Vim on Ubuntu: How Do You Turn a Simple Install into a Power Tool?

Vim has a strong reputation among developers and system administrators. Once you get used to its logic, it becomes one of the fastest editors you can use inside a terminal. If you are new to Ubuntu, this guide will walk you through how to install vim on ubuntu and show you what to do in your first sessions.

How Does Vim Work on Ubuntu?

Vim, short for Vi IMproved, is a modal editor that separates typing, moving around and issuing commands into different modes. At first this feels unusual, but the design allows very precise editing once the main keys become familiar. Many Linux users choose to install vim on their systems because it is lightweight, starts quickly and is almost always available on remote servers. When you know how to install vim on ubuntu, Vim turns into a reliable everyday tool for editing configuration files, scripts and notes directly in the terminal.

Preparing to Install Vim on Ubuntu

Before you actually install vim, it helps to know what will happen behind the scenes. Ubuntu uses the APT package manager, which downloads software from trusted repositories and handles all dependencies for you. As long as you have an internet connection and a user with sudo rights, you have everything required to follow the next section.

Step by Step: Installing Vim with APT

In the following steps you will see how to install vim on ubuntu using the terminal and the default repositories. The process is the same on most recent Ubuntu releases.

 1. Refresh the package index

Updating the package list ensures you get the latest version available in the Ubuntu repositories:

sudo apt update

 2. Install the Vim package

Now run the command that actually tells Ubuntu to install vim:

sudo apt install vim -y

After this finishes, Vim and its core components will be available system wide.

 3. Confirm that Vim is ready

Check that the installation succeeded by asking Vim for its version information:

vim --version

If this command prints version details and a list of compiled features, you have successfully completed the practical part of how to install vim on ubuntu and can start using the editor.

Your First Session in Vim

To start Vim with a new file, use:

vim example.txt

By default, Vim opens in Normal mode, where keys are interpreted as commands, not text. To type into the file, press i to enter Insert mode. Now you can write content just as in any other editor. When you finish typing, press Esc to return to Normal mode.

Quick overview of the three core modes:

Normal mode: navigation and commands. Press Esc to get here.

Insert mode: typing text. From Normal mode press i.

Visual mode: selecting blocks of text. From Normal mode press v.

Saving and quitting:

Save changes: :w

Save and quit: :wq

Quit without saving: :q!

Core Navigation and Editing Moves

Vim really shows its strengths when you use the keyboard for all navigation instead of relying on a mouse.

Movement in Normal mode:

h, j, k, l: move left, down, up and right.

0 and $: jump to the beginning or end of the current line.

w and b: move forward to the next word or back to the previous one.

gg and G: go to the first or last line of the file.

Editing operations:

x: delete the character under the cursor.

dd: delete (cut) the current line.

yy: yank (copy) the current line.

p: paste the most recently deleted or yanked text.

Search, Replace and Speed Up Repetitive Changes

To search forward for a word, type / followed by the term, then press Enter, for example:

/server

Use n to jump to the next match and N to go to the previous one.

For replacements, Vim uses a concise command syntax. To replace every instance of old with new in the current file, run:

:%s/old/new/g

You can narrow the replacement to a range of lines or add a c flag:

:%s/old/new/gc

to confirm each change interactively. This becomes very powerful when updating configuration values or renaming variables across an entire file.

Customizing Vim with a Simple Configuration

One of the biggest advantages of learning more than just how to install vim is the ability to shape the editor around your workflow. Vim reads settings from a configuration file called .vimrc in your home directory.

Open or create that file with:

vim ~/.vimrc

As a first tweak, enable line numbers so it is easier to navigate large files. Add this line inside .vimrc:

set number

Save the configuration with :wq and open any file in Vim again. You will now see line numbers at the left edge of the screen. From here you can expand your setup with syntax highlighting, indentation options or plugin managers such as vim plug.

How Do You Manage Splits and Tabs?

When you become comfortable editing text, it is worth learning how to view several files at once. Vim can split the current window or open files in tabs:

:split filename: split the window horizontally.

:vsplit filename: split the window vertically.

:tabnew filename: open a new tab.

Use Ctrl+w followed by h, j, k or l to move between splits, and :tabn or :tabp to switch between tabs. This makes it easy to compare files or edit related code side by side without leaving the terminal.

Final Thoughts

At this point you have seen how to install vim on ubuntu, how to open and save files, how to move efficiently through text and how to perform quick search and replace operations. You have also seen how to install vim and then personalize it with a simple configuration file so that it better matches your habits. The more you use Vim for everyday tasks, the more natural its commands will feel, and it can easily become one of the fastest and most reliable tools in your Ubuntu toolbox.