Vim’s Normal mode is the foundation of efficient text editing. Unlike traditional editors where typing immediately inserts text, Vim’s modal approach separates navigation and manipulation from insertion. This separation enables incredibly powerful and precise editing capabilities.

Why Normal Mode?

  • Keeps your hands on the home row
  • Provides atomic operations that can be combined
  • Reduces repetitive strain by minimizing hand movement
  • Enables powerful combinations of commands

Basic Navigation

Character Navigation

The fundamental movement keys (hjkl) are your bread and butter:

h - left
j - down
k - up
l - right

Example:

This is a sam|ple text

Press hhhh →

This is |a sample text

Word Navigation

Word-based movements are more efficient than character-by-character:

  • w - move to start of next word
  • e - move to end of current/next word
  • b - move backward to start of current/previous word
  • W, E, B - same as above but for WORDS (space-separated)

Example with w:

The |quick brown fox jumps

Press w twice →

The quick |brown fox jumps

Line Navigation

Master these for quick horizontal movement:

0  - start of line
^  - first non-blank character
$  - end of line
g_ - last non-blank character

Example sequence:

    Hello |world!

Press 0 →

|    Hello world!

Press ^ →

    |Hello world!

Sentence and Paragraph Movement

  • ) - next sentence
  • ( - previous sentence
  • } - next paragraph
  • { - previous paragraph

Example:

First sentence. Second |sentence. Third sentence.

New paragraph starts here.

Press ) →

First sentence. Second sentence. |Third sentence.

New paragraph starts here.

Advanced Navigation

Screen Position Jumps

H - High (top of screen)
M - Middle of screen
L - Low (bottom of screen)
zt - move current line to top
zz - move current line to middle
zb - move current line to bottom

File Position Jumps

gg - start of file
G  - end of file
42G - jump to line 42

Scrolling

Ctrl-e - scroll down one line
Ctrl-y - scroll up one line
Ctrl-f - scroll forward one screen
Ctrl-b - scroll backward one screen
Ctrl-d - scroll down half screen
Ctrl-u - scroll up half screen

Text Manipulation

Basic Deletion Commands

x  - delete character under cursor
X  - delete character before cursor
dd - delete current line
D  - delete from cursor to end of line

Example sequence:

The quiick |brown fox

Press x →

The quiick|brown fox

Press X →

The quic|brown fox

Deletion with Movement

Combine d with any movement command:

dw  - delete to next word
db  - delete to previous word
d$  - delete to end of line
d0  - delete to start of line
d)  - delete to next sentence
d}  - delete to next paragraph

Example:

The quick |brown fox jumps

Press dw →

The quick |fox jumps

Change Commands

Similar to delete but enters Insert mode:

cw  - change word
cc  - change entire line
C   - change to end of line
ct{char} - change until character

Example:

The |quick brown fox

Press ct →

The |brown fox

(now in Insert mode)

Advanced Editing Commands

Text Objects

Text objects combine with operations:

iw - inner word
aw - a word (including space)
is - inner sentence
as - a sentence
ip - inner paragraph
ap - a paragraph
i" - inner quotes
a" - a quotes (including quotes)
i( - inner parentheses
a( - a parentheses (including parentheses)

Examples:

The "quick |brown" fox

Press ci" →

The "|" fox

(in Insert mode)

Block Operations

Visual block mode (Ctrl-v):

Ctrl-v - start visual block
I      - insert at start of block
A      - append at end of block
c      - change block
d      - delete block

Example:

first  |item
second item
third  item

Press Ctrl-v jj I prefix →

prefix first  item
prefix second item
prefix third  item

/pattern - search forward
?pattern - search backward
n       - next match
N       - previous match
*       - search word under cursor forward
#       - search word under cursor backward

Search and Replace

:s/old/new/    - replace first occurrence in line
:s/old/new/g   - replace all occurrences in line
:%s/old/new/g  - replace all occurrences in file
:%s/old/new/gc - replace with confirmation

Example of search and replace with confirmation:

:%s/colour/color/gc
replace with color (y/n/a/q/l/^E/^Y)?

