Master Vim Keybindings in IntelliJ IDEA: Install, Practice, and Custom Config

Installation

Install the following three plugins from the IntelliJ Marketplace:

IdeaVim

IdeaVim-EasyMotion

IdeaVimExtension

After installation a small square icon appears in the lower‑right corner, indicating that the plugins are active.

Basic Vim commands

Movement switches from arrow keys to h j k l. Common commands include: yy – yank (copy) the current line p – paste the yanked text di" – delete the text inside double quotes ci" – delete inside double quotes and enter insert mode di( / ci( – same operations for parentheses

Insert‑mode shortcuts

a

– append after the cursor i – insert before the cursor o – open a new line below and enter insert mode O – open a new line above and enter insert mode A – append at the end of the line I – insert at the beginning of the line

Jump and search commands

[n]f{char}

– find {char} forward on the current line (use F for backward) $ – move to end of line, ^ – move to start of line % – jump between matching brackets

() [] {}

Additional useful commands

zo

/ zc – open/close folds dt{char} – delete up to

{char}

Configuring IdeaVim

Click the Vim icon in the lower‑right corner and choose Open ~/.ideavimrc . Add custom mappings, for example:

" Exit insert mode with jk
inoremap jk <Esc>

let mapleader = " "
" IntelliJ actions
nnoremap <Leader>re :action RenameElement<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>gi :action GotoImplementation<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>im :action ImplementMethods<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>rv :action IntroduceVariable<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>cr :action CopyReference<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>em :action ExtractMethod<CR>
nnoremap <Leader>sw :action SurroundWith<CR>

These mappings bind the space key (the mapleader) to common IntelliJ refactoring actions, allowing you to invoke them directly from Vim mode.

Plugin ecosystem note

Because Vim runs inside IntelliJ, the full Vim plugin ecosystem is not available. No standout third‑party Vim plugins have been identified for this environment, but users are encouraged to share any useful extensions they discover.

References

Bilibili Vim introduction video

Coolshell Vim guide

Learn‑Vim GitHub repository

Ruanyifeng’s Vim configuration article