The vim Text Editor — Quick Reference

Overview

vim is a powerful text editor available on virtually every Linux system. While it has a learning curve, knowing the basics allows you to quickly edit configuration files, scripts, and other text files directly on your server without needing to download, edit locally, and re-upload.

Opening a File

vim filename.txt          # Open an existing file (or create a new one)
vim +25 filename.txt      # Open and jump to line 25
vim +/search filename.txt # Open and jump to first occurrence of "search"

Vim’s Two Main Modes

Vim operates in two primary modes:

Mode	Purpose	How to enter
Normal mode	Navigate, delete, copy, paste	Press `Esc`
Insert mode	Type and edit text	Press `i`, `a`, `o`, or `I`, `A`, `O`

When you open a file, you start in Normal mode. Press i to start typing (Insert mode), and press Esc to go back to Normal mode.

Essential Commands

Entering Insert Mode

Key	Action
`i`	Insert before cursor
`a`	Insert after cursor
`o`	Open a new line below and enter insert mode
`O`	Open a new line above and enter insert mode
`I`	Insert at beginning of line
`A`	Insert at end of line

Saving and Quitting (from Normal Mode)

Command	Action
`:w`	Save (write) the file
`:q`	Quit (fails if unsaved changes exist)
`:wq`	Save and quit
`:q!`	Quit without saving (discard changes)
`ZZ`	Save and quit (shortcut)

Key	Action
`h` `j` `k` `l`	Move left, down, up, right
Arrow keys	Also work for navigation
`0`	Jump to beginning of line
`$`	Jump to end of line
`gg`	Go to first line of file
`G`	Go to last line of file
`:25`	Jump to line 25
`Ctrl+F`	Page down
`Ctrl+B`	Page up
`w`	Jump forward one word
`b`	Jump backward one word

Editing (Normal Mode)

Key	Action
`x`	Delete character under cursor
`dd`	Delete entire current line
`5dd`	Delete 5 lines
`yy`	Copy (yank) current line
`5yy`	Copy 5 lines
`p`	Paste below cursor
`P`	Paste above cursor
`u`	Undo last change
`Ctrl+R`	Redo

Searching

Command	Action
`/pattern`	Search forward for “pattern”
`?pattern`	Search backward for “pattern”
`n`	Go to next match
`N`	Go to previous match

Search and Replace

:s/old/new/        # Replace first occurrence on current line
:s/old/new/g       # Replace all occurrences on current line
:%s/old/new/g      # Replace all occurrences in entire file
:%s/old/new/gc     # Replace all with confirmation for each match

Practical Hosting Examples

Edit your WordPress config

vim /home/username/public_html/wp-config.php

Edit .htaccess

vim /home/username/public_html/.htaccess

View a file read-only

vim -R /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Or use view which is equivalent:

view /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Quick Survival Guide

If you’re stuck in vim, remember:

Press Esc (maybe a couple of times) to get back to Normal mode
Type :q! and press Enter to quit without saving
Type :wq and press Enter to save and quit

Tips

If vim feels overwhelming, try nano instead — it’s a simpler editor with on-screen shortcut hints.
Use :set number in Normal mode to display line numbers.
Use :set paste before pasting text from your clipboard to preserve formatting.
Practice on a test file before editing production configs.