How do I search across all of Vim's help documentation for a keyword or phrase?

Explanation

:helpgrep searches the full text of every Vim help file for a pattern and loads all matches into the quickfix list. It is indispensable when you know what a feature does but not what it is called in Vim's help system.

How it works

• :helpgrep {pattern} — searches all help tags and text for the pattern (supports regex)
• After running, the quickfix list is populated with every match
• Navigate results with :cnext / :cprev (or ]q / [q with vim-unimpaired)
• :copen opens the quickfix window to see all matches at once
• Each match opens the relevant help file in a split, ready to read

The pattern is a Vim regular expression, so :helpgrep fold\|foldmethod finds entries about either term.

Example

:helpgrep formatoptions
:copen

This lists every help section that mentions formatoptions, letting you quickly find the relevant :help fo-table entry without knowing the exact tag name.

Tips

• For a case-insensitive search, prefix with \c: :helpgrep \cspellsuggest
• :lhelpgrep works the same way but loads results into the location list instead of the quickfix list, keeping them buffer-local
• If you know the exact help tag, :help {tag} is faster; use :helpgrep when you are exploring or the tag name is unknown
• After opening a help topic, use CTRL-] to follow a hyperlink to a related topic