# kickstart.nvim ## Introduction A starting point for Neovim that is: * Small * Single-file * Completely Documented **NOT** a Neovim distribution, but instead a starting point for your configuration. ## Installation ### Install Neovim Kickstart.nvim targets *only* the latest ['stable'](https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/tag/stable) and latest ['nightly'](https://github.com/neovim/neovim/releases/tag/nightly) of Neovim. If you are experiencing issues, please make sure you have the latest versions. ### Install External Dependencies > **NOTE** > [Backup](#FAQ) your previous configuration (if any exists) External Requirements: - Basic utils: `git`, `make`, `unzip`, C Compiler (`gcc`) - [ripgrep](https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep#installation) - Language Setup: - If want to write Typescript, you need `npm` - If want to write Golang, you will need `go` - etc. > **NOTE** > See [Windows Installation](#Windows-Installation) to double check any additional Windows notes Neovim's configurations are located under the following paths, depending on your OS: | OS | PATH | | :- | :--- | | Linux, MacOS | `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nvim`, `~/.config/nvim` | | Windows (cmd)| `%userprofile%\AppData\Local\nvim\` | | Windows (powershell)| `$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\nvim\` | Clone kickstart.nvim:
Linux and Mac ```sh git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git "${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}"/nvim ```
Windows If you're using `cmd.exe`: ``` git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git %userprofile%\AppData\Local\nvim\ ``` If you're using `powershell.exe` ``` git clone https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim.git $env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\nvim\ ```
### Post Installation Start Neovim ```sh nvim ``` That's it! Lazy will install all the plugins you have. Use `:Lazy` to view current plugin status. Read through the `init.lua` file in your configuration folder for more information about extending and exploring Neovim. ### Getting Started See [Effective Neovim: Instant IDE](https://youtu.be/stqUbv-5u2s), covering the previous version. Note: The install via init.lua is outdated, please follow the install instructions in this file instead. An updated video is coming soon. ### Recommended Steps [Fork](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/quickstart/fork-a-repo) this repo (so that you have your own copy that you can modify) and then installing you can install to your machine using the methods above. > **NOTE** > Your fork's url will be something like this: `https://github.com//kickstart.nvim.git` #### Examples of adding popularly requested plugins
Adding autopairs This will automatically install [windwp/nvim-autopairs](https://github.com/windwp/nvim-autopairs) and enable it on startup. For more information, see documentation for [lazy.nvim](https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim). In the file: `lua/custom/plugins/autopairs.lua`, add: ```lua -- File: lua/custom/plugins/autopairs.lua return { "windwp/nvim-autopairs", -- Optional dependency dependencies = { 'hrsh7th/nvim-cmp' }, config = function() require("nvim-autopairs").setup {} -- If you want to automatically add `(` after selecting a function or method local cmp_autopairs = require('nvim-autopairs.completion.cmp') local cmp = require('cmp') cmp.event:on( 'confirm_done', cmp_autopairs.on_confirm_done() ) end, } ```
Adding a file tree plugin This will install the tree plugin and add the command `:Neotree` for you. You can explore the documentation at [neo-tree.nvim](https://github.com/nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim) for more information. In the file: `lua/custom/plugins/filetree.lua`, add: ```lua -- Unless you are still migrating, remove the deprecated commands from v1.x vim.cmd([[ let g:neo_tree_remove_legacy_commands = 1 ]]) return { "nvim-neo-tree/neo-tree.nvim", version = "*", dependencies = { "nvim-lua/plenary.nvim", "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons", -- not strictly required, but recommended "MunifTanjim/nui.nvim", }, config = function () require('neo-tree').setup {} end, } ```
### FAQ * What should I do if I already have a pre-existing neovim configuration? * You should back it up, then delete all files associated with it. * This includes your existing init.lua and the neovim files in `~/.local` which can be deleted with `rm -rf ~/.local/share/nvim/` * Can I keep my existing configuration in parallel to kickstart? * Yes! You can use [NVIM_APPNAME](https://neovim.io/doc/user/starting.html#%24NVIM_APPNAME)`=nvim-NAME` to maintain multiple configurations. For example you can install the kickstart configuration in `~/.config/nvim-kickstart` and create an alias: ``` alias nvim-kickstart='NVIM_APPNAME="nvim-kickstart" nvim' ``` When you run Neovim using `nvim-kickstart` alias it will use the alternative config directory and the matching local directory `~/.local/share/nvim-kickstart`. You can apply this approach to any Neovim distribution that you would like to try out. * What if I want to "uninstall" this configuration: * See [lazy.nvim uninstall](https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim#-uninstalling) information * Why is the kickstart `init.lua` a single file? Wouldn't it make sense to split it into multiple files? * The main purpose of kickstart is to serve as a teaching tool and a reference configuration that someone can easily `git clone` as a basis for their own. As you progress in learning Neovim and Lua, you might consider splitting `init.lua` into smaller parts. A fork of kickstart that does this while maintaining the exact same functionality is available here: * [kickstart-modular.nvim](https://github.com/dam9000/kickstart-modular.nvim) * Discussions on this topic can be found here: * [Restructure the configuration](https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim/issues/218) * [Reorganize init.lua into a multi-file setup](https://github.com/nvim-lua/kickstart.nvim/pull/473) ### Windows Installation Installation may require installing build tools, and updating the run command for `telescope-fzf-native` See `telescope-fzf-native` documentation for [more details](https://github.com/nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim#installation) This requires: - Install CMake, and the Microsoft C++ Build Tools on Windows ```lua {'nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim', build = 'cmake -S. -Bbuild -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release && cmake --build build --config Release && cmake --install build --prefix build' } ```