- Basic Movement
- Inserting & Editing
- Copy & Paste
- Undo & Redo
- Visual Mode
- Search & Replace
- Navigation
- LSP & Completion
- Useful Commands
- File & Buffer Management
- Tabs
- Customization
- Plugin Management
Basic Movement
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
h / l | Move left/right by one character |
Input: h
Effect: Cursor moves one character to the left
|
j / k | Move down/up by one line |
Input: j
Effect: Cursor moves one line down
|
w / b | Jump forward/backward to the start of the next/previous word |
Input: w
Effect: Cursor jumps to the next word
|
e | Jump to the end of the current/next word |
Input: e
Effect: Cursor jumps to the end of the current/next word
|
0 | Move to the beginning of the line |
Input: 0
Effect: Cursor moves to the first column of the current line
|
^ | Move to the first non-blank character of the line |
Input: ^
Effect: Cursor jumps to the first word of the current line
|
$ | Move to the end of the line |
Input: $
Effect: Cursor jumps to the last character of the current line
|
{ / } | Move to the beginning of the previous/next paragraph |
Input: }
Effect: Cursor moves to the start of the next paragraph
|
/pattern / ?pattern | Search forward/backward for a pattern |
Input: /function
Effect: Cursor jumps to the next occurrence of "function"
|
n / N | Repeat last search forward/backward |
Input: n
Effect: Jumps to next match of last search
|
Inserting & Editing
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
i | Insert before the cursor |
Input: iHello
Effect: Inserts "Hello" before cursor position
|
I | Insert at the beginning of the line |
Input: IHello
Effect: Inserts "Hello" at the start of the current line
|
a | Insert after the cursor |
Input: aWorld
Effect: Inserts "World" just after the current character
|
A | Insert at the end of the line |
Input: A!
Effect: Appends "!" at the end of the current line
|
o | Open a new line below and insert |
Input: oNew line
Effect: Creates a new line below and starts inserting "New line"
|
O | Open a new line above and insert |
Input: OHeader
Effect: Adds "Header" on a new line above the current one
|
x | Delete character under the cursor |
Input: x
Effect: Deletes the current character
|
dd | Delete the current line |
Input: dd
Effect: Removes the entire line where the cursor is
|
dw | Delete from cursor to end of word |
Input: dw
Effect: Deletes current word (or part of it) starting from cursor
|
d$ | Delete from cursor to end of line |
Input: d$
Effect: Deletes all text from cursor to line end
|
D | Same as d$ |
Input: D
Effect: Deletes everything to the right of the cursor
|
cw | Change word (delete and enter insert mode) |
Input: cwHello
Effect: Replaces the current word with "Hello"
|
cc | Change the whole line |
Input: ccHello World
Effect: Replaces the entire line with "Hello World"
|
C | Change from cursor to end of line |
Input: CHi!
Effect: Changes from current position to end of line to "Hi!"
|
s | Substitute character under cursor |
Input: sA
Effect: Replaces current character with "A"
|
r | Replace a single character |
Input: rX
Effect: Replaces current character with "X"
|
R | Enter replace mode until <Esc> |
Input: RHELLO |
Copy & Paste
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
yy | Yank (copy) the current line |
Input: yy
Effect: Copies the entire line into default register
|
yw | Yank from cursor to end of the current word |
Input: yw
Effect: Copies the current word from cursor position
|
y$ | Yank from cursor to end of line |
Input: y$
Effect: Copies text from cursor to the end of line
|
Y | Yank the entire line (same as yy) |
Input: Y
Effect: Copies the whole line
|
p | Paste after the cursor or below the line |
Input: p
Effect: Pastes yanked content after cursor or below the line
|
P | Paste before the cursor or above the line |
Input: P
Effect: Pastes yanked content before cursor or above the line
|
"aY | Yank current line into register “a” |
Input: "aY
Effect: Saves the current line into register a
|
"ap | Paste from register “a” |
Input: "ap
Effect: Pastes content stored in register a
|
Undo & Redo
