Four Core Modes

The best way to understand Vim is to think of it as a "State Machine". The same key can have completely different functions depending on the current mode. It's like a car's gear shift: D to drive forward, R to reverse.

Core Concept

Vim starts in Normal Mode by default. No matter which mode you get lost in, hitting Esc a few times will always bring you back home (to Normal Mode).

1. Normal Mode - 🕹️ The Commander

This is the default mode and where you should spend most of your time. In this mode, the keyboard is your control panel for moving the cursor and operating on text.

• Basic Movement:
  • h (left), j (down), k (up), l (right) — try placing your hand on the home row to feel it.
  • gg: Fly to the beginning of the file.
  • G: Fly to the end of the file.
• Common Operations:
  • x: Delete the character under the cursor.
  • u: Undo the last action.
  • Ctrl + r: Redo.
  • dd: Delete (cut) the current line.
  • yy: Yank (copy) the current line.
  • p: Paste after the cursor.
  • P: Paste before the cursor.

2. Insert Mode - 📝 The Typist

The only mode where you can type like in a regular notepad.

• Ways to Enter (Not just i):
  • i (insert): Start typing before the cursor.
  • I: Start typing at the beginning of the line.
  • a (append): Start typing after the cursor.
  • A: Start typing at the end of the line.
  • o (open): Open a new line below the current one.
  • O: Open a new line above the current one.
• How to Exit:
  • Press the Esc key.

3. Visual Mode - ✨ The Selector

Used to highlight a block of text and then perform operations on it (delete, copy, indent, etc.).

• Three Ways to Select:
  • v (lowercase): Character-wise. Select like dragging a mouse.
  • V (uppercase): Line-wise. Select one whole line at a time.
  • Ctrl + v: Block-wise. Vim's secret weapon for vertical selection.
• What can you do after selecting?
  • d: Delete selection.
  • y: Core selection.
  • > / <: Increase/Decrease indentation.

4. Command-line Mode - 🤖 System Commands

Used to execute file-level operations.

• How to Enter:
  • Type : (colon) or / (search) from Normal Mode.
• Useful Commands:
  • /keywords: Search for "keywords", press n for next, N for previous.
  • :%s/old/new/g: Replace all instances of "old" with "new".
  • :set nu: Show line numbers.

⚡️ Killer Combos

Master these to instantly move beyond the mouse:

• ggdG — Clear entire file
  • gg (Start) + d (Delete) + G (to End).
• gg=G — Auto-format entire file
  • = is the format command; combined with gg and G, it covers everything.
• ci" — Change inside quotes
  • c (change) + i (inner) + " (quote). Great for modifying string literals.

🆘 Emergency Exit: How to Save & Quit?

Remember these common combinations (type in Normal Mode):

Command	Meaning	Mnemonic
:w	Save only	Write
:q	Quit only	Quit
:wq	Save and Quit	Write and Quit
:q!	Quit without saving	Force Quit

Pro Tip

You can also type ZZ in Normal Mode; it's equivalent to :wq and faster!