How do I scroll the screen so the current line is at the top or bottom?

Explanation

The zt and zb commands scroll the viewport so the current cursor line appears at the top or bottom of the screen respectively, without moving the cursor. Together with zz (center), these give you complete control over your view.

The trio

When to use each

• zt: You're about to read downward — put the current line at top to maximize visible content below
• zb: You're about to read upward — put the current line at bottom to see more context above
• zz: General purpose — put current line in context with surrounding code

With line offsets

z<CR>    " Like zt, but also moves cursor to first non-blank
z.       " Like zz, but also moves cursor to first non-blank
z-       " Like zb, but also moves cursor to first non-blank

Scrolloff setting

:set scrolloff=5    " Always keep 5 lines visible above/below cursor
:set scrolloff=999  " Always keep cursor centered (like permanent zz)

Tips

• zt is particularly useful after jumping to a function definition — it puts the function at the top so you can read the entire body
• These commands work well after search (/pattern): jump to match, then zt to frame it
• None of these change the cursor position in the buffer — only the viewport scrolls
• Combine with H (top of screen), M (middle), and L (bottom) for cursor positioning