VIM(1) General Commands Manual
VIM(1)
NAME
vim - Vi IMproved, a programmer's text editor
SYNOPSIS
vim [options] [file ..]
vim [options] -
vim [options] -t tag
vim [options] -q [errorfile]
ex
view
gvim gview evim eview
rvim rview rgvim rgview
DESCRIPTION
Vim is a text editor that is upwards compatible to Vi. It can be
used
to edit all kinds of plain text. It is especially useful for
editing
programs.
There are a lot of enhancements above Vi: multi level undo, multi
win
dows and buffers, syntax highlighting, command line editing,
filename
completion, on-line help, visual selection, etc.. See
":help
vi_diff.txt" for a summary of the differences between Vim and Vi.
While running Vim a lot of help can be obtained from the on-line
help
system, with the ":help" command. See the ON-LINE HELP section
below.
Most often Vim is started to edit a single file with the command
vim file
More generally Vim is started with:
vim [options] [filelist]
If the filelist is missing, the editor will start with an empty
buffer.
Otherwise exactly one out of the following four may be used to
choose
one or more files to be edited.
file .. A list of filenames. The first one will be the
current
file and read into the buffer. The cursor will be
posi
tioned on the first line of the buffer. You can get to
the
other files with the ":next" command. To edit a file
that
starts with a dash, precede the filelist with "--".
- The file to edit is read from stdin. Commands are
read
from stderr, which should be a tty.
-t {tag} The file to edit and the initial cursor position depends
on
a "tag", a sort of goto label. {tag} is looked up in
the
tags file, the associated file becomes the current file
and
the associated command is executed. Mostly this is
used
for C programs, in which case {tag} could be a
function
name. The effect is that the file containing that
function
becomes the current file and the cursor is positioned
on
the start of the function. See ":help tag-commands".
-q [errorfile]
Start in quickFix mode. The file [errorfile] is read
and
the first error is displayed. If [errorfile] is
omitted,
the filename is obtained from the 'errorfile' option
(de
faults to "AztecC.Err" for the Amiga, "errors.err" on
other
systems). Further errors can be jumped to with the
":cn"
command. See ":help quickfix".
Vim behaves differently, depending on the name of the command (the
exe
cutable may still be the same file).
vim The "normal" way, everything is default.
ex Start in Ex mode. Go to Normal mode with the ":vi"
command.
Can also be done with the "-e" argument.
view Start in read-only mode. You will be protected from
writing
the files. Can also be done with the "-R" argument.
gvim gview
The GUI version. Starts a new window. Can also be done
with
the "-g" argument.
evim eview
The GUI version in easy mode. Starts a new window. Can
also
be done with the "-y" argument.
rvim rview rgvim rgview
Like the above, but with restrictions. It will not be
possi
ble to start shell commands, or suspend Vim. Can also
be
done with the "-Z" argument.
OPTIONS
The options may be given in any order, before or after filenames.
Op
tions without an argument can be combined after a single dash.
+[num] For the first file the cursor will be positioned on
line
"num". If "num" is missing, the cursor will be
positioned
on the last line.
+/{pat} For the first file the cursor will be positioned in
the
line with the first occurrence of {pat}. See
":help
search-pattern" for the available search patterns.
+{command}
-c {command}
{command} will be executed after the first file has
been
read. {command} is interpreted as an Ex command. If
the
{command} contains spaces it must be enclosed in
double
quotes (this depends on the shell that is used).
Example:
vim "+set si" main.c
Note: You can use up to 10 "+" or "-c" commands.
-A If Vim has been compiled with ARABIC support for
editing
right-to-left oriented files and Arabic keyboard
mapping,
this option starts Vim in Arabic mode, i.e. 'arabic'
is
set. Otherwise an error message is given and Vim
aborts.
-b Binary mode. A few options will be set that makes it
pos
sible to edit a binary or executable file.