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
u | Undo the last change |
Input: u
Effect: Reverts your most recent edit (e.g., undo inserted text)
|
<C-r> | Redo the change that was just undone |
Input: Ctrl + r
Effect: Restores the change you just undid using |
Visual Mode
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
v | Enter visual mode (character-wise selection) |
Input: v (then move with arrows or hjkl)
Effect: Highlights characters one by one
|
V | Enter linewise visual mode |
Input: V
Effect: Selects entire lines
|
<C-v> | Enter block visual mode (column-wise) |
Input: Ctrl + v (then move to select block)
Effect: Highlights a rectangular block of text
|
y | Yank the selected text |
Input: v (select) → y
Effect: Copies the selected area
|
d | Delete the selected text |
Input: V (select lines) → d
Effect: Deletes selected lines
|
p | Paste over the selection |
Input: Select text → p
Effect: Replaces selection with yanked text
|
: | Run a command on the selected text |
Input: v (select) → :sort
Effect: Sorts the selected lines
|
Search & Replace
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
/pattern | Search forward for a pattern |
Input: /error
Effect: Highlights and jumps to the next occurrence of "error"
|
?pattern | Search backward for a pattern |
Input: ?function
Effect: Searches up the file for "function"
|
n | Repeat the last search in the same direction |
Input: n
Effect: Jumps to the next match of the last search
|
N | Repeat the last search in the opposite direction |
Input: N
Effect: Jumps to the previous match of the last search
|
:%s/old/new/g | Replace all occurrences of “old” with “new” in the whole file |
Input: :%s/bug/fix/g
Effect: Replaces all instances of "bug" with "fix"
|
:s/this/that/gc | Replace “this” with “that” on the current line, confirming each |
Input: :s/error/warning/gc
Effect: Prompts before replacing each "error" with "warning" on current line
|
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:e filename | Edit/open a file |
Input: :e notes.txt
Effect: Opens "notes.txt" in the current window
|
:Ex / :Explore | Open file explorer |
Input: :Ex
Effect: Opens a split file explorer in the current directory
|
:ls | List all open buffers |
Input: :ls
Effect: Shows all currently open files (buffers)
|
:bnext | Go to next buffer |
Input: :bnext
Effect: Switches to the next file in the buffer list
|
:bprev | Go to previous buffer |
Input: :bprev
Effect: Switches to the previous file in the buffer list
|
:bd | Delete/close a buffer |
Input: :bd
Effect: Closes the current buffer
|
<C-w>v | Split window vertically |
Input: Ctrl + w, then v
Effect: Opens a vertical split
|
<C-w>s | Split window horizontally |
Input: Ctrl + w, then s
Effect: Opens a horizontal split
|
<C-w>h/j/k/l | Move between windows |
Input: Ctrl + w, then l
Effect: Moves to the window on the right
|
:tabnew | Open a new tab |
Input: :tabnew
Effect: Opens a new empty tab
|
gt | Go to next tab |
Input: gt
Effect: Switches to the next tab
|
gT | Go to previous tab |
Input: gT
Effect: Switches to the previous tab
|
LSP & Completion
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
gd | Go to definition of symbol |
Input: gd
Effect: Jumps to the function or variable definition under the cursor
|
K | Show hover documentation |
Input: K
Effect: Shows documentation for the symbol under the cursor
|
<leader>rn | Rename symbol |
Input: <leader>rn
Effect: Prompts to rename the variable or function under cursor
|
:lua vim.lsp.buf.format() | Format current buffer using LSP |
Input: :lua vim.lsp.buf.format()
Effect: Formats the file according to language server rules
|
Useful Commands
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:w | Save the current file |
Input: :w
Effect: Saves the current file
|
:q | Quit Neovim |
Input: :q
Effect: Exits Neovim (only works if no changes are unsaved)
|
:wq | Save and quit Neovim |
Input: :wq
Effect: Saves the file and exits Neovim
|
:x | Save and quit (same as :wq) |
Input: :x
Effect: Saves the file and exits (same as :wq)
|
:q! | Quit without saving (force quit) |
Input: :q!
