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The ultimate list of which programs support Vim-like keybindings natively, or how they can be added with extensions. A collaborative project.

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Vim Keybindings Everywhere - The Ultimate List Tweet

<magic-marker-nbr-native> <magic-marker-nbr-extensions> Closed issues Closed PRs OSS Lifecycle License Bump count of tools listed

Contributors including these top contributors:

🚀 PRs are welcome

What is this list?

Once your fingers have learned to speak Vim, they don't want to speak anything else! It's simply a very effective way of navigating, creating and editing text. Thus, it's natural that one would like to get Vim-like keybindings in as many programs we use as possible.

The intention of this collaborative list is to:

  • learn which programs/apps that you already use which you can enhance with Vim keybindings. Search in your browser with ctrl/cmd + f.
  • discover new programs that support Vim keybindings. In the need for a new file manager? Why not get one that has Vim keybindings?
  • be up-to-date and alive -- add new programs and extensions as they evolve!

There are of course already lists like this one floating around on the internet (see Acknowledgments). While they are great, the issue is that they are not up-to-date with the latest developments. There are Vim-emulator add-ons being developed all the time! This is why this collaborative list was created.

(yes, technically it is vi-like keybindings we talk about here, but most people know and Google for vim, thus vim is used here instead of vi).

Legend

The following symbols are used with each list item to make it clearer what kind of Vim keybindings support exist

  • ✅ - built-in support (possibly via a setting)
  • ➕ - via addon/extension

Terminology:

  • TUI - Text User Interface

Tip: navigate this file easily by using GitHub's built-in Markdown Table of Contents in the top left corner: ToC

The Ultimate Vim Keybinding List

Debuggers

  • ✅ cgdb - a curses interface on top of the GDB debuger with keybindings modeled after vim.
  • ✅ vimpdb - An integration of the python debugger pdb and vim.

Development

  • ✅ ipython - Interactive Python shell. It no longer uses readline for input, so it must be configured in the ipython profile ~/.ipython/profile_default/ipython_config.py itself (reference):

    • c.TerminalInteractiveShell.editing_mode = "vi"

  • ✅ GHCi - Interactive Haskell environment. It uses haskeline instead of readline. Put this in ~/.haskeline:

    • editMode: Vi

  • ➕ Jupyter Lab - Science and Data Development notebook environment. Add this package jupyterlab-vim and restart the server. It is available for both pip and conda managed environments (and their derivatives).

  • ✅ LINQPad - The .NET Programmer’s Playground. vi mode available in settings. To enable go to Edit > Preferences > vi mode. Quite limited, doesn't support ex commands, registers and macros.

  • Azure Data Studio - Database tool similar to Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. Supports VSCode extensions.

    • ➕ Vim plugin - Cannot be installed directly in the plugin section. Go to Vim plugin release page and download .vsix file. Inside Azure Data Studio navigate to Extensions > three dots at the top > Install from VSXI. You will likely see message: "Unable to install extension 'vscodevim.vim' as it is not compatible with the current VS Code engine version". If you see that message you should try earlier release.

  • ✅ Google Colab - Data analysis and machine learning tool that allows you to combine executable Python code and rich text along with charts, images, HTML, LaTeX and more into a single document stored in Google Drive. Vi mode supported through keyboard binding settings. You can enable it through Tools > Settings > Editor

  • The Julia Programming Language - High level, general-purpose dynamic programming language suited for numerical analysis and computational science

    • ➕ VimBindings.jl - A Julia package which emulates vim directly in the Julia REPL

  • ✅ k9s - Kubernetes CLI tool with full VIM bindings

  • DBeaver - Free Universal Database Tool

E-Mail

  • ✅ Mutt - The vim of email, a TUI email client
  • ✅ NeoMutt - A fork of mutt, intendted to reignite the development.
  • ✅ sup - a console-based email client for people with a lot of email with Vim-inspired keyboard shortcuts.
  • Thunderbird
  • ✅ aerc - Terminal email client with Vim keybindings.
  • ✅ meli - A TUI email client with Vim-like keybindings.
  • Microsoft Outlook
    • ➕ cubiclevim - Edit Microsoft Outlook messages in Vim-style.

Economy

  • ✅ cointop - interactive terminal based UI application for tracking and monitoring cryptocurrency.