-C Compatible. Set the 'compatible' option. This will
make
Vim behave mostly like Vi, even though a .vimrc file
ex
ists.
-d Start in diff mode. There should between two to eight
file
name arguments. Vim will open all the files and show
dif
ferences between them. Works like vimdiff(1).
-d {device}, -dev {device}
Open {device} for use as a terminal. Only on the
Amiga.
Example: "-d con:20/30/600/150".
-D Debugging. Go to debugging mode when executing the
first
command from a script.
-e Start Vim in Ex mode, just like the executable was
called
"ex".
-E Start Vim in improved Ex mode, just like the executable
was
called "exim".
-f Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and
de
tach from the shell it was started in. On the Amiga,
Vim
is not restarted to open a new window. This option
should
be used when Vim is executed by a program that will
wait
for the edit session to finish (e.g. mail). On the
Amiga
the ":sh" and ":!" commands will not work.
-F If Vim has been compiled with FKMAP support for
editing
right-to-left oriented files and Farsi keyboard
mapping,
this option starts Vim in Farsi mode, i.e. 'fkmap'
and
'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is
given
and Vim aborts.
Note: Farsi support has been removed in patch 8.1.0932.
-g If Vim has been compiled with GUI support, this option
en
ables the GUI. If no GUI support was compiled in, an
error
message is given and Vim aborts.
-H If Vim has been compiled with RIGHTLEFT support for
editing
right-to-left oriented files and Hebrew keyboard
mapping,
this option starts Vim in Hebrew mode, i.e. 'hkmap'
and
'rightleft' are set. Otherwise an error message is
given
and Vim aborts.
-i {viminfo}
Specifies the filename to use when reading or writing
the
viminfo file, instead of the default "~/.viminfo".
This
can also be used to skip the use of the .viminfo file,
by
giving the name "NONE".
-l Lisp mode. Sets the 'lisp' and 'showmatch' options on.
-L Same as -r.
-m Modifying files is disabled. Resets the 'write'
option.
You can still modify the buffer, but writing a file is
not
possible.
-M Modifications not allowed. The 'modifiable' and
'write'
options will be unset, so that changes are not allowed
and
files can not be written. Note that these options can
be
set to enable making modifications.
-n No swap file will be used. Recovery after a crash will
be
impossible. Handy if you want to edit a file on a
very
slow medium (e.g. floppy). Can also be done with
":set
uc=0". Can be undone with ":set uc=200".
-N No-compatible mode. Resets the 'compatible' option.
This
will make Vim behave a bit better, but less Vi
compatible,
even though a .vimrc file does not exist.
-nb Become an editor server for NetBeans. See the docs for
de
tails.
-o[N] Open N windows stacked. When N is omitted, open one
window
for each file.
-O[N] Open N windows side by side. When N is omitted, open
one
window for each file.
-p[N] Open N tab pages. When N is omitted, open one tab page
for
each file.
-P {parent-title}
Win32 GUI only: Specify the title of the parent
applica
tion. When possible, Vim will run in an MDI window
inside
the application. {parent-title} must appear in the
window
title of the parent application. Make sure that it is
spe
cific enough. Note that the implementation is still
primi
tive. It won't work with all applications and the
menu
doesn't work.
-r List swap files, with information about using them for
re
covery.
-r {file} Recovery mode. The swap file is used to recover a
crashed
editing session. The swap file is a file with the
same
filename as the text file with ".swp" appended. See
":help
recovery".
-R Read-only mode. The 'readonly' option will be set.
You
can still edit the buffer, but will be prevented from
acci
dentally overwriting a file. If you do want to
overwrite a
file, add an exclamation mark to the Ex command, as
in
":w!". The -R option also implies the -n option
(see
above). The 'readonly' option can be reset with
":set
noro". See ":help 'readonly'".
-s Silent mode. Only when started as "Ex" or when the
"-e"
option was given before the "-s" option.
