Edit Remote Files Directly from Vim with netrw

What is netrw?

The netrw plugin, bundled with Vim since version 7.x, enables network‑oriented reading, writing, and browsing of files over protocols such as ftp, scp, rcp, and http. Run help netrw inside Vim for full documentation.

Opening a remote file with scp

To read or edit a file stored on a remote Linux host, use the following command: $ vim scp://[email protected]/info.txt This copies the remote file to /tmp, opens it locally for editing, and writes it back when you save.

Basic edit workflow

Inside Vim, press i to enter Insert mode, modify the file, then press ESC and type wq to write and quit. To quit without saving, use q.

Using absolute paths and custom SSH ports

For an absolute path on the remote host, include a double slash after the host:

$ vim scp://[email protected]//home/cirdan/Documents/info.txt

If the SSH service runs on a non‑standard port, specify it explicitly:

$ vim scp://[email protected]:2200/info.txt

Alternative protocols

If ssh/scp is unavailable, you can use other protocols, e.g.:

$ vim ftp://user@remotesystem/path/to/file

Reading and writing remote files from an existing Vim session

When already inside Vim, you can load a remote file with: :e scp://[email protected]/info.txt Or use the NetRead command: :Nread scp://[email protected]/info.txt To see the command’s help, type :Nread ?. To write a remote file, you can use: :w scp://[email protected]/info.txt or the NetWrite command: :Nwrite scp://[email protected]/info.txt Check NetWrite help with :Nwrite ?. After editing, exit Insert mode with ESC and save using :wq or :Nwrite.

Verifying changes on the remote host

To confirm that the remote file was updated, run:

$ ssh [email protected] cat info.txt

These steps provide a complete workflow for editing remote files directly from Vim without leaving the editor.