---
title: Basic Usage
---
## VIM Basic Usage
  
### Open File
- Run vim or vi and open the given filename.

### Insert Mode
- Once opening the page enter I and you will see the text "Insert Mode" at the bottom of your screen. From here you can make any changes you want to the text of your file.

### Save File
- :w

### Save and Exit
- :x 
- SHIFT ZZ
- :wq

### Exit file if no changes made
- :q

### Exit file and undo any changes made
- :q!

### Display line numbers
- :set nu

### Don't display line numbers
- :set nonu

### Add syntax color based on prog language used
- :syntax on

## About Vim

Vim is a text editor intended to be used in a CLI (command line interface) environment. It is highly configurable and built with efficiency in mind, without the need of a mouse or a graphical interface. It was built to be an improved version of the UNIX editor 'VI', or VI improved. That being said, VIM also has a GUI (Graphical User Interface) version named GVIM that shares the same core functionality as VIM but allows users additional feature such as additional menu and tool bars.