How do I run a command on every file in the quickfix list?

Explanation

The :cdo command executes a given command on every entry in the quickfix list. Combined with :update (which saves only if the file changed), this creates a powerful multi-file batch editing workflow.

How it works

1. Populate the quickfix list (via :vimgrep, :grep, or a plugin)
2. Run :cdo with your command
3. Each quickfix entry is visited and the command is executed

Example: Multi-file search and replace

" Step 1: Find all occurrences
:vimgrep /oldFunction/g **/*.js

" Step 2: Replace in every match and save
:cdo s/oldFunction/newFunction/g | update

cdo vs cfdo

" cfdo is more efficient when every file needs the same change
:cfdo %s/old/new/g | update

" cdo is better when you need per-match precision
:cdo s/old/new/ | update

Tips

• Always append | update to save each file after modification
• Use :vimgrep or an external grep to populate the quickfix list first
• :ldo and :lfdo are the location-list equivalents
• This workflow replaces the need for sed -i across multiple files
• Add e flag to suppress errors on files without matches: s/old/new/ge