [{ | [<

]) | ]{ | ]> Next

Previous method
[m

Previous method
[M

Counters Tags

Increase :tag Classname Jump to first definition of Classname

<C-a>
number
<C-]> Jump to definition
Decrease
<C-x>
number g] See all definitions

<C-t> Go back to last tag

Formatting
<C-o> <C-i> Back/forward
Center lines
:ce 8
between 8 columns
:tselect Classname Find definitions of Classname

Right-align lines at
:ri 4 Find definitions of Classname (auto-
4 columns :tjump Classname
select 1st)

:le Left-align lines

See :help formatting

Marks Calculator

`^ Last position of cursor in insert mode Shows

<C-r> = 7*7 the
`. Last change in current buffer result

`" Last exited current buffer Shows

<C-r> = 10/2 the
`0 In last file edited result

'' Back to line in current buffer where jumped from Do this in INSERT mode

Back to position in current buffer where jumped

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Shell

Interpret
:!<shell> Shell
Command

Read in
:r!<shell> output of
shell

:r!date Insert date

Replace
:!!date current line
with date

Command line

Insert
current
word into
<C-r><C-w>
the
command
line

Paste from
<C-r>"
" register

Auto-
completion
<C-x><C-f> of path in
insert
mode

_ Tricks

Remove duplicate lines

# Also see
:sort | %!uniq -u
Devhints (devhints.io)
Vim cheatsheet (vim.rotrr.com)
To number the lines in the file
Vim documentation (vimdoc.sourceforge.net)
Interactive Vim tutorial (openvim.com)
:%!cat -n

Copy whole doc to clipboard

:%w !pbcopy # Mac OS X

P OP U L A R W EBSITE
:%w !xclip -i -sel c # GNU/Linux
Bash :%w !xsel -i -b # GNU/Linux
 QuickRef.ME
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