How do I search and replace across multiple files using the quickfix list?

Explanation

The :cdo command executes a command on every entry in the quickfix list. Combined with :vimgrep, this enables multi-file search and replace.

How it works

1. Populate the quickfix list: :vimgrep /old/ **/*.js
2. Run substitute on each entry: :cdo s/old/new/g
3. Save all changed files: :cfdo update

Example

:vimgrep /deprecated_func/ **/*.py
:cdo s/deprecated_func/new_func/g
:cfdo update

This replaces deprecated_func with new_func across all Python files.

Tips

• :cfdo runs the command once per file (not per match)
• :cdo runs the command once per quickfix entry
• Use :cfdo update to save only modified files
• :bufdo can also work for search/replace across all open buffers