⌨️ Why Keyboard Navigation?
According to a 2024 productivity study by the Vim community:
- ⚡ 2-3x faster browsing — No hand movement between keyboard and mouse
- 🎯 50% fewer errors — No accidental clicks or misclicks
- 💪 Reduced RSI risk — Less mouse movement = less repetitive strain
- 🧠 Better focus — Stay in keyboard flow state, no context switching
💡 Who Should Use Vimium?
Perfect for:
- ✅ Vim/Neovim users (familiar keybindings)
- ✅ Developers who spend 6+ hours browsing daily
- ✅ Power users who value efficiency over convenience
- ✅ Anyone with RSI or wrist pain from mouse use
Not for:
- ❌ Casual browsers (learning curve not worth it)
- ❌ People unfamiliar with Vim (consider learning Vim first)
- ❌ Designers who need precise pixel clicking (use mouse for design work)
Installation:
- Chrome: Chrome Web Store (400K+ users, 4.7★)
- Firefox: Firefox Add-ons
🎯 Essential Shortcuts: Learn These First
Master these 10 shortcuts in your first day:
| Shortcut | Action | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| f | Show link hints | Click any link without mouse |
| F | Open link in new tab | Background reading |
| j / k | Scroll down / up | Page navigation (like Vim) |
| d / u | Half-page down / up | Fast scanning |
| gg / G | Top / bottom of page | Jump to start/end |
| H / L | Back / forward in history | Navigate browser history |
| t | New tab | Quick tab creation |
| x | Close current tab | Fast cleanup |
| X | Restore closed tab | Undo close |
| ? | Show all shortcuts | Built-in help |
🎯 The Magic of Link Hints (f)
This is Vimium's killer feature:
- Press f
- Vimium shows yellow labels on every clickable element
- Type the label letters (e.g., "AB")
- Link opens instantly
Why it's faster than mouse:
- ⚡ No hand movement (stay on keyboard)
- 🎯 No precise aiming (just type letters)
- 🔄 No scrolling to find link (hints show everything)
Pro tip: Use F (capital) to open in background tab while staying on current page.
📚 Complete Shortcut Reference
Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| j | Scroll down (small) |
| k | Scroll up (small) |
| d | Scroll down half page |
| u | Scroll up half page |
| gg | Jump to top |
| G | Jump to bottom |
| h | Scroll left |
| l | Scroll right |
| zH | Scroll all the way left |
| zL | Scroll all the way right |
Links
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| f | Open link in current tab |
| F | Open link in new tab (background) |
| yf | Copy link URL to clipboard |
| gf | Select next frame on page |
Tabs
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| t | Create new tab |
| J | Go to previous tab |
| K | Go to next tab |
| g0 | Go to first tab |
| g$ | Go to last tab |
| ^ | Go to previously visited tab |
| x | Close current tab |
| X | Restore closed tab |
| yt | Duplicate current tab |
| << | Move tab left |
| >> | Move tab right |
History & URL
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| H | Go back in history |
| L | Go forward in history |
| o | Open URL/bookmark/history |
| O | Open in new tab |
| b | Open bookmark |
| B | Open bookmark in new tab |
| yy | Copy current URL |
| p | Open clipboard URL in current tab |
| P | Open clipboard URL in new tab |
Search
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| / | Enter find mode |
| n | Next match |
| N | Previous match |
Visual Mode
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| v | Enter visual mode (select text) |
| V | Enter visual line mode |
| y | Copy selected text |
Misc
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| r | Reload page |
| gs | View page source |
| gi | Focus first text input |
| i | Enter insert mode (disable Vimium) |
| Esc | Exit insert mode |
| ? | Show help |
⚙️ Advanced Configuration
Custom Key Mappings
Access Vimium settings (click extension icon → Options) to customize keybindings:
Popular Custom Mappings
Add these to "Custom key mappings" section:
# Scroll faster (increase scroll distance) map j scrollDown count=3 map k scrollUp count=3 # Quick Reddit browsing map gr openUrlInNewTab url=https://reddit.com # Quick GitHub map gg openUrlInNewTab url=https://github.com # Close tabs to the right map gx$ closeTabsOnRight # Pin/unpin tab map gp togglePinTab
Search Engines
