How do I use a Vimscript expression as the replacement in a substitute command?
:%s/pattern/\=expr/g
Prefixing the replacement field of :s with \= tells Vim to evaluate the rest as a Vimscript expression and use its result as the replacement string.
Category: editing
How do I run a Vim command without adding entries to the jump list?
:keepjumps {cmd}
:keepjumps is a command modifier that suppresses any jump list updates caused by the command that follows it.
How do I copy characters from the line above or below the cursor while staying in insert mode?
<C-y> (above) / <C-e> (below)
In insert mode, inserts the character from the same column one line above, and inserts the character from the same column one line below.
How do I filter a range of text through an external shell command directly in normal mode?
!{motion}{cmd}
The ! operator in normal mode lets you pipe any motion's text through a shell command and replace it with the output.
editing #editing #shell #external-command #normal-mode #filtering
How do I filter a range of text through an external shell command in Vim?
!{motion} {cmd}
The ! operator passes text selected by a motion through an external shell command, replacing it with the command's output.
How do I insert text at the very first column of a line, ignoring indentation?
gI
Most Vim users know I to insert at the start of a line — but I actually jumps to the first non-blank character, skipping leading whitespace.
How do I delete text from the cursor to the next occurrence of a pattern?
d/{pattern}<CR>
Vim lets you use a / search as a motion for any operator.
How do I re-indent all lines from the cursor to the end of the file in one keystroke?
=G
The =G command applies Vim's auto-indent operator (=) from the current line to the last line of the file (G).
How do I overtype text in Vim without breaking column alignment when tabs are involved?
gR
gR enters Virtual Replace mode, a smarter variant of Replace mode (R) that replaces characters based on screen columns rather than raw bytes.
How do I copy one character at a time from the line above or below while typing in insert mode?
<C-e> / <C-y> (insert mode)
In insert mode, copies the character directly below the cursor (from the next line) and copies the character directly above (from the previous line).
How do I pipe the entire buffer through an external shell command like sort, jq, or a formatter?
:%!command
:%!{command} replaces the entire buffer contents with the output of piping them through a shell command.
How do I reformat text to fit the line width without moving the cursor?
gwip
The gw operator reformats text just like gq, but leaves the cursor in its original position after reformatting.
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 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 copy a character from the line directly above or below while staying in insert mode?
<C-y> and <C-e>
In Insert mode, copies the character at the same column position from the line above the cursor, and copies the character from the line below.
How do I uppercase or lowercase matched text directly in a substitute command?
:%s/pattern/\U&/g
Vim's substitute replacement string supports special case-transform atoms that change the case of matched text without requiring a second pass or an external to
How do I re-insert the text I typed in the previous insert session?
<C-a> (insert mode)
While in insert mode, pressing re-inserts the exact text you typed during your previous insert session.
How do I undo changes back to how the file looked 5 minutes ago?
:earlier
Vim's undo history is not just a linear list of changes — it records timestamps too.
How do I pipe a range of lines through an external command and replace them with the output?
!{motion}{command}
The ! operator filters the text covered by a motion through an external shell command, replacing the original lines with the command's stdout.
How do I paste text that automatically matches the indentation of the current line?
[p
When you copy code from one indentation level and paste it at another, p preserves the original indentation, leaving your code misaligned.