How do I send Telescope results to the quickfix list for bulk editing?
<C-q> (Telescope)
While inside any Telescope picker, pressing sends all current results to the quickfix list and closes the picker.
Search Vim Tricks
Searching...How do I set a different working directory for each split window in Vim?
:lcd {dir}
:lcd (local cd) sets the working directory for the current window only, leaving other windows at their previous directory.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #navigation #ex-commands #config
How do I use a VimScript expression as the replacement in a substitution?
:s/pattern/\=expression/g
Prefixing the replacement string with \= in a :substitute command tells Vim to evaluate the rest as a VimScript expression rather than literal text.
How do I programmatically combine or modify the contents of Vim registers?
:let @a = @a . @b
You can manipulate register contents directly using the :let command with the @{reg} syntax.
How do I adjust the width of a visual block selection without restarting it?
O (visual block mode)
In visual block mode (), pressing O (uppercase) moves your cursor to the other end of the current line — letting you expand or contract the block's horizontal
How do I see a list of recently opened files and quickly jump back to one?
:oldfiles
:oldfiles displays a numbered list of every file Vim has recorded in its viminfo (or shada in Neovim) file.
How do I reindent a block of code using a visual selection?
= (in visual mode)
After making a visual selection, pressing = applies Vim's auto-indent to every selected line at once.
How do I view my complete Vim command and search history?
:history
:history displays a numbered list of your recently entered Ex commands, giving you a full audit of what you have run in the current session (and across sessions
How do I apply a recorded macro to every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>norm @a
Combining :normal with a visual range lets you replay a macro on each line of a selection individually — far more targeted than recursive macros or @@ repeati
How do I programmatically set the contents of a register from the command line?
:let @a = "value"
The :let @{reg} = expr command lets you assign any string or expression directly into a named register without entering insert mode or performing a yank.
How do I quickly switch between the current file and the last file I was editing?
:e #
:e # opens the alternate file — the file you were editing just before the current one.
How do I insert a newline in the replacement string of a :s substitution?
:s/,/,\r/g
In Vim's :substitute command, \r in the replacement string inserts a literal newline — it splits the line at that point.
How do I insert a Unicode character by its codepoint in insert mode?
<C-v>u{hex}
In insert mode, pressing followed by u and a 4-digit hexadecimal codepoint inserts the corresponding Unicode character directly into the buffer.
How do I run a substitution or command on every line in the quickfix list?
:cdo
:cdo {cmd} executes {cmd} on each entry in the quickfix list — one by one, jumping to each location in turn.
command-line #ex-commands #quickfix #search #editing #buffers
What is the difference between ' and ` when jumping to a mark in Vim?
' vs `
Vim provides two distinct ways to jump to a mark, and they behave differently: the apostrophe ' jumps to the first non-blank character of the marked line, while
How do I split a line by inserting a newline with the substitute command?
:s/,/\r/g
In Vim's substitute command, use \r (not \n) in the replacement to insert a real newline.
How do I sort lines based on a specific field or column rather than the beginning of each line?
:sort /regex/
The :sort /pattern/ command sorts lines by the text that appears after the first match of a pattern, not from the start of each line.
How do I force a case-sensitive or case-insensitive search for just one pattern without changing my settings?
\C
Vim's \C and \c atoms let you override ignorecase and smartcase on a per-pattern basis.
How do I create a macro that runs continuously until it hits an error?
@q
A recursive macro is a macro that calls itself as its last step, causing it to loop automatically until an operation fails (such as reaching the end of the file
How do I count the number of pattern matches in a file without making substitutions?
:s/pattern//gn
The :s///gn command counts how many times a pattern appears in the file without actually replacing anything.
command-line #search #ex-commands #substitution #command-line