How do I search for a pattern in the current file and navigate results with the quickfix list?

Explanation

When you need to find all occurrences of a pattern in the current file and jump between them systematically, :vimgrep with % is more powerful than basic / search. It populates the quickfix list with every match, giving you a persistent, navigable list of results.

How it works

• :vimgrep is Vim's built-in grep command that searches files and populates the quickfix list
• /pattern/ is the search pattern (supports full Vim regex)
• % refers to the current file
• After running, use :copen to see all matches in the quickfix window
• Navigate with :cnext / :cprev (or ]q / [q with unimpaired-style mappings)

Example

Suppose you have a file with multiple function definitions and want to jump between them:

:vimgrep /function\s\+\w\+/ %
:copen

This populates the quickfix list with every line containing a function definition. The quickfix window shows:

file.js|3| function initialize() {
file.js|15| function processData() {
file.js|42| function cleanup() {

Press <CR> on any line to jump directly to that match.

Tips

• Add j flag (:vimgrep /pattern/j %) to avoid jumping to the first match automatically
• Use :lvimgrep instead to populate the location list (per-window) rather than the quickfix list
• Combine with :cdo to perform operations on all matches