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How To: Vim show line numbers by default on Linux

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You can configure Vim to show line numbers by default on Linux by editing the Vim configuration file, .vimrc. Here are the steps to do this:

  1. Open a terminal window and navigate to your home directory by running the command cd ~.
  2. Check if the .vimrc file exist in your home directory using the command ls -a .vimrc, if not create it using touch .vimrc
  3. Open the .vimrc file in Vim by running the command vim .vimrc.
  4. Press i to enter insert mode, so you can make changes to the file.
  5. Add the following line to the file:
set number
  1. Press Esc, then type :wq and press Enter to save and exit the file.
  2. Run the command source .vimrc or open a new Vim editor to see the changes.
rnAfter following these steps, the line numbers will be displayed by default whenever you open a file in Vim. If you want to turn off line numbers, you can type the command set nonumber in the Vim editor.

Note: These steps will only affect your own Vim configuration, other users of the system will not be affected.