How do I search forward for text in Vim?

Explanation

The / command initiates a forward search in the file. Type your search term and press Enter to find the first match after the cursor.

How it works

• Press / to open the search prompt at the bottom
• Type your search pattern
• Press <CR> (Enter) to execute the search
• The cursor jumps to the first match

Example

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

Typing /fox<CR> moves the cursor to fox.

Tips

• n finds the next match in the same direction
• N finds the next match in the opposite direction
• / wraps around the end of the file by default
• :set nowrapscan disables wrap-around searching