Neovim is a modal text editor: different modes for different tasks. Start in normal mode (commands), press i to enter insert mode (type text), press Esc to return to normal mode.

$ nvim file.txt                 # open file
$ nvim +10 file.txt             # open file, jump to line 10
$ nvim +/pattern file.txt       # open file, search for pattern
$ nvim -c "command" file.txt    # open file, run ex command

Three main modes:

Normal mode — for commands. Press keys to move, delete, change, etc. This is where you spend most time. Examples: - h, j, k, l — move cursor left/down/up/right - w, b — move to next/previous word - dd — delete line - yy — copy line - :q — quit (ex command)

Insert mode — for typing text. Press i to enter, Esc to exit. Keys are literal characters, not commands.

Visual mode — for selecting text. Press v for character selection, V for line selection, Ctrl+V for block selection. Then use normal commands on selection.

Ex commands start with : (colon in normal mode). Examples: :w (write/save), :q (quit), :set number (show line numbers), :help topic (help).

Most editing in Neovim is: position cursor → select text → apply command. This is more efficient than reaching for the mouse.