File Management

  • ✅ vifm - TUI file manager with vi keybindings.
  • ✅ ranger - Another TUI file manager.
  • ✅ lf - TUI file manager similar to ranger.
  • ✅ felix - TUI file manager.
  • ✅ nnn - TUI file manager.
  • ✅ xplr - TUI file manager.
  • ✅ ncdu - ncurses disk usage explorer.
  • ✅ cfiles - A ncurses file manager written in C with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ rover - A small file browser with Vi-like key bindings for navigation.
  • ✅ broot - An interactive file tree explorer. vim_mode can be enabled in the configuration file.
  • Total Commander
    • ➕ ViATc - adds a Vim mode to Total Commander.
  • macOS Finder
    • ➕ Finder Vim Mode - adds extensive vim-like/ranger-like keybindings, works via Karabiner Elements.
  • ✅ jvifm - A Java implementation of vifm; a file manager with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ vide - The graphical predecessor of vifm that uses GTK+
  • fman - A dual-pane file manager.
    • ➕ VimNavigation - Adds Vim-style keyboard navigation to the fman file manager.
  • ✅ yazi - Blazing fast terminal file manager written in Rust, based on async I/O.

IDEs

Image Editors

  • ✅ rx - A pixel editor.
  • ✅ ViPaint - A modal Vi-like painting program.

Image Viewers

  • ✅ vimiv-qt - An image viewer with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ xzgv - Keyboard driven image viewer with Vim-style navigation.
  • ✅ Pim - A PyGObject based image viewer with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ nsxiv - A maintained fork of sxiv.
  • ✅ sxiv - See nsxiv instead.
  • ✅ vimiv - See vimiv-qt.

Hex editors

  • ✅ bvi - A Hex editor for those familiar with Vi-like keybindings
  • ✅ hed - A terminal hexadecimal editor with Vim-like controls.
  • ✅ hexer - a Vi-like binary editor.
  • ✅ hx - Hex editor for the terminal with simple Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ HEdit - A Vim-like terminal-based hex editor scriptable with JS.
  • ✅ bviplus - An ncurses based Gex editor with a Vim-like interface.

Misc

  • ✅ fx - Terminal based JSON viewer.
  • ✅ glow - Terminal based markdown reader.
  • ✅ gollum - A Git-powered wiki with built-in vim editing mode. Start with --default-keybind vim.
  • ✅ mdp - A command-line based markdown presentation tool.
  • ✅ pipedial - A terminal selector with basic Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ pulsemixer - CLI and curses mixer for PulseAudio.
  • ✅ sentaku - A terminal selector with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ stig - TUI/CLI for the BitTorrent client Transmission.
  • ✅ termshark - a UI for tshark with Vim-navigation.
  • ✅ Yzis - A vi/vim engine that is easy to integrate in any graphical application.
  • ✅ mycli - A CLI for MySQL, MariaDB, and Percona with auto-completion and syntax highlighting. There are two types of keybindings available. Emacs mode and Vi mode.
  • ✅ Remember The Milk - A task management application available on various platforms including web, Windows, Linux, macOS desktop, and Android & iOS mobile apps. It offers built-in Vim-like keybindings on its desktop and web versions.
  • ✅ Kitty - The fast, feature-rich, GPU based terminal emulator. Through its configuration, users can configure splitting and navigation to mimic the behavior of Vi. Example: 
    # ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf

# Jump around neighboring window Vi key binding
map ctrl+shift+w>h neighboring_window left
map ctrl+shift+w>l neighboring_window right
map ctrl+shift+w>j neighboring_window down
map ctrl+shift+w>k neighboring_window up

map ctrl+shift+w>shift+h move_window left
map ctrl+shift+w>shift+l move_window right
map ctrl+shift+w>shift+j move_window down
map ctrl+shift+w>shift+k move_window up

# Create a new window splitting the space used by the existing one so that
# the two windows are placed one above the other
map ctrl+shift+w>s launch --location=hsplit

# Create a new window splitting the space used by the existing one so that
# the two windows are placed side by side
map ctrl+shift+w>v launch --location=vsplit

# Use nvim as the pager. Remove all ASCII formatting characters.
scrollback_pager nvim --noplugin -c 'set buftype=nofile' -c 'set noswapfile' -c 'silent! %s/\%x1b\[[0-9;]*[sumJK]//g' -c 'silent! %s/\%x1b]133;[A-Z]\%x1b\\//g' -c 'silent! %s/\%x1b\[[^m]*m//g' -c 'silent! %s///g' -
  • Anki - Spaced repetition and media-rich cards flashcard program for study.
    • ➕ anki_vimove - Add-on for vi-like movement in deck browser.

