How do I scroll and copy text from a terminal buffer in Vim?

Explanation

When using Vim's built-in :terminal, the buffer is in Terminal-Job mode by default, meaning all keystrokes go to the running shell. Pressing <C-w>N switches the terminal buffer into Terminal-Normal mode, where you can scroll, search, yank text, and use all normal mode commands on the terminal output.

How it works

• <C-w>N switches from Terminal-Job mode to Terminal-Normal mode
• In Terminal-Normal mode, the terminal output becomes a read-only buffer you can navigate freely
• Use standard motions like gg, G, /pattern, yy to browse and copy output
• Press i or a to return to Terminal-Job mode and resume interacting with the shell

Example

" Open a terminal
:terminal

" Run a long command that produces lots of output
" Press <C-w>N to enter Normal mode
" Now you can:
/error         " search for 'error' in terminal output
yy             " yank a line
gg             " scroll to the top

" Press i to go back to the shell

Tips

• In Neovim, the equivalent shortcut is <C-\><C-n> instead of <C-w>N
• You can yank text from the terminal buffer and paste it into other buffers using registers
• This is especially useful for copying error messages, log output, or command results without leaving Vim