Vim What? is an interactive visual keyboard that shows every Vim command at a glance — right in your browser toolbar. Learn progressively with 9 guided lessons.
Also available for Firefox
Each level focuses on a handful of commands. Previous keys stay visible but muted — so you always see the full picture without losing your place.
A reference tool that grows with you — from your first hjkl to advanced text objects.
Color-coded keys show motions, operators, commands, and insert-mode triggers at a glance. Shift layer is always visible — no toggling.
Progressively unlock commands from basic movement to macros and text objects. Each lesson explains the why, not just the key.
Explore g, z, and Ctrl prefix commands with a single click. See every combination without leaving the popup.
Type any command or description to filter the keyboard in real time. Find what you half-remember in seconds.
Mark keys as learned and watch your green dots multiply. A progress panel shows completion per category.
Added a remap in your vimrc? Note it directly on the key. Purple dots mark your personal customizations.
A daily highlighted command to build muscle memory one key at a time.
Built-in i/a text object reference panel — always one click away when you can't remember ci" vs ca".
Quick spaced-repetition drills on the keys you've learned, with a daily streak to keep the habit going.
Follows your system's light or dark setting, or pick your own. Choose from 4 light and 6 dark palettes inspired by popular editor color schemes.
Press any key on your real keyboard to look it up. Esc clears the selection, then closes the popup.
No account, no analytics, no tracking inside the extension. Your progress stays in your browser.
One click from the Chrome Web Store. No account, no permissions needed beyond the browser toolbar.
The popup opens instantly, showing the full Vim keyboard in your current layout.
A detail panel shows the command's action, description, and relevant plugin tips.
Use the lesson selector to focus on just the keys you're learning right now. Graduate through 9 levels at your own pace.
Each level introduces a focused set of commands so you're never overwhelmed.
hjkl movement, insert mode (i, a), undo (u), delete char (x), save & quit (:)
Insert at end/start (A, I), new line (o, O), repeat (.), line start/end (^, $)
Word movement (w, b, e), delete (d, D), change (c, C), replace (r)
Find char (f, F, t, T), repeat find (;, ,), substitute (s, S)
Yank (y, Y), paste (p, P), registers ("), join lines (J), swap case (~)
Forward/backward search (/, ?), next/prev result (n, N), word search (*, #)
Character and line selection (v, V), indent (>, <), reformat (=), filter (!)
Jump to line (G, H, M, L), match bracket (%), jump with ( ) { } [ ]
Set marks (m), jump to mark (`), record macro (q), replay (@), replace mode (R), folds (z)
Full keyboard unlocked — every key, every prefix, every combination
Vim commands are remapped correctly for your physical keyboard — so the visual always matches what your fingers do.
Yes. It is free on Chrome and Firefox, with no account and no upsell.
Only storage. It keeps your settings and progress in your browser, plus the install date, which rides along on the uninstall link so we can tell how long the extension was installed. It asks for no host permissions, so it never reads the pages you visit.
No. Lesson 1 starts with hjkl and the basic insert keys, and the nine lessons build up to marks and macros.
Yes. Pick QWERTY, Colemak, Colemak-DH, Dvorak or Workman and every key is drawn where it sits on your keyboard.
Yes. The same extension is on the Chrome Web Store and on Firefox Add-ons.
Free. No account. No data collection. Just Vim — whenever you need it.
Add to Chrome — It's Free
Also available for Firefox
Occasional updates from Whiteboard Works, the studio behind Vim What? — when we release a new tool or meaningfully improve this one. There's no set schedule.
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