How do I move to the first non-blank character of the next line?

Explanation

The + command moves the cursor to the first non-blank character of the next line. It is the complement of -, which moves to the first non-blank character of the previous line. Unlike j, which keeps the cursor in the same column, + always lands on the first printable character — making it ideal for navigating indented code.

How it works

• + — move to first non-blank of the next line
• - — move to first non-blank of the previous line
• Accepts a count: 3+ moves three lines down to the first non-blank

Compare with similar motions:

• j / k — move up/down, keeping the same column
• 0 — move to column 0 (very first character, including whitespace)
• ^ — move to first non-blank of the current line

Example

Given:

function foo() {
    return 42;
}

With cursor on line 1, pressing + moves to the r in return, skipping the leading spaces.

Tips

• 2+ skips two lines down to the first non-blank character
• Combine with operators: d+ deletes from the cursor to the first non-blank of the next line
• <CR> (Enter in normal mode) behaves identically to +