Vim Not Working? Common Errors & Fixes

Press Esc to get back to Normal mode, then type :q and Enter. Use :q! to quit without saving or :wq to save and quit.

Usually your Vim was built without clipboard support. Check vim --version for +clipboard, install a build that has it, then copy with "+y.

A leftover .swp file from a crashed or still-open Vim session. Press R to recover, then delete the swap file, or press D/E if you have no unsaved work.

You don't have permission to write the file (usually a root-owned config). Save it through sudo with :w !sudo tee % > /dev/null.

Vim refuses to quit or switch files because the buffer has unsaved changes. Save with :w (or :wq), or discard with :q!.

Older Vim versions default to vi-style backspace that cannot delete past the insert point. Add set backspace=indent,eol,start (default since Vim 9.2).

Autoindent re-indents each pasted line. Use :set paste before pasting (and :set nopaste after), or paste from the clipboard register with "+p.

tmux isn't passing true color through. Set tmux's default-terminal and Tc override, and add t_8f/t_8b lines before termguicolors in your vimrc.

Syntax highlighting on very long lines is the usual cause. Set synmaxcol=200, try regexpengine=1, and turn off cursorline/relativenumber for big files.

Vim is running in vi-compatible mode or with the wrong TERM. Add set nocompatible to your vimrc (or install full Vim) and check $TERM.

Your Vim binary was compiled without +python3. Install a Vim build with Python 3 (Homebrew vim, vim-gtk3/vim-nox) and match it to the plugin's Python version.

A crafted file could run shell commands via modelines in Vim 9.1.1178 to 9.2.0275. Update to 9.2.0276+ or add set nomodeline until your distro ships the fix.