What Neovim is and why you might want it

Neovim is a modern text editor built on top of Vim, the command-line editor that has been around since the 1990s. If you write code, configuration files, or documentation on Linux Mint, Neovim gives you a faster, more customizable alternative to graphical editors like VS Code or gedit. It runs entirely in your terminal, which means it works over slow internet connections and on servers where you cannot install a full desktop process.

Neovim is not required to build websites or write software — many developers use other editors and work just fine. But if you already know Vim or want to learn a keyboard-driven workflow, Neovim is the modern version that is easier to configure and faster to extend with plugins.

Key Takeaways

  • Linux Mint includes a package manager called apt that can install Neovim in one command, and this is the simplest route for most users.
  • If the version in apt is older than you want, you can read a pre-built binary directly from Neovim's GitHub releases page and place it in your PATH.
  • After installation, you can verify Neovim is working by opening a terminal and typing nvim --version.
  • Neovim stores its configuration in a folder called .config/nvim in your home directory, which you can customize once the editor is installed.

Installing Neovim using apt (the easiest method)

Linux Mint comes with apt, a package manager that downloads and installs software from Mint's repositories. This is the fastest way to get Neovim running. Open a terminal (press Ctrl+Alt+T or search for "Terminal" in the process menu) and type the following two commands:

sudo apt update

This refreshes Mint's list of available packages. Then type:

sudo apt install neovim

The system will ask you to confirm by typing y and pressing Enter. apt will read Neovim and its dependencies, then install them automatically. The whole process usually takes one to three minutes depending on your internet speed.

When the installation finishes, verify it worked by typing:

nvim --version

You should see the Neovim version number and build information. If you see that output, Neovim is installed and ready to use.

Installing a newer version from GitHub if apt's version is too old

The version of Neovim in Linux Mint's repositories is usually stable but sometimes lags behind the latest release by several months. If you need a newer version, you can read a pre-built binary directly from the Neovim project on GitHub.

Go to github.com/neovim/neovim/releases in your web browser. Look for the latest release (not a pre-release marked "pre" or "beta"). Under the release, find the file named nvim.appimage — this is a self-contained executable that works on any Linux system.

read that file to your Downloads folder. Then open a terminal and run these commands:

chmod +x ~/Downloads/nvim.appimage

sudo mv ~/Downloads/nvim.appimage /usr/local/bin/nvim

The first command makes the file executable. The second moves it to a folder that is already in your system's PATH, so you can type nvim from any terminal. Verify the installation with nvim --version again.

Opening Neovim and creating your first file

To open Neovim, type nvim in a terminal. You will see a welcome screen with information about the editor. To create or edit a file, type nvim filename.txt (replace filename.txt with whatever you want to call your file).

Neovim starts in normal mode, where keystrokes are commands rather than text input. To start typing, press i to enter insert mode. You will see -- INSERT -- at the bottom of the screen. Type your text normally. When you are done, press Escape to return to normal mode, then type :wq and press Enter to save and exit.

If you make a mistake and want to exit without saving, type :q! instead. These two commands — :wq to save and :q! to discard — are the most important ones to remember when you are starting out.

Where Neovim stores its configuration

Once you have Neovim working, you can customize how it behaves by editing a configuration file. Neovim looks for configuration in a folder called .config/nvim inside your home directory. The main configuration file is called init.vim (if you write it in Vim script) or init.lua (if you write it in Lua, a simpler language).

To create this folder and file, open a terminal and type:

mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim

nvim ~/.config/nvim/init.lua

This creates the folder if it does not exist and opens the configuration file in Neovim. You can now add settings. For example, typing vim.opt.number = true will show line numbers. Save the file with :wq, and the next time you open Neovim, those settings will be active.

Learning to configure Neovim is a separate topic — many developers start with a pre-made configuration from GitHub and customize it over time. For now, the default settings are fine for writing and editing code.

Uninstalling Neovim if you change your mind

If you installed Neovim using apt, remove it by typing:

sudo apt remove neovim

If you installed it from the GitHub binary, type:

sudo rm /usr/local/bin/nvim

Either way, your configuration files in ~/.config/nvim will remain. If you reinstall Neovim later, those settings will still be there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use Neovim if I am learning to code?

No. Neovim is a tool choice, not a requirement. Many people learn to code perfectly well using VS Code, gedit, or any other editor. Neovim is useful if you spend a lot of time in the terminal or want to work on remote servers, but it has a steeper learning curve than graphical editors.

What is the difference between Vim and Neovim?

Neovim is a fork of Vim that modernizes the codebase and makes it easier to extend with plugins. If you know Vim, Neovim will feel familiar — the commands are the same. Neovim is faster and has better plugin support, but Vim is still widely used and the skills transfer between them.

Can I use Neovim on Windows or macOS?

Yes. Neovim runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The installation steps are slightly different on each system, but the editor itself works the same way. On macOS, you can install it with Homebrew. On Windows, you can use the pre-built binary or Windows Subsystem for Linux.

What should I do if I get a "command not found" error when I type nvim?

This usually means Neovim is not in your PATH. If you installed from GitHub, make sure you moved the file to /usr/local/bin and ran the chmod +x command. If you installed with apt, try closing and reopening your terminal. If the error persists, type which nvim to see if the system can find it at all.

How do I exit Neovim if I am stuck?

Press Escape to make sure you are in normal mode, then type :q! and press Enter. This closes Neovim without saving any changes. If you want to save before exiting, type :wq instead.