-s {scriptin}
The script file {scriptin} is read. The characters in
the
file are interpreted as if you had typed them. The
same
can be done with the command ":source! {scriptin}". If
the
end of the file is reached before the editor exits,
further
characters are read from the keyboard.
-S {file} {file} will be sourced after the first file has been
read.
This is equivalent to -c "source {file}". {file}
cannot
start with '-'. If {file} is omitted "Session.vim" is
used
(only works when -S is the last argument).
-T {terminal}
Tells Vim the name of the terminal you are using. Only
re
quired when the automatic way doesn't work. Should
be a
terminal known to Vim (builtin) or defined in the
termcap
or terminfo file.
-u {vimrc} Use the commands in the file {vimrc} for
initializations.
All the other initializations are skipped. Use this
to
edit a special kind of files. It can also be used to
skip
all initializations by giving the name "NONE". See
":help
initialization" within vim for more details.
-U {gvimrc} Use the commands in the file {gvimrc} for GUI
initializa
tions. All the other GUI initializations are skipped.
It
can also be used to skip all GUI initializations by
giving
the name "NONE". See ":help gui-init" within vim for
more
details.
-v Start Vim in Vi mode, just like the executable was
called
"vi". This only has effect when the executable is
called
"ex".
-V[N] Verbose. Give messages about which files are sourced
and
for reading and writing a viminfo file. The optional
num
ber N is the value for 'verbose'. Default is 10.
-V[N]{filename}
Like -V and set 'verbosefile' to {filename}. The result
is
that messages are not displayed but written to the
file
{filename}. {filename} must not start with a digit.
-w{number} Set the 'window' option to {number}.
-w {scriptout}
All the characters that you type are recorded in the
file
{scriptout}, until you exit Vim. This is useful if
you
want to create a script file to be used with "vim -s"
or
":source!". If the {scriptout} file exists, characters
are
appended.
-W {scriptout}
Like -w, but an existing file is overwritten.
-x If Vim has been compiled with encryption support, use
en
cryption when writing files. Will prompt for a crypt
key.
-X Don't connect to the X server. Shortens startup time in
a
terminal, but the window title and clipboard will not
be
used.
-Y Don't connect to the wayland compositor
-y Start Vim in easy mode, just like the executable was
called
"evim" or "eview". Makes Vim behave like a click-and-
type
editor.
-Z Restricted mode. Works like the executable starts
with
"r".
-- Denotes the end of the options. Arguments after this
will
be handled as a file name. This can be used to
edit a
filename that starts with a '-'.
--clean Do not use any personal configuration (vimrc,
plugins,
etc.). Useful to see if a problem reproduces with a
clean
Vim setup.
--cmd {command}
Like using "-c", but the command is executed just
before
processing any vimrc file. You can use up to 10 of
these
commands, independently from "-c" commands.
--echo-wid GTK GUI only: Echo the Window ID on stdout.
--gui-dialog-file {name}
When using the GUI, instead of showing a dialog, write
the
title and message of the dialog to file {name}. The
file
is created or appended to. Only useful for testing,
to
avoid that the test gets stuck on a dialog that can't
be
seen. Without the GUI the argument is ignored.
--help, -h, -?
Give a bit of help about the command line arguments and
op
tions. After this Vim exits.
--literal Take file name arguments literally, do not expand
wild
cards. This has no effect on Unix where the shell
expands
wildcards.
--log {filename}
If Vim has been compiled with eval and channel
feature,
start logging and write entries to {filename}. This
works
like calling ch_logfile({filename}, 'ao') very early
during
startup.
--nofork Foreground. For the GUI version, Vim will not fork and
de
tach from the shell it was started in.
--noplugin Skip loading plugins. Implied by -u NONE.
--not-a-term
Tells Vim that the user knows that the input and/or
output
is not connected to a terminal. This will avoid the
warn
ing and the two second delay that would happen.
--remote Connect to a Vim server and make it edit the files given
in
the rest of the arguments. If no server is found a
warning
is given and the files are edited in the current Vim.
