Visual Mode

Working Code

Imagine this code is open in Vim:

name = "Alice"
age = 25
city = "Seoul"
email = "alice@example.com"

Press V on the first line and the whole line is highlighted. Press j twice — three lines are now selected. Press d and all three lines disappear at once.

That's Visual mode. It's a select-first, then-act style of editing.

Try It Yourself

Try all three visual modes on this code:

const items = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date"];

1. Character-wise Visual mode (v):

• Place the cursor on "apple", press v, then e to extend selection to the end of the word.
• Press y to yank, then p elsewhere to paste.

2. Line-wise Visual mode (V):

• On the "banana" line, press V, then j to extend through "cherry".
• Press > to indent the selection.

3. Block-wise Visual mode (Ctrl+v):

• Place the cursor on " of each line, press Ctrl+v.
• Press 3j to select four lines, then press I (uppercase) and type // .
• Press Esc — // is inserted on all four lines.

"Why?"

The three visual modes

Commands you can apply after selecting

Apply any of these after making a selection:

The magic of block-wise visual

Block-wise Visual mode (Ctrl+v) is one of Vim's most powerful features. It lets you edit multiple lines simultaneously.

Prepending text to multiple lines:

1. Start block selection with Ctrl+v
2. Extend with j or k to the last line
3. Press I (uppercase) to enter Insert mode
4. Type the text
5. Esc → same text is prepended to every selected line

Appending text to multiple lines:

1. Start block selection with Ctrl+v
2. Extend with j to the last line
3. $ extends selection to the end of each line
4. Press A (uppercase) to append
5. Type the text, then Esc

Handy tips

• gv: Re-select the last visual selection. Useful for repeated indenting.
• o: In Visual mode, move the cursor to the other end of the selection.
• Esc: Cancel Visual mode and return to Normal mode.

Operator + motion vs. Visual mode

The d2w (delete 2 words) from the previous lesson works without Visual mode. So when do you use Visual mode?

• When you want to see the exact range before acting
• When you need block (column) editing
• When the range is too complex to express as a motion

As you grow comfortable, you'll reach for operator+motion for simple edits and Visual mode for complex ones.

Deep Dive

vi"     → select content inside quotes
vi{     → select content inside braces
vip     → select the current paragraph

name = "Alice"
age = 25
city = "Seoul"
email = "alice@example.com"