Vim is a powerful text editor that is widely used by developers and sysadmins. It provides a vast range of features and capabilities, making it a handy tool for any programmer. However, one of the major drawbacks of Vim is the difficulty involved in copying text from Vi to the Windows clipboard. Fortunately, with the help of WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), it is now possible to copy text from Vim to the Windows clipboard.
This article will provide a detailed guide on how to copy text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard, along with code examples.
What is WSL?
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is a compatibility layer developed by Microsoft to enable users to run Linux applications natively on Windows. With WSL, Windows users can access Linux command-line tools and utilities, and work in a Linux environment without the need for a virtual machine.
WSL is available in two versions – WSL 1 and WSL 2. WSL 1 is a lightweight version that uses a translation layer to map Linux system calls to Windows system calls. WSL 2, on the other hand, is a full Linux kernel that runs within a lightweight system VM, providing better performance and more compatibility with Linux applications.
How to copy text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard
Step 1: Install a clipboard manager
The first step in copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows clipboard is to install a clipboard manager. This is necessary because the Windows clipboard does not work with WSL out of the box. A clipboard manager helps bridge the gap between the two systems.
There are several clipboard managers available for Windows, such as ClipX, Ditto, and ClipClip. For this article, we will be using ClipClip.
To install ClipClip, follow these steps:
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Download the installer from the ClipClip website: https://clipclip.com/
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Run the installer and follow the instructions to install ClipClip.
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Once ClipClip is installed, open it from the Start menu.
Step 2: Install xclip
The next step is to install a tool called xclip in WSL. xclip is a command-line tool that provides a way to interact with the X clipboard, which is the clipboard used by most Linux distributions.
To install xclip, open a terminal window in WSL and run the following command:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y xclip
This command will update the package list and install xclip.
Step 3: Enable access to the Windows clipboard from WSL
By default, WSL does not have access to the Windows clipboard. To enable access, we need to set an environment variable in WSL.
Open the .bashrc file in WSL by running the following command:
nano ~/.bashrc
Add the following line to the end of the file:
export DISPLAY=:0
Save and exit the file.
Step 4: Copy text from Vim to the Windows clipboard
Now that we have installed ClipClip, xclip, and enabled access to the Windows clipboard from WSL, we can copy text from Vim to the Windows clipboard.
To copy text from Vim to the Windows clipboard, follow these steps:
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In Vim, select the text you want to copy by entering visual mode and highlighting the text.
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Run the following command to copy the text to the X clipboard:
:'<,'>w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the selected text to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip. -sel c tells xclip to use the clipboard as the selection source.
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Open ClipClip from the Start menu in Windows.
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The copied text should now be in the ClipClip clipboard manager. You can paste it by pressing Ctrl+V or by right-clicking and selecting paste.
Code examples
Here are some code examples that demonstrate how to copy text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard.
Example 1: Copy the entire file to the Windows clipboard
To copy the entire file to the Windows clipboard, run the following command in Vim:
:%w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the entire file to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip.
Example 2: Copy the current line to the Windows clipboard
To copy the current line to the Windows clipboard, run the following command in Vim:
:.w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the current line to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip.
Example 3: Copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard
To copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard, enter visual mode by pressing the V key, highlight the text, and run the following command:
:'<,'>w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the selected text to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip.
Conclusion
Copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard is a useful feature that can save developers a lot of time. With the help of WSL and a clipboard manager, this process can be made seamless. By following the steps outlined in this article and using the code examples provided, you should be able to easily copy text from Vim in WSL to the Windows clipboard.
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Popular questions
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What is the purpose of using WSL with Vim when copying text to the Windows clipboard?
Answer: The purpose of using WSL with Vim when copying text to the Windows clipboard is to enable access to the Windows clipboard from a Linux environment. WSL provides a way to run Linux applications natively on Windows, which can be used to access Linux command-line tools and utilities, and work in a Linux environment without the need for a virtual machine. -
What is the role of ClipClip in copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard?
Answer: ClipClip is a clipboard manager that is used to bridge the gap between the Linux clipboard and the Windows clipboard. With ClipClip installed, users can transfer text from the Linux clipboard to the Windows clipboard and vice versa. When copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard, ClipClip acts as a mediator and enables the transfer of text to the Windows system clipboard. -
What is the significance of the xclip tool in copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard?
Answer: The xclip tool is a command-line tool that provides a way to interact with the X clipboard, which is the clipboard used by most Linux distributions. When copying text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard, the xclip tool is used to save the selected text to a temporary file and transfer it to ClipClip, which then sends the text to the Windows system clipboard. -
How do you copy the entire file from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard?
Answer: To copy the entire file from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard, you can use the following command:
:%w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the entire file to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip. Then, ClipClip transfers the text to the Windows system clipboard.
- Can you copy selected text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard?
Answer: Yes, you can copy selected text from Vim in WSL to the Windows system clipboard. To do so, enter visual mode in Vim by pressing the V key, highlight the text you want to copy, and use the following command:
:'<,'>w !xclip -sel c -i
This command saves the selected text to a temporary file and pipes it to xclip. ClipClip then transfers the text to the Windows system clipboard.
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