| The Basics |
| i | vim is now in insert mode. You can type text normally, navigate using the arrow keys and use backspace to delete. Having said that, do not stay in insert mode. |
| Esc | vim is now in normal (not insert) mode, and you can use all the other commands mentioned below. |
| :w | Save the file. |
| :q | Quit out of vim. |
| :wq | Save the file and quit out of vim. |
| /meowww | Search the document for the text following the slash, (in this case meowww) |
| u | Undo the last action. |
| Navigating |
| h | Move the cursor one character to the right. Does the same thing the right arrow key does. |
| j | Move the cursor one line down. Does the same thing the down arrow key does. |
| k | Move the cursor one line up. Does the same thing the up arrow key does. |
| l | Move the cursor one character to the left. Does the same thing the left arrow key does. |
| A (Shift + a) | Takes you to the end of the current line and enters insert mode. |
| 0 | Takes you to the beginning of a line. |
| Cutting, Copying, Overwriting and Deleting |
| r | Overwrites the character under the cursor with the character you type after r. |
| x | Deletes the character under the cursor. |
| dd | Deletes current line and copies it to the buffer. |
| yy | Copies the current line to the buffer. |
| p | Pastes whatever is on the buffer bellow the line. |
| P (Shift+P) | Pastes whatever is on the buffer above the current line.. |