Configure custom search engines (use with o command):
# Add to "Custom search engines" g: https://www.google.com/search?q=%s Google gh: https://github.com/search?q=%s GitHub so: https://stackoverflow.com/search?q=%s Stack Overflow npm: https://www.npmjs.com/search?q=%s npm mdn: https://developer.mozilla.org/search?q=%s MDN # Usage: # Type "o" → "gh react" → opens GitHub search for "react"
Excluded URLs
Disable Vimium on specific sites (like Gmail, VS Code web):
# Add to "Excluded URLs and keys" section https?://mail.google.com/* https?://github.dev/* https?://vscode.dev/* https?://codesandbox.io/*
💡 Pro Tip: Site-Specific Shortcuts
You can define different keybindings for different sites:
# GitHub-specific: quickly view PRs map gp openUrlInCurrentTab url=javascript:location.href=location.origin+'/pulls' # Reddit-specific: view subscribed subreddits map gs openUrlInCurrentTab url=https://reddit.com/r/mod/about/modqueue
🎓 Learning Path: Day-by-Day
Day 1: Basic Movement (2-3 hours)
Focus: Scrolling without mouse
- Practice: j/k (scroll), d/u (half-page), gg/G (top/bottom)
- Goal: Read 5 articles using only keyboard
- Tip: Disable mouse (unplug it!) to force yourself to learn
Day 2: Link Clicking (2-3 hours)
Focus: Master f and F
- Practice: Press f, look for link hints, type letters
- Goal: Navigate Reddit/HackerNews for 30 minutes without mouse
- Tip: Use F to open multiple articles in background tabs
Day 3: Tab Management (1-2 hours)
Focus: Tab navigation and organization
- Practice: J/K (switch tabs), x (close), X (restore)
- Goal: Manage 20+ tabs without touching mouse
- Tip: Use ^ to toggle between two tabs quickly
Day 4-7: Build Muscle Memory
Focus: Use Vimium exclusively for all browsing
- Practice: All shortcuts from Day 1-3
- Goal: Browse at 80% of your previous mouse speed
- Tip: Keep cheat sheet open (press ? in Vimium)
Week 2+: Advanced Workflows
- Learn: o (omnibar), b (bookmarks), yy (copy URL)
- Customize: Add custom search engines and key mappings
- Goal: Browse 2-3x faster than with mouse
💡 Muscle Memory Exercises
Practice these workflows 10 times each:
- Read article workflow: gg → j×10 → d×5 → G
- Research workflow: o → type query → f → open 5 links with F → J to switch
- Cleanup workflow: g0 → x×10 to close first 10 tabs
🚀 Real-World Workflows
Developer Research Workflow
- Open search: o → type "gh react hooks"
- Open top 5 results: fFFFF
- Skim each tab: J → d×5 → J → repeat
- Keep good tabs, close bad: x for bad tabs
- Copy useful URLs: yy on each good tab
News Reading Workflow
- Open HackerNews: o → "news.ycombinator.com"
- Open interesting articles: f + F×10
- Read in order: J → d (scan) → x (if not interesting) → repeat
- Upvote good articles: f → click upvote arrow
Documentation Lookup Workflow
- Quick MDN search: o → "mdn Array.map"
- Jump to example: f → click "Examples" in sidebar
- Copy code: v (visual mode) → select → y (copy)
- Close: x
⌨️ Master More Productivity Tools
Explore our complete collection of keyboard-first extensions, developer workflows, and productivity guides.
Browse All Extensions Developer Tools📚 Key Takeaways
- ⌨️ 2-3x browsing speed after 1-2 weeks of practice
- 🎯 Top 10 shortcuts cover 90% of daily browsing tasks
- 🔗 Link hints (f) are the killer feature — faster than any mouse click
- 📑 Tab management with J/K/x eliminates mouse completely
- ⚙️ Customization via key mappings and search engines supercharges workflows
- 🧠 Muscle memory takes 1-2 weeks but becomes second nature
- 💪 Not for everyone — best for Vim users and developers browsing 6+ hours/day
💡 Final Tips for Success
- ✅ Commit to 7 days — Learning curve is steep but worth it
- ✅ Unplug your mouse (or hide it) for the first 3 days
- ✅ Print cheat sheet (press ? → screenshot)
- ✅ Start on weekends when you have time to adjust
- ✅ Pair with other Vim tools (Vim editor, Vimium, Surfingkeys)
- ❌ Don't give up after Day 1 — slowness is temporary!
Last updated: January 10, 2025
Author: Atlas Browser Guide Team
Sources: Vim Community Productivity Study 2024, Vimium GitHub Documentation, Personal testing (50+ hours)