How do I indent selected lines in visual mode?

Explanation

In visual mode, pressing > indents all selected lines by one shiftwidth. This is the simplest way to adjust indentation for a block of code.

How it works

• Select lines with V (or any visual mode)
• Press > to indent one level
• The selection is deselected after the operation

Example

if (true) {
return 1;
return 2;
}

Select lines 2-3 with Vj, press > to indent:

if (true) {
    return 1;
    return 2;
}

Tips

• < dedents the selection
• gv> reselects and indents again
• . repeats the indent (but on the current line only)
• = auto-indents the selection based on file type
• >> indents without visual mode