How do I save only a range of lines to a file?

Explanation

The :w command with a range and filename saves only the specified lines to a new file. This is useful for extracting portions of a file.

How it works

• :10,20w extract.txt saves lines 10-20 to extract.txt
• :'<,'>w selection.txt saves the visual selection
• The original file is not modified

Example

:1,50w header.txt       " Save first 50 lines
:'<,'>w snippet.py      " Save visual selection
:.,$w rest.txt          " Save from current line to end

Tips

• :w >>file appends to an existing file
• Without a range, :w file saves the entire buffer
• :w! file overwrites an existing file
• This does not change the current buffer's filename
• Useful for splitting large files into smaller parts