Vim motions cheat sheet (LazyVim friendly)

Priority 1 — Absolute essentials (Learn first)

These motions cover 80% of daily editing.

Basic movement

Key	Action
h j k l	left / down / up / right
w	next word
b	previous word
e	end of word
0	start of line
^	first non-blank character
$	end of line

---

Go to a specific Line

Command	Action
42G	go to line 42 (fastest)
:42	go to line 42 (exact)
gg	top of file
G	bottom of file
+5	move down 5 lines
-3	move up 3 lines
:42:10	go to line 42, column 10

---

Undo / Redo

Key	Action
u	undo
<C-r>	redo
<leader>u	undo tree (LazyVim)

---

Priority 2 — Navigation & searching

File & Code Navigation

Key	Action
/text	search forward
?text	search backward
n	next match
N	previous match
*	search word under cursor
#	search backward word
%	jump to matching () { } []

---

Jumping (Never lose your place)

Key	Action
gd	go to definition
gr	references
<C-o>	jump back
<C-i>	jump forward

---

---

LazyVim split file navigation

Open split file

# Open vertical split 

:vs file2.lua

# Close vertical split

:close

Navigation

Ctrl + w + h   ← left
Ctrl + w + l   → right
Ctrl + w + j   ↓
Ctrl + w + k   ↑

# LazyVim also supports 

Alt + h / l / j / k

---

Priority 3 — Editing power (Where Vim shines)

operator + motion = power

Most Used Editing Commands

Command	Action
dw	delete word
de	delete to end of word
d$	delete to end of line
ciw	change inner word
caw	change a word
dd	delete line
yy	yank (copy) line
p	paste after
P	paste before

---

Text objects (Must learn)

Object	Inside	Around
word	iw	aw
sentence	is	as
paragraph	ip	ap
quotes	i" i'	a" a'
parentheses	i(	a(
braces	i{	a{
brackets	i[	a[

Examples:

• ci" → change text inside quotes
• di( → delete inside parentheses
• dap → delete a paragraph

---

Priority 4 — Visual mode & blocks

Visual selection

Key	Action
v	visual (character)
V	visual (line)
<C-v>	visual block
o	swap selection end
>	indent
<	outdent

---

Column editing (Game changer)

<C-v>
select lines
Itext<Esc>

Edits multiple lines at once.

---

Priority 5 — Scrolling & screen control

Key	Action
<C-d>	half page down
<C-u>	half page up
<C-f>	page down
<C-b>	page up
zz	center cursor
zt	cursor top
zb	cursor bottom

---

Priority 6 — Speed & repetition

Key	Action
.	repeat last change
;	repeat last f/t
,	reverse f/t
@:	repeat last command

---

Golden rule

Think in motions, not lines. Combine operators with intent.

Examples:

• yip → copy paragraph
• d} → delete to next paragraph
• ci{ → change block
• 42G → jump instantly

---

Final advice

If you only memorise:

• w b e
• ciw, di(, dap
• /, n, *
• 42G, gg, G
• .

You’re already dangerous.

---

Happy hacking in the terminal.