How do I jump between function or section boundaries in Vim?

Explanation

[[ and ]] navigate between section boundaries — typically the start of the previous or next top-level block. In C-style languages, Vim looks for a { character in column 1, making these commands ideal for jumping between function definitions.

How it works

• ]] — jump forward to the next { in column 1 (start of next section/function)
• [[ — jump backward to the previous { in column 1 (start of current/previous section)
• ][ — jump forward to the next } in column 1 (end of current section)
• [] — jump backward to the previous } in column 1 (end of previous section)

All four motions also work as operators — for example, d]] deletes from the cursor to the start of the next function.

Example

In a C file with this structure:

void foo() {
    // ...
}           <- [] lands here

void bar() {   <- [[ and ]] land here
    // ...
}

With cursor anywhere inside foo(), pressing ]] moves to the { opening bar().

Tips

• These motions respect 'sections' and 'paragraphs' options for non-C filetypes
• Use a count: 3]] jumps forward three section starts
• Combine with operators: y]] yanks from cursor to next function start
• In Neovim, treesitter-based plugins like nvim-treesitter-textobjects provide more reliable function navigation for any language