Helix’s modes

Helix has three modes that you’ll use all the time. These are:

• normal mode
• insert mode
• select mode

Normal mode is used to issue navigation and text editing commands. Helix starts here, and we’ll learn all about these commands, and how powerful they are, as the course progresses.

Insert mode is, as you may expect, used to insert text. You can think of it as being very similar to the ‘default’ state in other, non-modal editors.

Select mode is used for extending selections as you move. It’s a big part of what makes Helix special, and we’ll cover it properly in a later lesson.

Helix always tells you which mode you’re in. Look at the left end of the statusline at the bottom of the editor: right now it reads NOR for normal mode, and it changes to INS in insert mode and SEL in select mode. If Helix ever seems to be ignoring your keystrokes, check there first.

A side note

Vim famously has 13 unique modes. Helix keeps it to these three, and you’ll use all of them regularly.