Music Players

  • ✅ ncmpcpp - An ncurses client for mpd. The navigation can quite easily be made to behave like vim with some keyboard configurations.
    • ~/.config/ncmpcpp/bindings 
      def_key "j"
  scroll_down
def_key "k"
  scroll_up
def_key "h"
  previous_column
def_key "l"
  next_column
def_key "ctrl-b"
  page_up
def_key "ctrl-u"
  page_up
def_key "ctrl-f"
  page_down
def_key "ctrl-d"
  page_down
def_key "g"
  move_home
def_key "G"
  move_end
def_key "n"
  next_found_item
def_key "N"
  previous_found_item
  • ✅ cmus - A console music player with vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ vimus - An MPD client with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ vimpc - A console mpd client that provides a vim-like interface. Default keybindings in the help file
  • ✅ vitunes - An MPD client with Vi-like bindings.
  • ✅ pms - A frontend to MPD with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ siren - A text-based audio player with Vim-like keybindings.
  • Spotify
    • ✅ spotify-tui - TUI for Spotify with Vim-like keybindings.
    • ➕ spicetify - an extension framework for spotify. Includes an extension with vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ herrie - a MPD player with Vim-like keybindings.

Music Production

News/RSS Readers

  • ➕ Newsboat - RSS/Atom reader with a TUI.
  • ➕ Newsbeuter - Unmaintained, see Newsboat./

Office Productivity

  • LibreOffice
    • ➕ vibreoffice - Vi Mode for LibreOffice/OpenOffice.
  • AbiWord - An OSS word processor.
    • ➕ It can be configured to get Vim keybindings.
  • ✅ sc - The venerable Spreadsheet Calculator with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ sc-im - Like sc but improved, a Vim-like spreadsheet calculator.
  • ✅ VisiData - A TUI data exploration tool with Vim-like navigation.
  • Google Docs Editors suite
    • ➕ SheetKeys - Browser extension (Chrome and Firefox) which adds Vim keybindings to Google Sheets.

Pagers

PDF Viewers

  • ✅ apvlv - A PDF Viewer that acts Like Vim
  • ✅ MuPDF - PDF and ebook reader with vim keybindings.
  • ✅ zathura - Document reader, vim-keybindings, partly based on MuPDF. Linux only.
  • ✅ SumatraPDF - Document reader, vim-keybindings. Windows only.
  • ✅ Okular - Has some basic Vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ xpdf - This PDF viewer can be configured to get Vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ Sioyek - Both keyboard and (optionally) mouse focused. Configurable and has the possibility of adding and developing plugins.
  • Preview.app - macOS native document viewer:
    • ➕ preview-vim - Adds vim-like keybindings, works via Karabiner Elements.

Personal Knowledge Management

  • ✅ Obsidian - under "Editor" options
  • Logseq
  • ✅ Joplin - under "Tools" → "Options" → "General" → "Show Advanced Settings" → "Keyboard Mode"
  • ✅ Trilium - 'Enable Vim Keybindings' added to Options in early-2022

Social

  • ✅ iamb - A Matrix client for Vim addicts.
  • ✅ matui - a Matrix TUI with vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ tut - a Mastodon client with vim-like navigation
  • irssi - the popular IRC client.
  • weechat - A flexible IRC client.
    • ➕ weechat-vimode - A script that will configure Weechat to get Vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ scli - Signal messenger TUI with Vim-like keybindings.
  • rtv - A Reddit TUI viewer
  • vchatter - A Vi-like Jabber chat client.

Source Code Management

  • ✅ git - Nothing's better than the real deal. Tell git to use vim/nvim when editing commit messages, interactive rebase etc. by putting in your ~/.config/git/config: 
    • [user]
    editor = vim
  • ✅ tig - Text interface for git. Works mostly like vim out of the box, but can be enhanced by sourcing these keybindings in your ~/.tigrc.
  • ✅ hg/mercurical - Put in your ~/.config/hg/hgrc: 
    • [ui]
    editor = vim
  • ✅ GitUI - GitUI provides you with the comfort of a git GUI but right in your terminal.

Shells

  • ✅ readline - Readline is a library used by many CLI programs to read input from users. By configuring readline to use vi key bindings, you automatically get it for programs like bash, irb, octave etc. By default, readline has Emacs-like keybindings, but you can change that by putting this in your ~/.inputrc:

    • set editing-mode vi
set keymap vi-insert

  • ✅ Bash - The preferred method is to set Vi mode in ~/.inputrc via readline, as you will get Vi mode automatically in all programs using the library. However, if you just want this for bash, put this in your bash startup file e.g. ~/.bashrc:

    • set -o vi

  • ✅ zsh - just put this in your ZSH startup file, most likely ~/.zshrc:

    • bindkey -v
    • Extra text object keybindings 
      # Add text object extension -- eg ci" da(:
autoload -U select-quoted
zle -N select-quoted
for m in visual viopp; do
    for c in {a,i}{\',\",\`}; do
        bindkey -M $m $c select-quoted
    done
done

    • ➕ zsh-vi-mode - A better and friendly Vim-mode plugin for zsh.

