usr_toc.txt For Vim version 9.2. Last change: 2026 Feb 14 VIM USER MANUAL by Bram Moolenaar Table Of Contents user-manual usr ============================================================================== Overview Getting Started usr_01.txt About the manuals usr_02.txt The first steps in Vim usr_03.txt Moving around usr_04.txt Making small changes usr_05.txt Set your settings usr_06.txt Using syntax highlighting usr_07.txt Editing more than one file usr_08.txt Splitting windows usr_09.txt Using the GUI usr_10.txt Making big changes usr_11.txt Recovering from a crash usr_12.txt Clever tricks Editing Effectively usr_20.txt Typing command-line commands quickly usr_21.txt Go away and come back usr_22.txt Finding the file to edit usr_23.txt Editing other files usr_24.txt Inserting quickly usr_25.txt Editing formatted text usr_26.txt Repeating usr_27.txt Search commands and patterns usr_28.txt Folding usr_29.txt Moving through programs usr_30.txt Editing programs usr_31.txt Exploiting the GUI usr_32.txt The undo tree Tuning Vim usr_40.txt Make new commands usr_41.txt Write a Vim script usr_42.txt Add new menus usr_43.txt Using filetypes usr_44.txt Your own syntax highlighted usr_45.txt Select your language (locale) Writing Vim script usr_50.txt Advanced Vim script writing usr_51.txt Write plugins usr_52.txt Write larger plugins Making Vim Run usr_90.txt Installing Vim Reference manual reference_toc More detailed information for all commands The user manual (an older version) is available as a single, ready to print HTML and PDF file here: http://vimdoc.sf.net ============================================================================== Getting Started Read this from start to end to learn the essential commands. usr_01.txt About the manuals 01.1 Two manuals 01.2 Vim installed 01.3 Using the Vim tutor 01.4 Copyright usr_02.txt The first steps in Vim 02.1 Running Vim for the First Time 02.2 Inserting text 02.3 Moving around 02.4 Deleting characters 02.5 Undo and Redo 02.6 Other editing commands 02.7 Getting out 02.8 Finding help usr_03.txt Moving around 03.1 Word movement 03.2 Moving to the start or end of a line 03.3 Moving to a character 03.4 Matching a paren 03.5 Moving to a specific line 03.6 Telling where you are 03.7 Scrolling around 03.8 Simple searches 03.9 Simple search patterns 03.10 Using marks usr_04.txt Making small changes 04.1 Operators and motions 04.2 Changing text 04.3 Repeating a change 04.4 Visual mode 04.5 Moving text 04.6 Copying text 04.7 Using the clipboard 04.8 Text objects 04.9 Replace mode 04.10 Conclusion usr_05.txt Set your settings 05.1 The vimrc file 05.2 The example vimrc file explained 05.3 The defaults.vim file explained 05.4 Simple mappings 05.5 Adding a package 05.6 Adding a plugin 05.7 Adding a help file 05.8 The option window 05.9 Often used options usr_06.txt Using syntax highlighting 06.1 Switching it on 06.2 No or wrong colors? 06.3 Different colors 06.4 With colors or without colors 06.5 Printing with colors 06.6 Further reading usr_07.txt Editing more than one file 07.1 Edit another file 07.2 A list of files 07.3 Jumping from file to file 07.4 Backup files 07.5 Copy text between files 07.6 Viewing a file 07.7 Changing the file name usr_08.txt Splitting windows 08.1 Split a window 08.2 Split a window on another file 08.3 Window size 08.4 Vertical splits 08.5 Moving windows 08.6 Commands for all windows 08.7 Viewing differences with vimdiff 08.8 Various usr_09.txt Using the GUI 09.1 Parts of the GUI 09.2 Using the mouse 09.3 The clipboard 09.4 Select mode usr_10.txt Making big changes 10.1 Record and playback commands 10.2 Substitution 10.3 Command ranges 10.4 The global command 10.5 Visual block mode 10.6 Reading and writing part of a file 10.7 Formatting text 10.8 Changing case 10.9 Using an external program usr_11.txt Recovering from a crash 11.1 Basic recovery 11.2 Where is the swap file? 11.3 Crashed or not? 11.4 Further reading usr_12.txt Clever tricks 12.1 Replace a word 12.2 Change "Last, First" to "First Last" 12.3 Sort a list 12.4 Reverse line order 12.5 Count words 12.6 Find a man page 12.7 Trim blanks 12.8 Find where a word is used ============================================================================== Editing Effectively Subjects that can be read independently. usr_20.txt Typing command-line commands quickly 20.1 Command line editing 