How do I instantly erase everything I have typed on the command line and start the command over?
Answer
<C-u> (command line)
Explanation
When you are typing a long Ex command on the : prompt and realise you've made a mistake, pressing <C-u> erases everything from the cursor back to the beginning of the command line in a single keystroke. This is faster and less error-prone than repeatedly pressing <Backspace>.
How it works
<C-u>in Vim's command line deletes all characters from the cursor position back to the start of the line- If the cursor is at the end of a long command, this effectively clears the entire command
- After pressing
<C-u>, the:prompt remains open and you can type a fresh command - This mirrors the behaviour of
<C-u>in many Unix shells (bash, zsh) and insert mode, making it muscle-memory-friendly
Example
Suppose you have typed:
:%s/very-long-old-pattern/some-replacement/
But you realise the pattern is wrong. Press <C-u> to erase the entire command and retype it correctly.
Tips
<C-w>deletes one word backward if you only need to fix part of the command<C-b>moves the cursor to the beginning of the command line without deleting anything<C-e>moves the cursor to the end<C-u>behaves the same way in insert mode, deleting from the cursor to the start of the line