Marks and Jumps

Setting Marks

m{a-zA-Z} - set mark
'{a-z}    - jump to line of mark
`{a-z}    - jump to position of mark

Example:

First line
Second |line
Third line

Press ma to set mark ‘a’, move around, then `a to return

Jump List

Ctrl-o - jump back
Ctrl-i - jump forward
:jumps - show jump list

Text Objects

Inner Text Objects

i{object} - inner object
iw - inner word
is - inner sentence
ip - inner paragraph
i" - inner quotes
i' - inner single quotes
i) - inner parentheses
i] - inner square brackets
i} - inner curly brackets
it - inner tag

A Text Objects (includes delimiter)

a{object} - a object
aw - a word
as - a sentence
ap - a paragraph
a" - a quotes
a' - a single quotes
a) - a parentheses
a] - a square brackets
a} - a curly brackets
at - a tag

Macros and Advanced Automation

Recording Macros

q{register} - start recording
q          - stop recording
@{register} - play macro
@@         - repeat last macro

Example macro to wrap word in quotes:

The |quick brown fox

Press qa i" <Esc> ea " <Esc> q →

The "|quick" brown fox

Complex Macro Example

Create numbered list:

|apple
banana
cherry

Record: qa I1. <Esc> j q Play twice: @a @a Result:

1. apple
2. banana
3. cherry

Register Operations

Named Registers

"ay  - yank into register a
"ap  - paste from register a
"by  - yank into register b
"bp  - paste from register b

Special Registers

""   - unnamed register (last delete/yank)
"0   - last yank
"1-9 - last deletes
"-   - small delete register
"/   - last search pattern
":   - last command
".   - last inserted text
"%   - current file name
"#   - alternate file name
"=   - expression register
"*   - system clipboard (X11 primary)
"+   - system clipboard (X11 clipboard)
"_   - black hole register

Window Management

Split Windows

:sp[lit]     - horizontal split
:vsp[lit]    - vertical split
Ctrl-w s     - horizontal split
Ctrl-w v     - vertical split

Window Navigation

Ctrl-w h     - move to left window
Ctrl-w j     - move to window below
Ctrl-w k     - move to window above
Ctrl-w l     - move to right window
Ctrl-w w     - cycle through windows

Window Resizing

Ctrl-w =     - make windows equal size
Ctrl-w _     - maximize height
Ctrl-w |     - maximize width
Ctrl-w >     - increase width
Ctrl-w <     - decrease width
Ctrl-w +     - increase height
Ctrl-w -     - decrease height

Best Practices and Tips

Efficiency Guidelines

  1. Avoid repeating keys more than twice
  2. Use text objects over character movements
  3. Think in operations + motions
  4. Learn one new command per week

Common Patterns

  1. Change inside quotes: ci"
  2. Delete until character: dt{char}
  3. Change until character: ct{char}
  4. Delete around parentheses: da)
  5. Yank inside paragraph: yip

Movement Strategy

  1. For small movements (1-3 characters): use h/j/k/l
  2. For word movements: use w/b/e
  3. For line movements: use 0/$
  4. For screen movements: use H/M/L
  5. For file movements: use gg/G

Common Patterns and Workflows

Code Editing Patterns

ci(  - change inside parentheses
ca{  - change around curly braces
yi"  - yank inside quotes
da]  - delete around square brackets

Example:

function hello(|old_name) {

Press ci( →

function hello(|) {

(in Insert mode)

Text Processing Workflows

  1. Sorting lines:

    |apple
cherry
banana

    Press vip:sort →

    apple
banana
cherry

  2. Indenting blocks:

    if (condition) {
|first line
second line
third line
}

    Press >i{ →

    if (condition) {
    first line
    second line
    third line
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Stuck in Insert Mode: Press <Esc>
  2. Stuck in Visual Mode: Press <Esc>
  3. Stuck in Command Mode: Press <Esc> twice
  4. Lost in File: Use gg or G to orient yourself

Recovery Commands

u        - undo
Ctrl-r   - redo
:earlier 1m - go back 1 minute
:later 1m  - go forward 1 minute

Conclusion

Mastering Normal mode in Vim is a journey that requires patience and practice. Start with basic movements, gradually incorporate text objects, and eventually master advanced techniques like macros and registers. Remember that the goal is not to memorize every command but to build muscle memory for the commands you use most frequently.

Happy Vimming!