How do I run the same normal mode command on every line in a range?

Explanation

The :normal (or :norm) command lets you execute normal mode keystrokes from the command line. When combined with a range, it runs those keystrokes on every line in the range, making it a powerful tool for repetitive edits without recording a macro.

How it works

• Select lines in visual mode, then type : which prefills :'<,'>
• Append norm followed by the normal mode commands you want to run
• Vim executes those commands on each line in the range independently, as if you pressed them with the cursor at the beginning of each line

Example

Given the text:

alpha
beta
gamma
delta

Select all four lines in visual mode and run :'<,'>norm A; to append a semicolon to every line:

alpha;
beta;
gamma;
delta;

Or prepend // to comment out each line: :'<,'>norm I//

// alpha;
// beta;
// gamma;
// delta;

Tips

• Use :%norm to apply the command to every line in the file
• norm does not recognize special keys like <Esc> as literal text — use norm! with execute if you need special keys, or use <C-v><Esc> to insert a literal escape character
• norm! (with the bang) ignores user-defined mappings, using only default Vim behavior — this is safer in scripts
• Combine with :g for even more power: :g/TODO/norm ^dwA (done) modifies only lines matching a pattern
• You can run complex sequences: :'<,'>norm 0f=lC0 deletes from after = to the end on each line
• This is often faster than recording a macro for simple repetitive edits