How to Select All in Vim: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you’ve ever opened a large file in Vim and wondered how to instantly highlight everything without endless scrolling, you’re not alone. Vim (Vi Improved) is one of the most powerful and customizable command-line editors available, but its keyboard-driven interface can confuse newcomers. This guide will explain how to select all in Vim, show alternative methods for the same action, teach you how to copy all in Vim, and share extra tips to accelerate your editing workflow.

What Is Vim and Why Does Knowing vim select all Matter?

Vim, created by Bram Moolenaar, is far more than a simple text editor. It supports multiple programming languages, countless plugins, and lightning-fast text manipulation. While graphical editors let you drag the mouse to highlight content, Vim relies entirely on keystrokes. Understanding how to select all in Vim is one of the first steps to becoming efficient when editing large files.

What Is the Primary Command to Select Everything?

The simplest and most direct way to vim select all content in a file is to use the keystroke sequence ggVG.

Press Esc to ensure you’re in Normal mode.

Type gg to jump to the beginning of the file.

Press V to enable Visual Line mode.

Press G to extend the selection from the first to the last line.

This combination is the classic answer to how to select all in Vim, letting you highlight the entire file from start to finish.

What Are the Alternative Ways to Select and Copy All Content?

Sometimes you don’t just want to select everything — you also want to copy it immediately. Vim offers several shortcuts:

Using a large line count: After pressing Esc, type gg to go to the top of the file, then type 99999yy. This command yanks (copies) up to 99,999 lines, which effectively means all lines in most files.

Using $yy: Another variation is pressing gg followed by $yy. Depending on your configuration, this can also copy all data quickly.

Both approaches are convenient answers to how to copy all in Vim when you need a one-step solution.

How Do You Paste All the Copied Content Back Into Vim?

After you learn how to select all in Vim, the next logical step is pasting everything. Vim uses registers to handle copied content:

Press Esc to return to Normal mode.

Use "+p to paste from the + register (system clipboard) after the cursor.

Alternatively, try "*p if your Vim build supports the * register.

This will paste the entire copied content as a single block. If your clipboard holds multiple lines, they’ll be inserted without extra breaks.

How Can You Delete All Lines in a File Instantly?

Just as ggVG selects everything, dG deletes everything. Move the cursor to the first line (gg) and then type dG. Another method is :1,$d in command mode, which means “delete from the first line to the last line.” Be careful: this action is destructive. Although you can use u to undo once, it’s wise to create a backup first when working with critical files.

Why Does Mastering vim select all Improve Productivity?

Learning how to select all in Vim dramatically improves your efficiency. Instead of scrolling or using external tools, you can manipulate entire files in seconds. This is especially valuable for developers, system administrators, and anyone editing configuration files on remote servers where graphical interfaces aren’t available.

How Can You Integrate These Commands Into Your Workflow?

Many people who experiment with vim select all also discover macros, registers, and plugins. For example, if you often need to copy or move entire files, you can map the ggVG command to a custom shortcut in your .vimrc. Combined with a Linux VPS or server environment, Vim becomes a powerful tool for editing logs, scripts, and large codebases remotely.

What Tips Help You Work Even Faster?

To make the most out of how to select all in Vim, keep these tips in mind:

Always press Esc before running selection commands to ensure you’re in Normal mode.

Remember: gg moves to the top of the file, while G jumps to the end.

Practice using Visual mode (V) and Visual Block mode (Ctrl+v) to master complex selections.

Use the clipboard registers ("+ or "*) to integrate Vim with your system clipboard.

Experiment with plugins or builds that support enhanced clipboard integration if your default Vim lacks it.

Which Method Should You Choose for Your Scenario?

There’s no single “best” way to select everything in Vim. The right choice depends on your workflow:

Use ggVG if you want to visually highlight everything before performing an action.

Use 99999yy for a lightning-fast way to copy all lines without manual selection.

Combine ggVG with commands like d (delete) or y (yank) for flexible editing.

Create custom mappings to make vim select all a single keystroke operation.

How Can You Summarize the Essentials of how to select all in Vim?

Mastering how to select all in Vim is a small but powerful step toward unlocking the editor’s full potential. Whether you’re editing a tiny config file or a massive log with thousands of lines, these commands let you act instantly without wasting time scrolling or clicking. You now know multiple ways to select, copy, paste, and delete all content inside Vim, and even how to copy all in Vim with one command.

By practicing these techniques, you’ll become more confident in using Vim, streamline your workflows, and handle even the largest files with ease. The more you explore, the more you will realize that Vim is not just a text editor but a complete environment for efficient, keyboard-driven editing.