How do I hard-wrap the current paragraph to the textwidth in Vim?

Explanation

The gq operator formats (hard-wraps) text to fit within textwidth columns by inserting real newlines. Combining it with } (the "end of paragraph" motion) formats from the cursor to the end of the current paragraph — exactly what you need when writing prose, documentation, or commit messages.

How it works

• gq — the format operator; applies the formatter defined by formatexpr (or the built-in line-breaking algorithm when formatexpr is unset)
• } — motion that moves to the next blank line (paragraph boundary)
• Together: format text from the cursor position to the end of the paragraph

Common gq pairings:

Example

With set textwidth=72 and a paragraph that has run-on lines:

This is a very long line that goes way past the 72-character limit and really should be wrapped onto multiple lines for readability.

Press gqip anywhere inside it:

This is a very long line that goes way past the 72-character limit and
really should be wrapped onto multiple lines for readability.

Tips

• Set textwidth in your vimrc for the file types you write prose in: autocmd FileType gitcommit setlocal textwidth=72
• gw is a variant that keeps the cursor in place after formatting (useful in mappings)
• If formatexpr is set (e.g., by an LSP), gq delegates to it — use gw for the built-in formatter