Vim Cheatsheet for Real Sysadmin Work

I tend to forget about various Linux commands especially when working in vim. This is why I decide to create this Vim Cheatsheet and share it with the world. Remember, Vim = Vi Improved (vi + extra features like syntax highlighting, undo/redo, plugins, scripting).

In order to get inspiration I first had to brew a great cup of Latin America specialty coffee using my moka pot at home. Let’s get started!

Modes in Vim

• Normal mode → navigation & commands (default)
• Insert mode → editing text (i, a, o)
• Visual mode → select text (v, V)
• Command mode → type commands (:)

Basic File Operations

:w        " Save file
:q        " Quit
:q!       " Quit without saving
:wq       " Save and quit
:x        " Save and quit (same as :wq)
:saveas newfile.txt   " Save file with new name

Navigation

h   " Left
l   " Right
j   " Down
k   " Up
Ctrl + d   " Half-page down
Ctrl + u   " Half-page up
gg         " Go to beginning of file
G          " Go to end of file
:n         " Jump to line n (example: :42)

Insert & Edit

i   " Insert before cursor
a   " Append after cursor
o   " Open new line below
O   " Open new line above
r   " Replace single character
R   " Replace until Esc
u   " Undo last change
Ctrl + r   " Redo

Delete, Copy, Paste

x       " Delete character
dd      " Delete line
5dd     " Delete 5 lines
yy      " Yank (copy) line
5yy     " Yank 5 lines
p       " Paste below
P       " Paste above

Search & Replace

/word        " Search forward
?word        " Search backward
n            " Next match
N            " Previous match
:%s/foo/bar/g       " Replace all 'foo' with 'bar'
:10,20s/foo/bar/g   " Replace between lines 10 and 20

Visual Mode

v     " Select characters
V     " Select whole lines
Ctrl + v   " Block selection (columns)
y     " Yank (copy) selection
d     " Delete selection
p     " Paste after cursor

Multiple Files & Buffers

:e file.txt      " Open file
:bn              " Next buffer
:bp              " Previous buffer
:ls              " List buffers
:b 2             " Switch to buffer 2

Splits & Tabs

:split file.txt " Horizontal split
:vsplit file.txt " Vertical split
Ctrl + w + w " Switch between splits
:tabnew file.txt " Open in new tab
:tabn " Next tab
:tabp " Previous tab

Main Differences Between vi and vim

vi → the original, very minimal editor (1976).
vim → “Vi IMproved” with extra features.

I hope this Vim Cheatsheet helps somebody out there. If you like to support me consider ordering one of my T-Shirts and/or coffee mug designs from my shop here.