Vim Modes

The same key does different things in different Vim modes. You do not need to memorize every mode. Start with one loop: choose actions in Normal mode, enter Insert mode when you need to type, then press Esc to return to Normal mode.

Normal -- i/a/o, etc. --> Insert
   ^                       |
   +--------- Esc ---------+

If you are unsure which mode you are in, pressing Esc is usually a safe start.

Normal Mode

Normal mode is Vim's default and the center of its editing model. Keys perform motions, deletions, copies, pastes, and undo rather than inserting text. For example, h, j, k, and l move; u undoes a change. These commands begin in Chapter 1.

Insert Mode

Insert mode types text. From Normal mode, you can start at different positions:

• i before the current character
• a after the current character
• I before the first non-blank character on the line
• A at the end of the line
• o on a new line below
• O on a new line above

Press Esc when finished. Ctrl-[ is equivalent to Esc.

Visual Mode

Visual mode selects text before an operation such as deleting or copying:

• v selects by character
• V selects whole lines
• Ctrl-v selects a rectangle in Visual Block mode

Normal-mode motions extend the selection. Press Esc to cancel it.

Put the cursor on { below, press v, then % to select through its matching }. Press Esc and confirm that you are back in Normal mode.

const bio = () => {
  console.log("Liberty Leading the People.");
  console.log("· Why so serious? ·");
};

Command-line Mode

Press : from Normal mode to enter Command-line mode. It runs commands such as :w, :q, :e, :set, and :help. Press Enter to execute or Esc to cancel.

For an unfamiliar command, use :help <command>, such as :help :write. Learning to ask Vim's built-in help is more useful than memorizing a catalog.

Practice the loop

Start in Normal mode, press i, type three characters, and press Esc. Undo with u, redo with Ctrl-r, then press Esc once more. If you can name the mode at each step, continue to Chapter 1.

Vim also has Replace, Select, Ex, Prompt, and Terminal modes. Learn them through :help when you need them; there is no reason to memorize them now.