[Vim Series 4] Editing Commands—Delete, Copy, Paste

Delete, Copy, and Paste in Vim

In the earlier Vim lessons, you learned how to move around a file. This time, you will stay in Normal mode and use that movement to edit text quickly with only the keyboard.

What You Will Do

• Learn delete commands (x, dd, dw)
• Copy and paste with yy, p, P
• Use undo/redo (u, Ctrl+r)
• Combine commands with counts and repeat (.)

Requirements

• A terminal with Vim installed
• A practice text file

Get Ready

Create a test file

cd ~
cat > test-edit.txt << 'EOF'
First line here
Second line with words
Third line for testing
Fourth line content
Fifth line is last
EOF

Open it in Vim

Launch Vim with the file.

If your screen stops matching the examples later, press u until the file returns to its original state, or quit without saving and reopen test-edit.txt.

Exercise 1: Delete

x – delete a single character

Start position: Beginning of Line 1 (the F).

x deletes the character under the cursor.

dw – delete one word

Start position: Beginning of Line 2 (the S in Second).

dw deletes from the cursor to the start of the next word. For beginners, the easiest way to think about it is: place the cursor on the first letter of a word, then use dw to remove that word.

dd – delete an entire line

Start position: Any character on Line 1.

dd removes the current line. Vim also remembers deleted text, so you can paste it later with p or P.

Exercise 2: Copy (Yank)

yy – copy the current line

Start position: Any character on Line 1.

yy copies the entire line into Vim's memory. Nothing changes on screen until you paste.

Exercise 3: Paste

p vs P

Setup: Copy Line 1 with yy, then move to Line 3 with 3G.

p pastes after the cursor, so the copied line appears below Line 3.

P – paste before the cursor

Exercise 4: Undo and Redo

u – Undo

Start position: Beginning of Line 1.

Ctrl+r – Redo

Ctrl+r moves forward again after an undo. It is useful when you undo too much and want to reapply the last change.

Exercise 5: Combine with Counts

3dd – delete three lines at once

Now that the single commands feel familiar, you can combine them for speed.

Exercise 6: Repeat with .

. (dot) repeats the last command

. repeats your last edit. It does not repeat cursor movement by itself, so think of it as “do the same change again here.”

Editing Command Cheat Sheet

Delete

Copy (Yank)

Paste

Undo / Redo

Counts

Repeat

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Paste shows unexpected text

Cause: A previous delete replaced the text that Vim remembered most recently.

Fix: Deletes also make text available to paste. Run yy again and paste immediately.

Issue 2: Undo went too far

Fix:

Ctrl+r    # redo to move forward again

Issue 3: Mixing up p and P

Rule of thumb:

• p = put after
• P = Put before

Practice Checklist

• Delete with dd and restore with u
• Copy a line with yy and paste with p
• Delete a word with dw
• Delete a character with x
• Use counts such as 3dd or 5x
• Repeat edits with .
• Redo with Ctrl+r

Next Episode

👉 Vim Series 5: Configure Vim—Create .vimrc and Real-World Tips