How do I reformat a paragraph to fit a specific line width in Vim?
gqap
The gq operator reformats text by wrapping lines to fit within the textwidth setting.
Category: editing
How do I move a line or selection up or down in Vim?
:move +1 / :move -2
The :move command relocates lines to a specific position without using delete and paste.
How do I append a semicolon to every line in a file using :norm?
:%norm A;
The :%norm command runs normal mode commands on every line in the file (or a range).
How do I reverse the order of lines in a file or selection?
:%!tac
Vim doesn't have a built-in reverse command, but you can pipe the buffer through tac (reverse of cat) to flip line order.
How do I center or right-align text to a specific width in Vim?
:center 80
Vim has built-in text alignment commands that adjust lines relative to a specified width.
How do I select, change, or delete function arguments as text objects?
cia (with targets.vim) or daa
While Vim doesn't have a built-in argument text object, the targets.
How do I insert special Unicode characters using digraphs in Vim?
<C-k>DG
Vim's digraph system lets you insert special characters by pressing followed by a two-character mnemonic code.
How do I insert the result of a calculation directly while typing in insert mode?
<C-r>=2+2<CR>
The expression register (=) in insert mode lets you evaluate any Vimscript expression and insert the result inline.
How do I create an incrementing number sequence from identical numbers in Vim?
g<C-a> in visual mode
When you have multiple lines with the same number and want to turn them into a sequence (1, 2, 3.
How do I collapse multiple consecutive spaces into a single space throughout a file?
:%s/\s\+/ /g
The pattern \s\+ matches one or more whitespace characters (spaces, tabs).
How do I convert the entire current line to lowercase or uppercase in one command?
guu / gUU
Vim's case operators gu (lowercase) and gU (uppercase) follow the same doubling convention as dd and yy: repeating the operator letter applies it to the whole c
How do I create a custom undo checkpoint while in Insert mode so I can undo in smaller steps?
<C-g>u
By default, Vim treats an entire Insert mode session (from entering Insert mode to pressing ) as a single undo unit.
How do I duplicate the current line and place the copy directly below it?
:t.
The :t (short for :copy) command copies lines from one location to another.
How do I break a line at the cursor position without entering Insert mode?
r<CR>
You can split a line at the cursor without entering Insert mode by using r.
How do I indent or unindent the current line while staying in Insert mode?
<C-t> / <C-d>
While in Insert mode, you can adjust indentation without switching back to Normal mode.
How do I center-align text within a specific width in Vim?
:center
The :center command pads a line with leading spaces so the text is centered within a given width.
How do I insert a Unicode character by its code point?
<C-v>u{code} in insert mode
In insert mode, u followed by a 4-digit hex code inserts the Unicode character at that code point.
How do I paste text and automatically adjust its indentation?
]p
The ]p command pastes text and adjusts its indentation to match the current line.
How do I quickly replace a word and then repeat it elsewhere?
ciw + new text + Esc, then n.
The ciw command followed by new text, combined with and .
How do I change the content inside backticks?
ci`
The ` ci ` command changes the text inside backtick delimiters.