Peter Mekhaeil

Delete lines in vi

You can delete a single or multiple lines in normal mode:

  • Delete a single line: dd
  • Delete multiple lines: [n]dd (n = number of lines)

You can delete a range of lines in command mode:

  • Delete range of lines: :[from],[to]d

There is special characters you can use in the range:

  • .: The current line.
  • $: The last line.
  • %: All lines.

Examples on using the range:

  • :5,10d: Delete lines from 5 to 10.
  • :.,$d: Delete from the current line to the end of file.
  • :.,1d: Delete from the current line to the beginning of file.
  • :5,$d: Delete from line 5 to end of file.
  • :%d: Delete all lines.