20.2 Command line abbreviations 20.3 Command line completion 20.4 Command line history 20.5 Command line window usr_21.txt Go away and come back 21.1 Suspend and resume 21.2 Executing shell commands 21.3 Remembering information; viminfo 21.4 Sessions 21.5 Views 21.6 Modelines usr_22.txt Finding the file to edit 22.1 The file explorer 22.2 The current directory 22.3 Finding a file 22.4 The buffer list usr_23.txt Editing other files 23.1 DOS, Mac and Unix files 23.2 Files on the internet 23.3 Encryption 23.4 Binary files 23.5 Compressed files usr_24.txt Inserting quickly 24.1 Making corrections 24.2 Showing matches 24.3 Completion 24.4 Repeating an insert 24.5 Copying from another line 24.6 Inserting a register 24.7 Abbreviations 24.8 Entering special characters 24.9 Digraphs 24.10 Normal mode commands usr_25.txt Editing formatted text 25.1 Breaking lines 25.2 Aligning text 25.3 Indents and tabs 25.4 Dealing with long lines 25.5 Editing tables usr_26.txt Repeating 26.1 Repeating with Visual mode 26.2 Add and subtract 26.3 Making a change in many files 26.4 Using Vim from a shell script usr_27.txt Search commands and patterns 27.1 Ignoring case 27.2 Wrapping around the file end 27.3 Offsets 27.4 Matching multiple times 27.5 Alternatives 27.6 Character ranges 27.7 Character classes 27.8 Matching a line break 27.9 Examples usr_28.txt Folding 28.1 What is folding? 28.2 Manual folding 28.3 Working with folds 28.4 Saving and restoring folds 28.5 Folding by indent 28.6 Folding with markers 28.7 Folding by syntax 28.8 Folding by expression 28.9 Folding unchanged lines 28.10 Which fold method to use? usr_29.txt Moving through programs 29.1 Using tags 29.2 The preview window 29.3 Moving through a program 29.4 Finding global identifiers 29.5 Finding local identifiers usr_30.txt Editing programs 30.1 Compiling 30.2 Indenting C files 30.3 Automatic indenting 30.4 Other indenting 30.5 Tabs and spaces 30.6 Formatting comments usr_31.txt Exploiting the GUI 31.1 The file browser 31.2 Confirmation 31.3 Menu shortcuts 31.4 Vim window position and size 31.5 Various usr_32.txt The undo tree 32.1 Undo up to a file write 32.2 Numbering changes 32.3 Jumping around the tree 32.4 Time travelling ============================================================================== Tuning Vim Make Vim work as you like it. usr_40.txt Make new commands 40.1 Key mapping 40.2 Defining command-line commands 40.3 Autocommands usr_41.txt Write a Vim script 41.1 Introduction 41.2 Variables 41.3 Expressions 41.4 Conditionals 41.5 Executing an expression 41.6 Using functions 41.7 Defining a function 41.8 Lists and Dictionaries 41.9 White space 41.10 Line continuation 41.11 Comments 41.12 Fileformat usr_42.txt Add new menus 42.1 Introduction 42.2 Menu commands 42.3 Various 42.4 Toolbar and popup menus usr_43.txt Using filetypes 43.1 Plugins for a filetype 43.2 Adding a filetype usr_44.txt Your own syntax highlighted 44.1 Basic syntax commands 44.2 Keywords 44.3 Matches 44.4 Regions 44.5 Nested items 44.6 Following groups 44.7 Other arguments 44.8 Clusters 44.9 Including another syntax file 44.10 Synchronizing 44.11 Installing a syntax file 44.12 Portable syntax file layout usr_45.txt Select your language (locale) 45.1 Language for Messages 45.2 Language for Menus 45.3 Using another encoding 45.4 Editing files with a different encoding 45.5 Entering language text ============================================================================== Writing Vim script usr_50.txt Advanced Vim script writing 50.1 Exceptions 50.2 Function with variable number of arguments 50.3 Restoring the view usr_51.txt Write plugins 51.1 Writing a generic plugin 51.2 Writing a filetype plugin 51.3 Writing a compiler plugin 51.4 Distributing Vim scripts usr_52.txt Write larger plugins 52.1 Export and import 52.2 Autoloading 52.3 Autoloading without import/export 52.4 Other mechanisms to use 52.5 Using a Vim9 script from legacy script 52.6 Vim9 examples: comment and highlight-yank plugin ============================================================================== Making Vim Run Before you can use Vim. usr_90.txt Installing Vim 90.1 Unix 90.2 MS-Windows 90.3 Upgrading 90.4 Common installation issues 90.5 Uninstalling Vim ============================================================================== Copyright: see manual-copyright vim:tw=78:ts=8:noet:ft=help:norl: