How do I edit another file without changing the alternate-file (#) reference?

Explanation

Experienced Vim workflows often depend on the alternate file (#) for fast toggling with <C-^>, quick diffs, or two-file review loops. A normal :edit updates that alternate-file pointer, which can break your navigation rhythm. :keepalt solves this by running a command while preserving the current alternate-file reference.

How it works

:keepalt edit path/to/file

• :keepalt is a command modifier
• It applies to the Ex command that follows (edit in this case)
• Vim opens the target file, but does not replace the current # alternate-file value

Example

Assume you are toggling between app/main.go and app/main_test.go using <C-^>. Midway through debugging, you want to inspect docs/notes.md briefly.

:keepalt edit docs/notes.md

After checking notes, <C-^> still jumps back through your original code/test pair, not to docs/notes.md. This keeps established context-switch shortcuts intact while you take side trips.

Tips

• Combine with other commands: :keepalt split file, :keepalt bnext, or :keepalt drop file
• Use this in mappings where preserving alternate-file semantics is important for repeatable navigation
• If your workflow heavily relies on #, this is a low-friction way to avoid subtle context loss during refactors