How do I center-align a block of selected lines at a specific column width in Vim?

Explanation

After making a visual selection, typing : automatically inserts '<,'> to scope the command to the selection. Running :'<,'>center [width] centers each selected line within the given column width (default: textwidth or 80 if unset). This is a built-in Ex command that requires no plugins.

It is especially useful for centering comment banners, section headers, or ASCII art without manual counting.

How it works

• :'<,'> — the visual range (inserted automatically when you press : in visual mode)
• center (or ce) — the :center Ex command; centers each line by adding leading spaces
• [width] — optional column width (defaults to textwidth or 80)

The command pads the line with leading spaces so the content is horizontally centered within the specified width.

Example

Starting text:

Section Header
Subtitle Here

Select both lines with Vj, then run :'<,'>center 60:

                 Section Header
                  Subtitle Here

To right-align instead, use :'<,'>right [width]. To left-align (strip leading spaces), use :'<,'>left.

Tips

• :center works with any range, not just visual selections — use :%center 78 to center the entire file
• :'<,'>right 80 right-aligns selected lines to column 80 without a plugin
• :'<,'>left strips leading whitespace from selected lines, effectively left-aligning them
• Combine with :'<,'>!awk '{...}' for more advanced alignment if you have external tools
• :set textwidth=72 before using :center with no argument to control the default width