How do I insert text at the beginning of multiple lines at once using visual block mode?
<C-v>I
Visual block mode's I command lets you type once and have the text inserted at the cursor column across all selected lines simultaneously.
Category: visual-mode
How do I run a substitution only within the exact columns of a visual selection, not the whole line?
:'<,'>s/\%Vpattern/replacement/g
When you press : after making a visual selection, Vim inserts ' to restrict the substitution to the selected lines.
visual-mode #visual-mode #search #editing #ex-commands #normal-mode
How do I reflow and hard-wrap a paragraph or selected lines to a fixed width in Vim?
gq (visual mode)
Pressing gq on a visual selection reformats the selected lines to hard-wrap at textwidth columns.
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 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 run a normal mode command on every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>norm I//
After making a visual selection, :norm {commands} executes normal-mode keystrokes on every line in the range.
How do I replace a visual selection with yanked text in Vim?
p (in visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing p replaces the selected text with the contents of the default register.
How do I paste over a visual selection without losing my yanked text?
P (in visual mode)
When you paste over a visual selection using p (lowercase), Vim replaces the selection with your register contents — but the replaced text overwrites your unn
How do I move the cursor to the other end of a visual selection without restarting it?
o (visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing o swaps the cursor between the two ends of the selection (the anchor and the free end).
How do I switch between visual mode and select mode in Vim?
v{motion}<C-g>
Vim has a lesser-known select mode that behaves like selection in typical GUI editors: any typed character replaces the selection.
How do I change the case of a specific column of text using visual block mode?
<C-v>jjlU
Visual block mode lets you select rectangular regions of text, which means you can target a specific column and apply case changes only to that area.
How do I turn a visual selection of lines into a numbered list?
:s/^/\=line('.') - line("'<") + 1 . '. '/
When you need to quickly number a set of lines — such as TODO items, steps, or bullet points — you can use a visual selection combined with a substitution e
visual-mode #visual-mode #editing #ex-commands #formatting #substitute
How do I move the cursor to the other end of a visual selection to adjust it?
v_o
When you start a visual selection, the cursor is at one end and the anchor is at the other.
How do I align columns of text into a neatly formatted table in Vim?
:'<,'>!column -t
When working with data that has uneven spacing — such as variable assignments, CSV-like data, or configuration entries — you can select the lines and pipe t
visual-mode #visual-mode #editing #formatting #external-command #alignment
How do I switch between character, line, and block visual selection without reselecting?
v / V / <C-v> (while in visual mode)
When you are already in visual mode and realize you need a different selection type, you do not have to exit and re-enter.
How do I reformat a paragraph or visual selection to fit a specific line width?
gq
The gq operator reformats text to fit within your configured textwidth.
How do I append text to the end of multiple lines of different lengths?
<C-v>$A
When you need to append text to the end of several lines that have different lengths, visual block mode with $ is the key.
How do I append text to the end of multiple lines that have different lengths?
<C-v>jj$A;
Visual block mode normally selects a fixed-width column, which makes appending tricky when lines have different lengths.
How do I move the cursor to the other end of a Visual selection in Vim?
o (in Visual mode)
When you make a Visual selection in Vim, the cursor sits at one end while the other end is anchored.
How do I progressively expand or contract a visual selection by text objects?
v3aw
In visual mode, repeating text object motions progressively expands the selection.