How do I use a custom vimrc file?

Question

I have just started using vim and I find a bunch of vimrc files online. How exactly do I tell vim to use this vimrc as the default vimrc. I know I can copy every time but is there a better way to do this?

Answer 1

All you have to do is to save the downloaded file and save it to the home directory with the name .vimrc (the full path of the file would then be ~/.vimrc). VIM will automatically detect the file and use it appropriately.