How do I search and replace text containing special characters?
:%s/\V literal.text/replacement/g
The \V (very nomagic) flag treats all characters as literal except for \.
Category: search
How do I search and replace across multiple files using the quickfix list?
:cdo s/old/new/g
The :cdo command executes a command on every entry in the quickfix list.
How do I see search results as I type the pattern?
:set incsearch
The incsearch option enables incremental search, which highlights matches in real time as you type the search pattern.
How do I search for a pattern only within specific columns of a line?
/\%>5c\%<20cpattern
How it works Vim's search patterns support column position constraints using the \%c family of atoms.
How do I match a pattern but only highlight or capture part of it using \zs and \ze?
\zs and \ze
How it works Vim's \zs (set start) and \ze (set end) atoms let you define which portion of a pattern counts as the actual match, even though the full pattern is
How do I copy all lines matching a pattern to the end of the file?
:g/pattern/t$
How it works The :g (global) command combined with :t (copy) lets you duplicate all lines matching a pattern to a specific location.
How do I list all lines in the current file matching the word under my cursor?
[I
How it works The [I command searches the current file (and included files) for the word under the cursor and displays a list of all matching lines with their li
What are Vim's built-in character class shortcuts for search patterns?
\d \w \s \a \l \u
How it works Vim provides shorthand character classes that save you from writing out full bracket expressions.
How do I perform a non-greedy (minimal) match in Vim search?
.\{-}
How it works In most regex engines, ? or +? make quantifiers non-greedy (matching as little as possible).
How do I search for multiple alternative patterns at once in Vim?
/foo\|bar
How it works The \ operator in Vim's search pattern works like a logical OR, letting you match any one of several alternatives.
How do I browse and reuse my previous search patterns in Vim?
q/
How it works Vim keeps a history of all your search patterns.
How do I search case-insensitively in Vim without changing global settings?
/\cpattern
How it works By default, Vim searches are case-sensitive: /Hello will not match hello or HELLO.
How do I replace text using a custom Vimscript function in a substitution?
:%s/pattern/\=MyFunc(submatch(0))/g
The \= prefix in Vim's substitute replacement invokes the expression register, which can call any Vimscript function.
How do I use yanked text as the replacement in a substitute command?
:%s/pattern/\=@0/g
The \=@0 replacement expression inserts the contents of register 0 (last yank) as the replacement text.
How do I restrict a search to only match within a specific line range?
/\%>10l\%<20lpattern
Vim's \%>Nl and \%10l matches only after line 10 \%10l\%10l\%<20lold/new/g Combine with column restrictions for precise region targeting Tips Line numbers in \%
How do I search for a pattern only when it's preceded or followed by another pattern?
/\(pattern\)\@<=target or /target\(pattern\)\@=
Vim supports zero-width assertions (lookahead and lookbehind) in its regex engine.
How do I see all search matches highlighted as I type the pattern?
:set incsearch hlsearch
The combination of incsearch and hlsearch gives you live, interactive search highlighting.
How do I search across multiple files and navigate results without leaving Vim?
:vimgrep /pattern/g **/*.ext
The :vimgrep command searches for a pattern across multiple files and loads the results into the quickfix list.
How do I quickly replace all occurrences of the word under my cursor?
* then :%s//new/g
Pressing searches for the word under the cursor, which also loads it into the search register.
How do I search and replace only within a visual block selection?
:'<,'>s/\%Vold/new/g
The \%V atom restricts a search pattern to match only within the visual selection area, including visual block selections.