vi Show Line Numbers

1. Context

Knowing the commonly used vi editor commands is absolute bliss. You can get your work done much faster with frequently used commands. In this article, I’ll share the commands to show line numbers in the vi editor temporarily for a single session, and permanently as well.

2. Temporarily Show Line Numbers in vi

To temporarily show line numbers in vi editor, in command mode type :set number or :set nu. To temporarily hide line numbers, in command mode type :set nonumber or :set nonu.

# Switch to command mode
Esc
# Show line numbers
:set number
# Alternate option to show line numbers
:set nu
# Hide line numbers
:set nonumber
# Alternate option to hide line numbers
:set nonu

3. Permanently Show Line Numbers in vi

To permanently show line numbers in vi editor, edit the file ~/.vimrc and add the option :set number or :set nu at the end.

# Open ~/.vimrc in vi editor
vi ~/.vimrc
# Add option to show line numbers
:set number
# Add alternate option to show line numbers
:set nu
# Add option to hide line numbers (default behavior)
:set nonumber
# Add alternate option to hide line numbers (default behavior)
:set nonu

4. Conclusion

In this article, you have learned how to show line numbers in the vi editor temporarily for a single session or permanently. To work with the vi editor like a pro, refer to this article: Work With vi Editor Like a Pro.