How do I restore a file to its state at a specific time?

Explanation

The :earlier command restores the buffer to its state at a specific time in the past. Vim tracks changes with timestamps, allowing time-based undo.

How it works

• :earlier 10m reverts to the state 10 minutes ago
• :earlier 1h reverts to 1 hour ago
• :earlier 5s reverts to 5 seconds ago
• :earlier 3f reverts 3 file-writes ago

Example

After spending 30 minutes editing and realizing you took a wrong turn 15 minutes ago:

:earlier 15m

Tips

• :later 10m moves forward in time (un-reverts)
• g- and g+ step through the undo tree chronologically
• :undolist shows all undo branches
• :set undofile persists undo history across Vim sessions
• This uses Vim's undo tree, which never loses data