LazyVim

What it is

LazyVim is a Neovim setup powered by lazy.nvim. It is a set of Lua files, not a program of its own. The README says that rather than choosing between starting from scratch and using a pre-made distro, LazyVim offers the best of both worlds. It gives you the flexibility to tweak your config as needed, with the convenience of a pre-configured setup. It aims to turn Neovim into a full-fledged IDE, with sane default settings for options, autocmds and keymaps.

1. You clone the starter into Neovim’s config folder
2. The first start clones lazy.nvim
3. lazy.nvim installs LazyVim and the plugins it imports
4. LazyVim’s defaults load before your own files
5. Your files in lua/config and lua/plugins change them

Who it suits

People who already use Neovim, or want to, and would like a working editor on the first start instead of a blank config. You will edit Lua files, so a little comfort with a terminal helps. Skip it if you keep a config you wrote yourself and like it. It also needs Neovim 0.11.2 or newer, so an older build has to be updated first.

Where to use it

LazyVim runs inside Neovim, in a terminal. The docs name a clone command for each system, and the setup notes have a page for each.

• Linux and macOS: the starter cloned to ~/.config/nvim
• Windows: the same starter cloned with PowerShell to the nvim folder under LOCALAPPDATA
• Docker: the docker run command on the Installation page (Fedora) or in the README (Alpine)
• Terminals: kitty, wezterm, alacritty, iTerm2 and ghostty, which the docs name for true color and undercurl

How to set it up

Get it saves a zip of Mindket’s setup notes in your downloads folder, with a page for each route above. The install itself is a clone of the starter, and lazy.nvim does the rest on the first start.

1. Back up your current Neovim files.
2. Clone the starter into Neovim’s config folder.
3. Remove the starter’s .git folder, so you can add the folder to your own repo later.
4. Start nvim and let the plugins install.
5. Run :LazyHealth to check that everything works.

On Linux and macOS, the Installation page gives these lines. The first is required, and the other three are optional but recommended:

# required
mv ~/.config/nvim{,.bak}

# optional but recommended
mv ~/.local/share/nvim{,.bak}
mv ~/.local/state/nvim{,.bak}
mv ~/.cache/nvim{,.bak}

Then clone, strip the starter’s history and start Neovim:

git clone https://github.com/LazyVim/starter ~/.config/nvim
rm -rf ~/.config/nvim/.git
nvim

On Windows, the page uses PowerShell and different folders. The first line is required, and the second is optional but recommended:

# required
Move-Item $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim.bak

# optional but recommended
Move-Item $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim-data $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim-data.bak

Then clone the starter, remove its .git folder and start Neovim:

git clone https://github.com/LazyVim/starter $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim
Remove-Item $env:LOCALAPPDATA\nvim\.git -Recurse -Force
nvim

The move lines put your current setup aside, so Neovim stops loading it. Look at what is in those folders first.

How to use it

Press the space key. LazyVim uses which-key.nvim, so a popup lists every keymap that starts with it. The default leader key is space and the default local leader is a backslash. These keys come from the Keymaps page:

• <leader><space> finds files in the root dir, and <leader>/ greps there
• <leader>e opens the explorer, and <leader>, lists buffers
• <leader>cf formats the file, and <leader>ca opens code actions
• <leader>l opens Lazy, and <leader>L opens the LazyVim changelog
• <leader>? shows the keymaps for the current buffer

Extras are optional plugin sets. The Extras page says the easiest way to install them is the :LazyExtras command.

:LazyExtras

Example

You want the catppuccin colorscheme in place of the default. The Configuration page sets it as an option of the LazyVim plugin. Save this as lua/plugins/core.lua:

return {
  {
    "LazyVim/LazyVim",
    opts = {
      colorscheme = "catppuccin",
    }
  }
}

The default colorscheme option loads tokyonight. The Plugins page lists TokyoNight and Catppuccin as its default color schemes.

For newcomers and experts

If you are new. LazyVim is a ready-made Neovim config: an init.lua and Lua files under lua/config and lua/plugins that you edit. The starter’s files hold comments that say what to change. LazyVim loads its own defaults first and yours after them. The General Settings page warns you not to require autocmds, keymaps, lazy or options under lua/config by hand, because LazyVim loads them. Run :LazyHealth after the first start, as the Installation page suggests.

For experts. A plugin spec of yours merges with LazyVim’s by rule. The cmd, event, ft, keys and dependencies lists are extended, opts is merged, and any other property overrides. For ft, event, keys, cmd and opts you can pass a function that edits the defaults or returns new ones. To turn off a default keymap, give the same lhs and mode with false as the value.

lazy.nvim and LazyVim follow the latest stable release by default. To track the development version, add specs for both with version set to false. The starter keeps version false for other plugins, and the docs say many plugin releases are outdated and may break your install. Options such as vim.g.lazyvim_picker (telescope or fzf) and vim.g.lazyvim_cmp (nvim-cmp or blink.cmp) default to "auto".

Good to know

lazy.nvim, mason.nvim and nvim-treesitter all fetch from the network, and the install steps move your existing Neovim folders.

• Network: the first start clones lazy.nvim from https://github.com/folke/lazy.nvim.git, and lazy.nvim installs LazyVim and the plugins it imports. mason.nvim installs language servers and tools (the starter’s example.lua says pyright “will be automatically installed with mason”), and nvim-treesitter installs parsers. The starter turns on lazy.nvim’s update checker, with notifications off
• Your old config: the move commands rename it, and those folders hold any other Neovim setup too
• Changes to watch: LazyVim shows its NEWS.md when it changes, covering big new features and breaking changes
• Versions: the docs say to leave plugins on version false for now, because outdated releases may break your install
• AI extras: avante, claudecode, CopilotChat and sidekick appear as extras on the Keymaps page. The pages Mindket read do not say what accounts or keys they need, so read each plugin’s own page first
• Removal: the docs give no uninstall steps. The folders named in the backup lines are the ones to look at
• Usage data and accounts: the pages Mindket read say nothing about either
• License: Apache-2.0. The LICENSE file is the standard text and names no holder, and the docs site footer reads “Copyright © 2026 LazyVim, Inc.”