How to Install Vim 8.2 in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04, 19.10

Last updated: December 16, 2019

Vim text editor 8.2 was released a few days ago. An unofficial PPA has made the packages for all current Ubuntu releases as well as Ubuntu 14.04.

The main new feature of Vim 8.2 is support for “popup windows”, which displays message boxes, function prototypes, code snippets, etc on top of the text. See Vim 8.2 release note for more.

Jonathon F maintains a PPA with Vim packages for all current Ubuntu releases.

1. Open terminal either from application menu or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/vim

Type user password (no asterisk feedback) when it prompts and hit Enter to continue.

2. Then refresh package cache and install Vim via commands:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install vim

For more features (e.g., Python support), you may also install vim-gtk3 and / or vim-nox:

sudo apt install vim-gtk3 vim-nox

Uninstall:

To restore Vim to the stock versions in Ubuntu main repositories, run command to purge the PPA:

sudo apt install ppa-purge && sudo ppa-purge ppa:jonathonf/vim

To only remove the PPA while keeping the installed Vim packages, either go to Software & Updates -> Other Software, or run command in terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:jonathonf/vim

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I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1

5 responses to How to Install Vim 8.2 in Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04, 19.10

  1. Do I need to uninstall vim 8.0 shipped with Ubuntu 18.04?

    • Fernando J SAntos February 2, 2020 at 5:59 pm

      yep

    • *I* didn’t have to explicitly remove the 8.0 packages that were part of my 18.04 WSL install… they *are* gone, but the installation scripts must have included a check for older versions, and uninstalling them, b/c they’re gone, now, but, like i said, *i* didn’t do it.

  2. Thank you for your post, Ji m!

  3. please write me ,, how can i install rtl7823e rivers in ubuntu 19.10 ,,,,,when i open wifi ,, i can there no wifi adapter.