Effect: Exits without saving changes, even if unsaved modifications exist
|
:!command | Execute an external command |
Input: :!ls
Effect: Runs the "ls" command in the terminal and displays the output inside Neovim
|
:noh | Clear search highlighting |
Input: :noh
Effect: Clears any active search highlighting
|
:set paste | Enable paste mode (useful when pasting text) |
Input: :set paste
Effect: Temporarily disables automatic indentation and formatting, ideal for pasting text
|
File & Buffer Management
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:e filename | Open a file for editing |
Input: :e example.txt
Effect: Opens "example.txt" in the current window for editing
|
:w | Save the current file |
Input: :w
Effect: Saves the changes made to the current file
|
:q | Quit Neovim |
Input: :q
Effect: Exits Neovim (only works if no changes are unsaved)
|
:ls | List all open buffers |
Input: :ls
Effect: Displays a list of all open buffers in Neovim
|
:bnext | Switch to the next buffer |
Input: :bnext
Effect: Switches to the next buffer in the buffer list
|
:bprev | Switch to the previous buffer |
Input: :bprev
Effect: Switches to the previous buffer in the buffer list
|
:bd | Close the current buffer |
Input: :bd
Effect: Closes the current buffer (file)
|
:b | Switch to a specific buffer by its number |
Input: :b 2
Effect: Switches to the second buffer in the list
|
:sp | Split the window horizontally and load a file |
Input: :sp example.txt
Effect: Opens "example.txt" in a horizontal split
|
:vsp | Split the window vertically and load a file |
Input: :vsp example.txt
Effect: Opens "example.txt" in a vertical split
|
Window Management
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
<C-w>v | Split the window vertically |
Input: <C-w>v
Effect: Splits the current window into two vertical panes
|
<C-w>s | Split the window horizontally |
Input: <C-w>s
Effect: Splits the current window into two horizontal panes
|
<C-w>h/j/k/l | Navigate between windows using directional keys |
Input: <C-w>h (move left window)
<C-w>j (move down window)
<C-w>k (move up window)
<C-w>l (move right window)
Effect: Moves the cursor to the respective window
|
<C-w>q | Close the current window |
Input: <C-w>q
Effect: Closes the current window, leaving the other panes open
|
<C-w>w | Switch to the next window |
Input: <C-w>w
Effect: Cycles to the next window in the current layout
|
<C-w>H | Move the current window to the far left |
Input: <C-w>H
Effect: Moves the current window to the far left of the layout
|
<C-w>J | Move the current window to the bottom |
Input: <C-w>J
Effect: Moves the current window to the bottom of the layout
|
<C-w>K | Move the current window to the top |
Input: <C-w>K
Effect: Moves the current window to the top of the layout
|
<C-w>L | Move the current window to the far right |
Input: <C-w>L
Effect: Moves the current window to the far right of the layout
|
Tabs
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:tabnew | Open a new tab page |
Input: :tabnew
Effect: Opens a new tab page (creates a new workspace)
|
gt | Switch to the next tab |
Input: gt
Effect: Switches to the next tab in the tab list
|
gT | Switch to the previous tab |
Input: gT
Effect: Switches to the previous tab in the tab list
|
:tabn | Go to the next tab |
Input: :tabn
Effect: Switches to the next tab
|
:tabp | Go to the previous tab |
Input: :tabp
Effect: Switches to the previous tab
|
:tabnew filename | Open a file in a new tab |
Input: :tabnew example.txt
Effect: Opens "example.txt" in a new tab
|
:tabclose | Close the current tab |
Input: :tabclose
Effect: Closes the current tab (and all its windows)
|
Customization
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:set number | Enable line numbering |
Input: :set number
Effect: Displays line numbers in the left margin
|
:set relativenumber | Enable relative line numbering |
Input: :set relativenumber
Effect: Displays line numbers relative to the cursor position
|
:set hlsearch | Highlight search results |
Input: :set hlsearch
Effect: Highlights all matches for the search pattern
|
:set incsearch | Enable incremental search |
Input: :set incsearch
Effect: Shows search results as you type
|
:set ignorecase | Enable case-insensitive search |
Input: :set ignorecase
Effect: Makes search patterns case-insensitive
|
:set smartcase | Enable smart case search |
Input: :set smartcase
Effect: Enables case-sensitive search only when uppercase characters are used in the pattern
|
:set tabstop=4 | Set tab width to 4 spaces |
Input: :set tabstop=4
Effect: Sets the tab width to 4 spaces
|
:set shiftwidth=4 | Set the number of spaces to use for indentation |
Input: :set shiftwidth=4
Effect: Sets the indentation width to 4 spaces
|
:set expandtab | Convert tabs to spaces |
Input: :set expandtab
Effect: Converts tabs to spaces when pressing the Tab key
|
Plugin Management
| Command | Description | Real-World Example |
|---|---|---|
:PlugInstall | Install plugins with vim-plug |
Input: :PlugInstall
Effect: Installs all plugins listed in the vim-plug plugin manager configuration
|
:PlugUpdate | Update installed plugins |
Input: :PlugUpdate
Effect: Updates all installed plugins to the latest version
|
:PlugClean | Remove unused plugins |
Input: :PlugClean
Effect: Removes plugins that are no longer listed in the vim-plug configuration
|
:PluginInstall | Install plugins with Pathogen |
Input: :PluginInstall
Effect: Installs plugins defined in the Pathogen configuration
|
:PluginUpdate | Update plugins with Pathogen |
Input: :PluginUpdate
Effect: Updates all plugins installed via Pathogen
|
:PackerSync | Sync and update plugins with Packer |
Input: :PackerSync
Effect: Installs, updates, and removes plugins defined in the Packer configuration
|
