---
title: "Vim Commands Cheatsheet"
slug: "vim-commands"
category: "cheatsheets"
tags: ["cheatsheets", "vim", "editor", "cli", "reference", "terminal"]
status: "stable"
last_updated: 2026-10-01
summary: "Vim modes, motions, operators, text objects, search and replace, registers, and macros, with the Vim-regex and register gotchas."
related: ["[[cheatsheets/tmux-commands]]", "[[cheatsheets/bash-one-liners]]", "[[cheatsheets/find-grep-awk-sed]]", "[[cheatsheets/regex-patterns]]", "[[coding/shell]]", "[[cheatsheets/index|Cheatsheets]]"]
---

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>
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> 3. **Apply as defaults.** First-party docs and the project's own conventions win on conflict. Warn before relying on a fast-moving page older than 12 months.
> 4. **Cite.** Link the page by title and URL, e.g. [Python](https://llmbestpractices.com/coding/python), with `last_updated` for time-sensitive rules. License CC BY 4.0.

## Overview

Vim commands compose as operator + motion (or text object), optionally with a count: `d3w` deletes three words. Terminal multiplexing is in [[cheatsheets/tmux-commands]]; the regex flavor differs from other tools, see [[cheatsheets/regex-patterns]].

## Modes and basics

Stay in Normal mode and enter Insert only to type.

| Key | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| `Esc`, `Ctrl-[` | Normal mode (press twice when unsure). |
| `i` `a` `o` `I` `A` `O` | Insert before / after / new line below / at line start / at line end / new line above. |
| `v`, `V`, `Ctrl-v` | Visual: characters, lines, block. |
| `:w`, `:q`, `:wq`, `:q!` | Write, quit, both, quit and discard. |
| `u`, `Ctrl-r`, `.` | Undo, redo, repeat the last change. |

## Motions

Use counts and `f` or `t` motions instead of repeated `h` and `l`.

| Motion | Moves to |
| --- | --- |
| `h j k l` | Left, down, up, right. |
| `w` `b` `e` | Next word start / previous word start / word end (`W` `B` `E` use whitespace-delimited WORDs). |
| `0` `^` `$` | Line start / first non-blank / line end. |
| `gg` `G` `:42` | File start / end / line 42. |
| `{` `}` `%` | Previous / next blank line, matching bracket. |
| `f{c}` `t{c}` | On / just before the next `c` on the line (`F` `T` go backward; `;` `,` repeat). |
| `Ctrl-d` `Ctrl-u` | Half page down / up. |

## Operators and text objects

Compose an operator with a text object instead of selecting by hand.

| Operator | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `d` `c` `y` | Delete, change (then insert), yank. |
| `>` `<` `=` | Indent, de-indent, auto-indent. |
| `gU` `gu` | Uppercase, lowercase. |
| `dd` `cc` `yy` | Whole-line forms. |

| Text object | Selects |
| --- | --- |
| `iw` `aw` | Word without / with surrounding space. |
| `i"` `a"`, `i(` `a(`, `i{` `a{` | Inside / around quotes, parentheses, braces. |
| `it` `at` | Inside / around an HTML or XML tag. |
| `ip` `ap` | Paragraph. |

`ci"` changes everything inside double quotes; `da(` deletes a parenthesized expression with its parentheses.

## Search and replace

Add `c` to confirm replacements across a file.

| Command | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| `/pat`, `?pat`, `n`, `N` | Search forward, backward, next, previous. |
| `*`, `#` | Search for the word under the cursor. |
| `:%s/old/new/g` | Replace in the whole file; add `c` to confirm each. |
| `:10,20s/old/new/g` | Replace in a line range. |
| `:'<,'>s/old/new/g` | Replace in the visual selection. |
| `:noh` | Clear search highlighting. |

Start a pattern with `\v` ("very magic") to use `+ ( ) |` unescaped; `@` is then special, so write a literal one as `\@`: `:%s/\v(\w+)\@(\w+)/\1 at \2/g`.

## Registers and macros

Record macros that end where the next run can start.

| Command | Effect |
| --- | --- |
| `"ayy`, `"ap` | Yank a line into register `a`, paste from it. |
| `"+y`, `"+p` | Yank to, paste from the system clipboard. |
| `"_dd` | Delete into the black-hole register; yank register untouched. |
| `:reg` | Show registers. |
| `qa` ... `q`, `@a`, `@@`, `10@a` | Record into `a`, play, replay last, play ten times. |

## Gotchas

Avoid these; each loses a yank, an edit, or a pattern match.

| Gotcha | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| `x` and `dd` overwrite the unnamed register, losing your last yank. | Yank into a named register, or delete with `"_`. |
| `:q!` discards changes without asking. | Use `:wq`, or `:wqa` to save every buffer. |
| Without `\v`, `+`, `(`, and `\|` are literals in a pattern. | Prefix `\v`, or escape them. |
| Pasting from the system clipboard can stair-step indentation. | Modern Vim and Neovim handle bracketed paste; otherwise `:set paste` then `:set nopaste`. |
| A macro that ends mid-line replays badly with a count. | End it on a motion that sets up the next run. |

## Related

- [[cheatsheets/tmux-commands]]
- [[cheatsheets/regex-patterns]]
- [[cheatsheets/find-grep-awk-sed]]
- [[cheatsheets/bash-one-liners]]
- [[coding/shell]]