Vimium
A browser extension for keyboard-only navigation of web pages, inspired by Vim.
- Stars
- 27.1k
- Forks
- 2.6k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 3 months ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Vimium is a browser extension that lets you move around web pages, manage tabs, and search using the keyboard instead of the mouse. It borrows key bindings from the Vim text editor, such as j and k to scroll and f to open a link by keyboard. People use it to work faster and to keep their hands on the keys.
- Scroll pages with j, k, d, and u and jump to top or bottom with gg and G
- Open links from the keyboard with f (current tab) or F (new tab)
- Switch, reorder, pin, and restore tabs with keys such as J, K, x, X, and <a-p>
- Search open tabs with T or bookmarks and history with o
- Move through paginated sites using ]] and [[
Great for
- Keyboard-first users who already know Vim-style keys
- Developers and power users who switch tabs and browse often
- People who browse long pages or paginated sites and want quick navigation
- Users of Chrome, Edge, or Firefox who want a free, open-source option
Not ideal for
- People who prefer mouse-driven browsing and have no interest in learning key commands, since the value comes from memorizing bindings
- Users who need the extension to work on every new tab page without installing an additional companion extension, as the README says that requires the separate Vimium New Tab Page extension
- People who want to use Vim-style editing inside text fields, since the README describes navigation and control of the web rather than text editing
How to get it
- 1
Use it in the browser (or self-host)
Install from the Chrome Web Store
git clone https://github.com/philc/vimium - 2
Run it
- Install Vimium from the Chrome Web Store, Edge Add-ons, or Firefox Add-ons link in the README
- Open any web page and click the page so it has focus
- Press ? to open the help dialog and see the full list of key bindings
- Try j and k to scroll, and f to open a link from the keyboard
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Press ? at any time to see the complete key list in the help dialog
- Remap keys on the Options page using map, unmap, and unmapAll statements
- Use command repetition, such as typing 5t to open five tabs quickly
- Install the Vimium New Tab Page extension if you want Vimium to work on browser-opened new tabs
- Read the command listing and the GitHub wiki for advanced features like find-mode regular expressions
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license, with 27,094 stars on GitHub at the time of metadata capture
- Key bindings can be remapped or removed through a simple map and unmap syntax on the options page
- Includes a built-in help dialog (press ?) that lists the available keys
Trade-offs
- Requires learning a large set of key commands before it feels fast
- Does not cover every new tab opened by the browser without the separate companion extension
- The README is truncated here, so details on privacy, permissions, and advanced configuration are not confirmed
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.