Copy File Contents in Vi | Generated by AI

Home 2025.10 English 中文 日本語 Español हिंदी Français Deutsch العربية 繁體中文

---

Copying (or Moving) All Content from One File to a New File in Vi

Based on your vi usage, I’ll assume you want to select and copy/delete the entire contents of a file, then paste it into a new file. Vi doesn’t have a direct “select all” like GUI editors, but you can achieve this efficiently in command mode (press Esc to ensure you’re there). I’ll cover both copy (leaving original intact) and cut/delete (moving content).

Step-by-Step: Copy All Content to a New File

1. Open your source file:

   vi oldfile.txt
   

2. Yank (copy) the entire file:
   • Type gg (go to top of file).
   • Then type yG (yank from current position to end of file).
     Alternative (Vim-specific, works in Red Hat’s vim): Type :1,$y and press Enter (yanks lines 1 to end).
3. Open the new file:
   • Type :e newfile.txt and press Enter (creates/opens the new file).
4. Paste the content:
   • Type p (pastes after cursor; since it’s empty, it pastes at the top).
     Alternative: Type P to paste before cursor.
5. Save and exit the new file:
   • Type :wq and press Enter.

The original file remains unchanged.

Step-by-Step: Delete All Content and Paste into a New File (Move)

This deletes the original content after copying it.

1. Open your source file:

   vi oldfile.txt
   

2. Yank (copy) the entire file first:
   • gg then yG (or :1,$y).
3. Delete all content:
   • Type gg (to top).
   • Then dG (deletes from current position to end).
     Alternative: Type :%d and press Enter (deletes all lines).
     Save if needed: :w (overwrites the now-empty file).
4. Open the new file:
   • Type :e newfile.txt and press Enter.
5. Paste:
   • Type p.
6. Save and exit:
   • :wq.

Quick Tips

• If you accidentally delete without yanking first, use u to undo.
• To do this across files without opening a new one each time: Yank in first file, then use vi newfile.txt, paste, and save.
• For large files, these commands are fast since vi handles buffers efficiently.

Practice on test files to get the hang of it!

How to Copy Text to Another File in Vim
Vim: Yank (copy) entire file

---

Back

x-ai/grok-4-fast

Donate