Keyboard Walk
Every Normal-mode key, organized by physical key location.
A row-by-row tour of the QWERTY keyboard mapping each key to its primary Normal-mode function. Useful as a wall poster.
Vim's bindings cover the entire keyboard. This appendix walks the QWERTY layout row-by-row, showing the primary Normal-mode function of each key. (Many keys also serve as second halves of operator-motion sequences — see `appendix.complete-key-reference`.)
Number row
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| 1-9 | Count prefixes |
| 0 | Start of line |
| - _ | Up/down to first non-blank |
| = + | Re-indent operator (== / =motion) / next line's first non-blank |
Top letter row
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| q | Record macro |
| w | Word forward |
| e | End of word |
| r | Replace one char |
| t | Till char (motion) |
| y | Yank operator |
| u | Undo |
| i | Insert |
| o | Open line below |
| p | Paste after |
| [ ] | Backward / forward bracket prefixes |
Home row
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| a | Append |
| s | Substitute char |
| d | Delete operator |
| f | Find char (forward) |
| g | Prefix family (gd, gf, gv, gU…) |
| h | Left |
| j | Down |
| k | Up |
| l | Right |
| ; , | Repeat / reverse-repeat last f/F/t/T |
Bottom row
| Key | Function |
|---|---|
| z | Prefix family (zz, zf, zo…) |
| x | Delete char under cursor |
| c | Change operator |
| v | Visual mode |
| b | Word backward |
| n | Next search match |
| m | Set mark |
| , . / | , reverse f/t — . repeat — / search |
Capital letters (the un-shifted's siblings)
Most uppercase keys are bigger or opposite versions of their lowercase counterparts: • I / A — Insert at line start / Append at line end (vs. cursor position). • O — Open line above (vs. below). • E/W/B — WORD-flavored versions of e/w/b. • F/T — backward versions of f/t. • N — previous search match. • G — go to last line (vs. gg go to first).
See also: Complete Key Reference