  • ✅ fish - Just add to your ~/.config/fish/config.fish (reference):

    • fish_vi_key_bindings

  • ✅ tcsh - Put this in your tcsh startup file e.g. ~/.tcshrc (reference):

    • bindkey -v

  • ✅ ksh - Put this in your ksh startup file e.g. ~/.kshrc:

    • set -o vi

  • ✅ nushell - Put this in your config file e.g. $nu.config-path:

    • let-env config = {
  # ...
  edit_mode: vi,
  # ...
}

  • ✅ pwsh - The Readline module offers support for convenient vim support. Add this to your $Profile: *

     Import-Module PSReadLine
 # enable Vim on the shell and as editor
 $OnViModeChange = [scriptblock]{
    if ($args[0] -eq 'Command') {
        # Set the cursor to a blinking block.
        Write-Host -NoNewLine "`e[2 q"
    }
    else {
        # Set the cursor to a blinking line.
        Write-Host -NoNewLine "`e[5 q"
    }
 }

 Set-PsReadLineOption -EditMode Vi
 Set-PSReadLineOption -ViModeIndicator Script -ViModeChangeHandler $OnViModeChange
    • This was collected from many github issues and posts. Powershell 5.1 for one reason or another refuses to change the cursor so the script to give feedback does not work. Just remove it and it will still work, just no feedback of the mode you're in.

  • ✅ xsh - Put this in your run control file ~/.xonshrc:

    • $VI_MODE = True

System-wide

  • ✅ vim-anywhere - Spawn a vim buffer from any text input in the operating system.
  • ✅ Homerow - Add vim-like navigation to any macOS app.
  • ✅ kindaVim - Get Vim motions all over macOS, in text fields, text areas, and other UI elements.
  • ✅ Scrolla - Scroll in macOS using Vim motions.
  • ✅ sketchyvim - Get vim-like navigation in any macOS text field.
  • ✅ athame - Patches your shell to add full Vim support by routing your keystrokes through an actual Vim process.
  • ✅ kommand - A cross-application Vim-like hot key solution.
  • ✅ win-vind - Control the Windows GUI in the same way as Vim.

System Tools

  • ✅ htop-vim - A patched version the htop interactive process viewer that has vim keybindings for navigation.
  • ✅ btop++ - A resource monitor. To enable Vim-navigation, set in the config file: 
    • vim_keys = True
  • ✅ aptitude - ncurses interface for APT on Debian-derived Linux distros. The keybindings are already vim-like.
  • ✅ CopyQ - A clipboard manager with basic Vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ lnav - A log viewer with minimal Vim-like navigation.

Task Management

  • ✅ Keyban - Kanban board/task management/bullet journal app built for Vim-like operation.
  • ✅ TuDu - A comand line interface to manage hierarchical todos.
  • ✅ calcurse - A calendar and scheduling application for the command line with default vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ kabmat - TUI for managing kanban boards with Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ taskell - Command-line Kanban board/task management.
  • ✅ vit - An TUI for Taskwarrior Vim-like keybindings.

Terminal Emulators

  • ✅ tmux - the terminal multiplexer, superseding GNU Screen.
    • ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf 
       set-option -g status-keys vi		# Use Vi bindings in tmux command prompt.
 set-window-option -g mode-keys vi	# Use Vi bindings in copy and choice mode.

 # Optional: some Vi-like navigation for smart pane switching.
 # NOTE this could override default keybindigns like <prefix>-l.
 bind h select-pane -L
 bind j select-pane -D
 bind k select-pane -U
 bind l select-pane -R
  • ✅ alacritty - A cross-platform, OpenGL terminal emulator with Vim-like keybindings by default.
  • rxvt-unicode - The Unicode fork of the rxvt terminal emulator.
  • ✅ Termine - See alacritty instead.

Text Editors

We know that Vi-clones/derivatives have Vi(m) keybindings so let's skip those here (Vim, NeoVim, vile, elvis, nvi, vis, pyvim, jVi, ex-vi ...)

