Modes

What mode you’re in and what to press

Normal mode

Default on ordinary pages. Single keys and sequences run commands. HUD (heads-up display) may show multi-key progress.

Leave: stay here most of the time. Enter other modes with explicit keys (i, /, v, f, o, :).

Insert mode

Typing goes to the page. Enter via i, focusing an input, or some site behaviors.

Leave: Esc (or your mapped exit). After leaving, scroll and hints work again.

Find mode (/)

Search visible text. Typical flow:

1. / → type query
2. Enter to commit / jump
3. n / N next / previous match
4. Esc exit

Options control case sensitivity and related find behavior.

Visual / visual-line

Select text with keyboard motions (similar spirit to Vim visual mode). Useful for copy workflows and clipboard commands (:clip family).

Link hints (f / variants)

Every clickable (or configurable) target gets a short label. Type the label to activate. Variants open in new tab, copy URL, hover, download, queue, etc. — see default maps and Options → Hints.

Omnibar & command palette

These are UI modes: focus is in the vomnibar or palette until you confirm or cancel (Esc). They do not leave the page’s content script in “insert”; they overlay the browser chrome area Vim+ owns.

HUD feedback

When a multi-key chord is partial, the HUD shows what you’ve typed. Wrong prefix? Esc and restart.

Mode troubleshooting