---
title: Neovim
kind: note
description: editor
words: 924
readingMinutes: 4
created: '2024-03-02T00:00:00.000Z'
updated: '2024-09-01T20:31:52+02:00'
website: https://neovim.io/
---
## Link
## Shortcuts
- Remember that Neovim is very customizable, so any shortcuts shown here might not be configured in your installation.
| Shortcut | In mode | Function |
| --------------------- | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `:` | NORMAL | Switch to COMMAND-LINE mode |
| `:!`*command* | NORMAL | Execute "command" (using the shell) |
| `:#,#s/old/new/g` | NORMAL | Replace all occurences of "old" on lines \#-\# with "new" |
| `:%s/old/new/g` | NORMAL | Replace every occurence of "old" in the whole file with "new" |
| `:%s/old/new/gc` | NORMAL | Replace every occurence of "old" in the whole file with "new", but ask for confirmation (y/n) for each substitution |
| `:r` *FILENAME* | NORMAL | Insert contents of *FILENAME* below cursor position |
| `:r!` *COMMAND* | NORMAL | Insert output of external *COMMAND* below cursor position |
| `:s/old/new/` | NORMAL | Replace first occurence of "old" on the current line with "new" |
| `:s/old/new/g` | NORMAL | Replace all occurences of "old" on the current line with "new" |
| `:set inv`*OPTION* | NORMAL | Toggles a boolean option |
| `:set no`*OPTION* | NORMAL | Disables an option |
| `:set `*OPTION* | NORMAL | Sets an option |
| `?`*TERM* | NORMAL | Search backwards (behaves the same as `/`, except the first result is searched for toward the top of the file instead of downwards, and `n` goes up and `N` goes down) |
| `/`*TERM* | NORMAL | Search for term (forward in the document) |
| `%` | NORMAL | Move to matching bracket (`()`, `[]`, `{}`) |
| `^` | NORMAL | Move to the first non blank character on the current line |
| `$` | NORMAL | Move to the end of the current line |
| `0` | NORMAL | Move to the beginning of the current line |
| `1G`, `1gg` | NORMAL | Move to first line |
| `a` | NORMAL | Switch to INSERT mode after the current character |
| `A` | NORMAL | Switch to INSERT mode after the end of the current line |
| `b` | NORMAL | Move to previous word ("backwards") |
| bd | COMMAND | Close current buffer |
| `c`+_motion_ | NORMAL | Change text (deletes and places in INSERT mode) |
| `Ctrl`+`Alt`+`V` | INSERT | Paste |
| `Ctrl`+`d` | COMMAND | Suggest completion for the partially typed command |
| `Ctrl`+`D` | NORMAL | Move half a screen downward |
| `Ctrl`+`g` | NORMAL | Show file name, total number of lines and relative position |
| `Ctrl`+`i` | NORMAL | Go ahead to next cursor position in the jump list |
| `Ctrl`+`o` | NORMAL | Go back to previous cursor position in the jump list |
| `Ctrl`+`r` | NORMAL | Redo |
| `Ctrl`+`u` | NORMAL | Move half a screen upward |
| `Ctrl`+`w` | NORMAL | Start window management (needs further keypresses to do something) |
| `Ctrl`+`w` `Ctrl`+`w` | NORMAL | Switch windows |
| `d`+_motion_ | NORMAL | Delete |
| `dd` | NORMAL | Delete line |
| `Esc`, `Ctrl`+`C` | Any except NORMAL | Switch back to NORMAL mode |
| `F1` | NORMAL | Open help in a new "window" |
| `G` | NORMAL | Go to the end of the file |
| `gg` | NORMAL | Go to the beginning of the file |
| `gUiw` | NORMAL | Switch the word under cursor to uppercase |
| `h` | NORMAL | ⬅️ Move cursor left |
| `help` | COMMAND | Open help in a new "window" |
| `i` | NORMAL | Switch to INSERT mode before the current character |
| `j` | NORMAL | ⬇️ Move cursor down |
| `k` | NORMAL | ⬆️ Move cursor up |
| `l` | NORMAL | ➡️ Move cursor right |
| `n` | NORMAL | Next search result |
| `nohlsearch` | COMMAND | Remove highlighting of matches (after enabling it with `:set hlsearch`) |
| `N` | NORMAL | Previous search result |
| _number_+`G` | NORMAL | Move to line \ |
| `o` | NORMAL | Open a new line below the current and switch to INSERT mode |
