VI Editor Commands

Switch to Text or Insert mode:

Open line
O
above cursor
Insert text at Insert text at Insert text Append text at
I i a A
beginning of line cursor after cursor line end
Open line
o
below cursor
Switch to Command mode:
Switch to <ESC
command mode >
Cursor Movement (command mode):
Scroll Backward 1
<ctrl>b
screen
Scroll Up 1/2 screen <ctrl>u
Go to beginning Go to end of
0 Go to line n nG $
of line line
Scroll Down 1/2 Go to line
<ctrl>d :##
screen number ##
Scroll Forward 1
<ctrl>f
screen
Go to last line G
Scroll by sentence
()
f/b
w Move left, down,
Scroll by word f/b hjkl Left 6 chars 6h
b up, right
Directional Arrow
Go to line #6 6G
Movement Keys
Deleting text (command mode):
Change
cw Replace one character r
word
Delete entire line (to
Delete word dw Delete text at cursor x dd
buffer)
Delete current to end of Delete 5 lines (to
D 5dd
line buffer)
Delete lines 5-10 :5,10d
Editing (command mode):
Copy lines 1-
Copy n
Copy line yy nyy 2/paste after :1,2t 3
lines
3
 Paste above current
P
line
Move lines
Paste below current :4,5m
p 4-5/paste
line 6
after 6
Join previous
J
line
Search Find next
Search backward for /
?string forward for string n
string string
string occurrence
% (entire file) s
(search and :
replace) /old text %s/oldstring Ignore case
:set ic
with new/ c /newstring/c during search
(confirm) g (global - g
all)
Undo Undo all
Repeat last
. previous u changes to U
command
command line
Save and Quit (command mode):
Save changes to Save changes and Save file to new
:w :wq :w file
buffer quit vi file
Save lines to :10,15w
Quit without saving :q!
new file file
:syntax on Turn on syntax highlighting
:syntax off Turn off syntax highlighting
:set number Turn on Line numbering (shorthand :set nu)
:set nonumber Turn off Line numbering (shorthand :set nonu)
:set ignorecase Ignore case sensitivity when searching
:set noignorecase Restore case sensitivity (default)

:set autoindent Turn on Auto-indentation

Use the command >> to indent and the << command to outdent
:set shiftwidth=4 Set indentation to four spaces
:set noautoindent Turn off Auto-indentation
“vi was written for a world that doesn't exist anymore - unless you decide to get a satellite phone
and use it to connect to the Net at 2400 baud” - Bill Joy