Vim is one of the most powerful command-line text editors for Linux and other Unix-based operating systems. It has grown largely in terms of popularity, to an extent that a lot of Linux distributions ship it as the default terminal-based text editor.

As powerful as it may be, Vim is also infamous for not being the easiest or the most intuitive text editor for a beginner to come across. Vimtutor is a command-line application that will help you master the ins and outs of this editor in an interactive fashion.

What Vimtutor Has to Offer?

The primary intention of Vimtutor is to give you a brief overview of the Vim text editor, just enough to allow you to use the editor easily without overloading you with a lot of information. By the end of all the lessons, you'll find yourself comfortable using Vim and learn how to read and write to files.

To start Vimtutor, run this command in the terminal and wait for a screen full of instructions to pop up:

        vimtutor
    

Vimtutor starts by introducing you to basic navigation keybindings and slowly progresses to teach you how you can write to text files, modify them, and then finally how you can save your changes and quit the editor. Follow the on-screen instructions to start your lessons.

As you keep on learning new commands and keybindings, you can create a cheat sheet for yourself to refer to in the future or use our Vim cheat sheet instead.

Learning Vim Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

With just 25 to 30 minutes of spare time, you can get started with this feature-rich text editor and maximize your productivity while editing text files on Linux. You can set up your custom workflow and personalize Vim to your heart's desire once you get the hang of it.

Another text editor that is just as popular as Vim is the GNU nano text editor. What's the difference, and which one is better suited for you? Find out in this article.