--remote-expr {expr}
Connect to a Vim server, evaluate {expr} in it and
print
the result on stdout.
--remote-send {keys}
Connect to a Vim server and send {keys} to it.
--remote-silent
As --remote, but without the warning when no server
is
found.
--remote-wait
As --remote, but Vim does not exit until the files
have
been edited.
--remote-wait-silent
As --remote-wait, but without the warning when no server
is
found.
--serverlist
List the names of all Vim servers that can be found.
--servername {name}
Use {name} as the server name. Used for the current
Vim,
unless used with a --remote argument, then it's the name
of
the server to connect to. If the socketserver backend
is
being used, if the name starts with "/", "./", or "../",
it
is taken as either an absolute, relative or relative
path
to the socket.
--clientserver {backend}
Use {backend} as the backend for clientserver
functional
ity, either "socket" or "x11" respectively. Only
available
when compiled with both socketserver and X11
features
present
--socketid {id}
GTK GUI only: Use the GtkPlug mechanism to run gVim in
an
other window.
--startuptime {file}
During startup write timing messages to the file
{fname}.
--ttyfail When stdin or stdout is not a a terminal (tty) then
exit
right away.
--version Print version information and exit.
--windowid {id}
Win32 GUI only: Make gVim try to use the window {id} as
a
parent, so that it runs inside that window.
ON-LINE HELP
Type ":help" in Vim to get started. Type ":help subject" to get
help
on a specific subject. For example: ":help ZZ" to get help for
the
"ZZ" command. Use <Tab> and CTRL-D to complete subjects (":help
cmd
line-completion"). Tags are present to jump from one place to
another
(sort of hypertext links, see ":help"). All documentation files can
be
viewed in this way, for example ":help syntax.txt".
FILES
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/doc/*.txt
The Vim documentation files. Use ":help doc-file-
list"
to get the complete list.
vim?? is short version number, like vim91 for Vim
9.1
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/doc/tags
The tags file used for finding information in the
docu
mentation files.
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/syntax/syntax.vim
System wide syntax initializations.
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/syntax/*.vim
Syntax files for various languages.
/usr/local/share/vim/vimrc
System wide Vim initializations.
~/.vimrc, ~/.vim/vimrc, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/vim/vimrc
Your personal Vim initializations (first one found
is
used).
/usr/local/share/vim/gvimrc
System wide gvim initializations.
~/.gvimrc, ~/.vim/gvimrc, $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/vim/gvimrc
Your personal gVim initializations (first one found
is
used).
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/optwin.vim
Script used for the ":options" command, a nice way
to
view and set options.
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/menu.vim
System wide menu initializations for gVim.
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/bugreport.vim
Script to generate a bug report. See ":help bugs".
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/filetype.vim
Script to detect the type of a file by its name.
See
":help 'filetype'".
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/scripts.vim
Script to detect the type of a file by its
contents.
See ":help 'filetype'".
/usr/local/share/vim/vim??/print/*.ps
Files used for PostScript printing.
For recent info read the VIM home page:
<URL:http://www.vim.org/>
SEE ALSO
vimtutor(1)
AUTHOR
Most of Vim was made by Bram Moolenaar, with a lot of help from
others.
See ":help credits" in Vim.
Vim is based on Stevie, worked on by: Tim Thompson, Tony Andrews
and
G.R. (Fred) Walter. Although hardly any of the original code
remains.
BUGS
Probably. See ":help todo" for a list of known problems.
Note that a number of things that may be regarded as bugs by some,
are
in fact caused by a too-faithful reproduction of Vi's behaviour.
And
if you think other things are bugs "because Vi does it
differently",
you should take a closer look at the vi_diff.txt file (or type
:help
vi_diff.txt when in Vim). Also have a look at the 'compatible'
and
'cpoptions' options.
2025 Jun 27
VIM(1)