  • Emacs
    • ✅ evil-mode - Extensible vi layer for Emacs.
    • ➕ spacemacs - Emacs configuration package that improves the Emacs experience, including vim bindings via evil-mode. Features a vim-like leader (space) for common commands.
    • ➕ doom emacs - Configuration package that provides a similar experience to Spacemacs (including evil-mode. Also implements spacebar-as-leader-key.
    • ➕ Vimpulse Deprecated, check out Evil.
    • ➕ Vim Mode Deprecated, check out Evil.
  • ✅ Sublime Text has a bult-in Vintage mode that can be enabled.
  • QTextEdit/QPlainTextEdit
  • ✅ amp - A modal terminal text.
  • ✅ kakoune - A modal text editor inspired by Vim-navigation.
  • ✅ moe - A modal text editor with a Vim-like mode.
  • ✅ kate - A text editor with a Vi-mode.
  • ✅ Komodo Edit - Has Vi emulation.
  • ✅ rim - The aspiring Vim-like text editor.
  • ✅ slickedit - A Code editor with Vim emulation.
  • ✅ vy - A Vim-like in python made from scratch.
  • ✅ WinVi - A Windows text editor highly compatible with Vi.
  • ✅ VNote - A note-taking editor with Vi mode and Vi-like navigation.
  • ✅ oni2 (onivim) - Deprecated.
  • ✅ editra - Developers Text Editor, with a Vi-mode.
  • Inkdrop - A Markdown note taking app.
    • ➕ inkdrop-vim - Provides a Vim modal control for Inkdrop.
  • ✅ GNOME Text Editor - If it's installed with APT, enable the Vim mode by running this in a Terminal: 
    • $ gsettings set org.gnome.TextEditor keybindings vim
  • Atom - Discontinued

Web browsers

  • ✅ qutebrowser
  • ✅ Vieb - Vim bindings for the web by design (electron based)
  • Firefox
  • Chrome
  • Safari
  • Edge
  • Opera
  • ✅ w3m - A text-based web browser with some Vim-like keyboard shortcuts.
  • ✅ netrik - A text-based web browser with Vi-inspired keyboard commands.
  • ✅ lynx - A customizable text-based browser and the oldest web browser still being maintained. You can enable Vi-like movement by passing -vikeys or add an alias in your .bashrc: 
    • alias lynx='lynx -vikeys'
  • ✅ vimb - The vim like browser.
  • ✅ jumanji - A keyboard driven web browser.
  • ✅ luakit - A highly configurable browser with Vim-like navigation.
  • ✅ nyxt - A keyboard-driven web browser inspired by Vim and Emacs.
  • ✅ wyeb - A Vim-like webkit2gtk web browser.
  • ✅ bombadillo - A non-web browser but for other protocols e.g. Gopher, Gemini, Finger.
  • ✅ Vimprobable
  • ✅ dwb - See qutebrowser instead.
  • ✅ uzbl
  • ✅ xombrero - A minimalist web browser with vi-like keyboard commands.
  • ✅ Cream-Browser - A browser developped in C with GTK+ having the same interface as Vimperator.
  • Various
    • ➕ firenvim - Transform text areas into a neovim instance that inherits your existing config (keymaps, plugins, etc).

Window Managers

  • ✅ howm - A lightweight, X11 tiling window manager that behaves like vim.
  • ✅ i3wm - A tilling window manager with Vim-like keyboard shortcuts.
  • ✅ sway - A drop-in replacement for i3 for Wayland.
  • ✅ wmii - A small and scriptable window manager that can be configured with Vim-like keyboard shortcuts.
  • ✅ euclid-wm - A minimalist tiling wm with default Vim-like keybindings.
  • ✅ howm - A lightweight tiling X11 window manager that mimics vi.
  • ✅ AppGrid - A window manager for macOS with Vim-like hotkeys.

WYSIWYG Editors

  • ✅ zettlr - Markdown document editor on the fly, vim+emacs keybindings.
  • ✅ VNote - A note taking app.

Contributing

This is a collaborative list -- please fork and make a pull request to add or improve the entries here! The initial contributions by the repo owner is limited to the tools he uses or knows of, so there is a lot of room for further additions here!

  • Please:
    • add links to references for configuration if you have any.
    • use XDG paths when possible.
  • It's okay to list deprecated or unmaintained software for the sake of completness, but let's put a strigke-through on them.

Acknowledgments

Hats off to the authors of these articles that helped kick-start this list together with the author's own experiences: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5.

About

The ultimate list of which programs support Vim-like keybindings natively, or how they can be added with extensions. A collaborative project.

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