I wanted VIM to use the system clipboard so I could yank/paste to/from other applications easily.
First edit your .vimrc
# ~/.vimrc
set clipboard=unnamedplus
Next check to see if your current vim version supports xterm_clipboard
vim --version
If you see “+xterm_clipboard” then its ready to go.
If you see “-xterm_clipboard” then we need to upgrade vim.
If you are running Debian:
sudo apt-get install vim-gnome
If you are running Redhat or CentOS:
You have to install vim-x11 afterwards you have to use vimx instead of vim. (Its handy to make an alias)
sudo yum install vim-x11
Now you should be able to use the clipboard back and forth between vim and other applications.
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