How do I prevent a window from switching to a different buffer in Neovim?

Explanation

Neovim's winfixbuf option (added in Neovim 0.10) locks a window to its current buffer. Once set, buffer-switching commands like :bnext, :bprev, :buffer, and :e that would normally change which buffer the window displays will instead open a new split. This is invaluable for keeping utility windows — quickfix, terminal, file trees, diffs — pinned while you navigate buffers in your main editing windows.

How it works

• :set winfixbuf or :setlocal winfixbuf enables it for the current window
• Commands that try to display a different buffer in the window will open a new window or fail with an error instead
• :set nowinfixbuf unlocks the window again
• Certain commands that operate on the buffer list still work: :bdelete, :bwipeout, :quit

Example

" Open a terminal in a bottom split and lock it there
:split
:terminal
:set winfixbuf

" Now <C-w>w + :bnext in main window won't affect the terminal window

Combine with winfixheight to keep the terminal pinned at a fixed height too:

:resize 15
:set winfixheight winfixbuf

Tips

• Useful with quickfix windows — set winfixbuf so :cnext updates the main editing window, not the quickfix window itself
• In Lua configs: vim.wo.winfixbuf = true
• Check if active with :set winfixbuf?