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3.2 Getting Started with Vim

Vim is a modal text editor — the same keys perform different actions depending on the mode. Once you understand this idea, Vim becomes a powerful and efficient tool for editing.

Basic Commands​

  • Enter insert mode: i
  • Exit insert mode: Esc
  • Save file: :w
  • Quit: :q
  • Save and quit: :wq
  • Quit without saving: :q!
  • Left: h
  • Down: j
  • Up: k
  • Right: l
  • Search: /word

Modes in Vim​

ModeDescriptionHow to EnterHow to Exit
Normal ModeDefault mode for navigation and commands (moving, deleting, copying).Press Esc from any other mode.—
Insert ModeFor typing and editing text directly.Press i from Normal mode.Press Esc to return to Normal mode.
Visual ModeUsed for selecting and manipulating blocks of text.Press v (character-wise), V (line-wise), or Ctrl+v (block-wise).Press Esc to exit.
Command-Line ModeUsed for running commands like saving (:w) or quitting (:q).Press : from Normal mode.Press Enter to execute or Esc to cancel.
Replace ModeOverwrites text as you type.Press R from Normal mode.Press Esc to stop replacing.

Tip: You’ll spend most of your time switching between Normal and Insert modes. Master those first before exploring others.

Editing, Copying, and Deleting Text​

In Normal mode, Vim uses single-letter commands for text manipulation. Here are the most common ones:

Deleting

  • x → delete the character under the cursor
  • dd → delete the current line
  • dw → delete from the cursor to the end of the word
  • d$ → delete from the cursor to the end of the line

Yanking (Copying)

  • yy → yank (copy) the current line
  • yw → yank from the cursor to the end of the word
  • y$ → yank from the cursor to the end of the line

Pasting

  • p → paste after the cursor
  • P → paste before the cursor

Undo / Redo

  • u → undo last change
  • Ctrl+r → redo the undone change

Pro tip: Almost every Vim command follows this pattern: → [operator] + [motion] Example: d2w means “delete two words”.

The Vim Status Bar​

The line at the bottom of the Vim window — called the status line — provides information about your current editing session, such as the filename, line number, and file type.

Example:

"main.py" 10L, 150C
  • main.py → name of the file
  • 10L → total lines
  • 150C → total characters

Enhancing the Status Bar with vim-airline​

For a cleaner, more informative, and visually appealing status bar, you can use the vim-airline plugin. It replaces the default bar with one that shows the current mode, file info, Git branch, and more — all in a lightweight format.

Install vim-airline (using vim-plug):

call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged')
Plug 'vim-airline/vim-airline'
call plug#end()

Then, inside Vim, run:

:PlugInstall

Features of vim-airline:

  • Displays current mode, file type, and Git branch
  • Shows cursor position, line/column numbers, and file encoding
  • Works well with most color schemes (e.g., Dracula, Gruvbox)
  • Supports optional extensions for powerline fonts and themes

Once installed, the enhanced status bar appears automatically — no configuration needed.

Learn with vimtutor​

Vim comes with a built-in interactive tutorial. Run:

vimtutor

It takes about 30 minutes and walks you through the basics step by step — an ideal way to build muscle memory.