| `O` | NORMAL | Open a new line above the current and switch to INSERT mode |
| `p` | NORMAL | Insert deleted/yanked text *after* cursor (whole lines go *below*) |
| `P` | NORMAL | Insert deleted/yanked text *before* cursor (whole lines go *above*) |
| `q` | COMMAND-LINE | Quit (current window; or the whole app, if this is the last/only window open within Neovim) |
| `q!` | COMMAND-LINE | Quit without saving (current window; or the whole app, if this is the last/only window open within Neovim) |
| `r` | NORMAL | Replace one character |
| `R` | NORMAL | Replace multiple characters (i.e., "overwrite") |
| `u` | NORMAL | Undo |
| `U` | NORMAL | "Undo line" (resets the current line to its original state, possibly undoing multiple commands - but it does not correspond to multiple `u` in a row, because `U` itself can be undone...) |
| `v` | NORMAL | Switch to VISUAL mode |
| `w` | NORMAL | Move to next word |
| `w` | COMMAND-LINE | "Write" (save) |
| `w` *FILENAME* | COMMAND-LINE | "Write" (save) the current file as *FILENAME* |
| `w` *FILENAME* | VISUAL | "Write" (save) the current *selection* as *FILENAME* |
| `wq` | COMMAND-LINE | "Write" (save) _and_ quit |
| `x` | NORMAL | Delete character under cursor |
| `<` | VISUAL | Outdent (shift left) selected lines |
| `y` | VISUAL | "Yank" (copy) selection |
| `y`+_motion_ | NORMAL | "Yank" (copy) text indicated by motion |
| `<` | VISUAL | Outdent (shift left) selected lines |
| `*` | NORMAL | Search for the word under the cursor |
### Motions
| Character | Meaning |
| --------- | ------------------------- |
| w | Until start of next word |
| e | Until end of current word |
| $ | To the end of the line |
## Options
| **Option** | **Meaning** |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| ignorecase, ic | Ignore case when searching |
| hlsearch, hls | Highlight results of last search |
| incsearch, is | Highlight search results incrementally (while typing term) |
## FAQ
### Show unsaved changes
```vim
:w !git diff --no-index % -
```
### Enter key does not insert autocomplete suggestion
- Press `Ctrl`+`y` or see [no key combination accepts autocomplete suggestion](https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim/issues/866#issuecomment-2067721595) or `init.lua` about how to reconfigure to e.g. `Enter`
### Highlight TODO
- Use [folke/todo-comments.nvim](https://github.com/folke/todo-comments.nvim) and see [Ripgrep pattern for no colon](https://github.com/folke/todo-comments.nvim/issues/80) if you do not want to have to type a colon after "TODO"
### Switch to a terminal
- This can be achieved using standard shell features:
- `Ctrl`+`Z` to suspend Neovim
- `fg` to switch back to Neovim
- Or with the `:terminal` command
- Switch to "INSERT" mode with "i" as usual to type in the shell
- Exit the shell with `Ctrl`+`D` and (maybe?) `:bd`
## Resources
### Learning
- [Learn Vim Progressively](https://yannesposito.com/Scratch/en/blog/Learn-Vim-Progressively/)
- [mhinz/vim-galore](https://github.com/mhinz/vim-galore)
- [Seven habits of effective text editing](https://www.moolenaar.net/habits.html)
- [Learn Vimscript the Hard Way](https://learnvimscriptthehardway.stevelosh.com/)
- [Vim Videos - Flarfnoogins](http://derekwyatt.org/vim/tutorials/)
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-
-
- [User manual](https://neovim.io/doc/user/usr_toc.html#user-manual)
#### `:Tutor`
`Tutor` is an integrated command that starts a tutorial of approx. 30 minutes length. These are my notes from that tutorial.
- The correct order is "operator number motion", e.g. "d2w" to *d*elete *2* *w*ords
- The command to delete 2 lines is `2dd`, *not* `d2d`
- The remaining learnings from `:Tutor` have been added to the [Shortcuts](#shortcuts) list
### Plugins
- [epwalsh/obsidian.nvim](https://github.com/epwalsh/obsidian.nvim)
-
### Debugger
-