Edit files with vi

Ubuntu Terminal includes vi, a small editor that runs inside the terminal. This page gets you through opening a file, changing it, saving and leaving.

Typing vim starts the same editor. It is the compact BusyBox vi, with Vim-style keys. It is not full Vim or Neovim, so plugins, syntax colours and .vimrc settings are not available.

The idea: two modes

vi is always in one of two modes.

Command mode: keys are commands. x deletes a character, dd deletes a line. This is the mode vi starts in.
Insert mode: keys type text, as in any editor.

Press i to go from command mode to insert mode. Press Esc to go back. If you are ever unsure which mode you are in, press Esc.

Edit a file

Open a file. If it does not exist, vi starts with an empty one and creates it when you save.
bash
```
vi notes.txt
```
Move to where you want to type, with the arrow keys.
Press i. You are now in insert mode. Type your text.
Press Esc to return to command mode.
Type :w and press Enter to save.
Type :q and press Enter to quit.

You can do the last two steps in one: :wq saves and quits.

Keys you need

Use these in command mode. Press Esc first if you were typing.

Keys	What they do
`i`	Insert text before the cursor
`a`	Insert text after the cursor
`o`	Open a new line below and start typing
`x`	Delete the character under the cursor
`dd`	Delete the current line
`yy`	Copy the current line
`p`	Paste the copied or deleted line below
`u`	Undo the last change
`/word` then `Enter`	Search for `word`. Press `n` for the next match
`gg`	Go to the first line
`G`	Go to the last line
`:w`	Save
`:q`	Quit
`:wq`	Save and quit
`:q!`	Quit and throw away your changes

Leave without saving

If you changed something by accident, press Esc, type :q! and press Enter. The file on disk stays as it was.

If :q refuses to quit, it is because you have unsaved changes. Use :wq to keep them or :q! to drop them.

Where vi appears on its own

Other programs open vi when they need you to write something. The most common case is git commit without -m: Git opens vi for the commit message. Type the message, then Esc, :wq and Enter.

To avoid the editor, give the message on the command line:

bash

git commit -m "Describe the change"

Prefer another editor?

Any editor installed on Windows that can be started from the command line also works here. If Visual Studio Code is installed, this opens a file in it:

bash

code notes.txt

Edit files with vi ​

The idea: two modes ​

Edit a file ​

Keys you need ​

Leave without saving ​

Where vi appears on its own ​

Prefer another editor? ​

Next steps ​