How do I quickly jump between function definitions or top-level blocks in a source file?

Explanation

The [[ and ]] commands navigate between top-level code blocks — specifically, lines where { appears in column 1. In C, Go, shell scripts, and similar languages, this corresponds to the start of function definitions. Their siblings [] and ][ jump to closing braces in column 1, letting you navigate the full structure of a file without search.

How it works

All four accept a count prefix: 3[[ jumps to the start of the function 3 levels back.

Example

In a C file:

void foo() {
    ...
}              <- [] lands here
               <- [[ jumps over this
void bar() {   <- [[ lands here (column-1 {)
    ...
}              <- ][ lands here

void baz() {   <- ]] lands here

Tips

• Works well in combination with v]] to visually select to the next function
• In Python or Ruby (no {), these commands fall back to moving by section marks or may not work — use [m and ]m instead to jump by methods
• Add to your workflow: d]] or y]] to delete/yank to the next function start