How do I run a substitute command without overwriting my last search pattern?

Explanation

The :keeppatterns modifier runs any Ex command without modifying Vim's last search pattern (stored in @/). This is especially valuable when you have an important search loaded — for example, you're using n/N to navigate matches — and you want to perform a substitution without losing that search.

How it works

• :keeppatterns is a command modifier that wraps any following Ex command
• Without it, :s/old/new/g replaces @/ with old, affecting subsequent n/N jumps and highlighted matches
• With :keeppatterns, the substitution runs normally but @/ remains unchanged after it completes

Example

Suppose you searched for function and are navigating all occurrences with n. You want to fix a typo elsewhere without losing your search:

/function
" navigate with n/N...
:keeppatterns %s/recieve/receive/g
" @/ is still 'function', n/N still work

Without :keeppatterns:

:s/recieve/receive/g
" @/ is now 'recieve' — your 'function' search is gone

Tips

• :keeppatterns works with any Ex command that touches @/, including :global and :vimgrep
• Combine with :silent for completely unobtrusive batch fixes: :silent keeppatterns %s/foo/bar/ge
• In scripts and functions, :keeppatterns is best practice to avoid surprising the user's search state
• Check the current last search with :echo @/