How do I use normal regex syntax in Vim search without escaping everything?
/\v
Vim's default regex syntax requires backslashes before most special characters like +, (, ), {, and , which is the opposite of what most developers expect from
Search: G
414 results for "G"
How do I see a list of recently opened files and quickly jump back to one?
:oldfiles
:oldfiles displays a numbered list of every file Vim has recorded in its viminfo (or shada in Neovim) file.
How do I move by display lines when long lines wrap?
gj
The gj command moves the cursor down by one display line rather than one physical line.
How do I run a substitution across all files in the argument list?
:argdo %s/old/new/g | update
The :argdo command runs an Ex command on every file in the argument list (the files you opened Vim with, or added via :argadd).
How do I match only part of a search pattern for highlighting or substitution?
/\zs and \ze
The \zs and \ze atoms let you define where the actual match starts and ends within a larger pattern.
What are Vim's built-in character class shortcuts for search patterns?
\d \w \s \a \l \u
How it works Vim provides shorthand character classes that save you from writing out full bracket expressions.
How do I filter text through an external program using a motion in normal mode?
!{motion}{program}
The ! operator in normal mode lets you pipe a range of text through any external program and replace it with the output.
How do I create a macro that only acts on lines matching a search pattern?
qa/pattern<CR>dd@aq
By starting a macro with a search command, the macro becomes conditional — it jumps to the next match before acting, and terminates when no more matches are f
How do I move by visible screen lines instead of actual lines?
gj / gk
When a long line wraps across multiple screen rows, the regular j and k motions skip the entire logical line.
How do I inspect what key sequences are stored in a macro register?
:echo strtrans(@q)
When a macro behaves unexpectedly, :echo strtrans(@q) reveals exactly what is stored in register q—including invisible control characters—as human-readable
How do I override ignorecase or smartcase for a single search without changing my settings?
/\cfoo
Vim's \c and \C flags let you force a search to be case-insensitive or case-sensitive on a per-search basis, regardless of your ignorecase and smartcase setting
How do I run a substitute command without changing my current search pattern?
:keeppattern %s/pattern/replacement/g
When you run a :substitute command, Vim updates the search register (@/) with the substitute pattern, which changes your hlsearch highlighting and affects n/N n
How do I change surrounding quotes or brackets from one type to another with vim-surround?
cs'"
The vim-surround plugin (by Tim Pope) adds three powerful operators for working with surrounding delimiters — quotes, brackets, parentheses, and HTML tags.
How do I search backward for the word under the cursor?
#
The # command searches backward for the exact word under the cursor, jumping to the previous occurrence.
How do I add text to the end of every line in a range?
:'<,'>normal A;
The :normal command executes normal-mode keystrokes on every line in a range.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #normal-mode #batch-editing
How do I filter a visual selection through an external shell command?
!sort
Vim can pipe a visual selection through any shell command and replace the selection with the command's output.
visual-mode #visual-mode #ex-commands #external-commands #filtering
How do I match only part of a search pattern in Vim using \zs and \ze?
/pattern\zs.*\ze/
Vim's \zs (start of match) and \ze (end of match) atoms let you define a search pattern but only highlight or operate on a portion of it.
How do I run a substitution or command on every line in the quickfix list?
:cdo
:cdo {cmd} executes {cmd} on each entry in the quickfix list — one by one, jumping to each location in turn.
command-line #ex-commands #quickfix #search #editing #buffers
How do I use a Vimscript expression to compute the replacement text in a substitution?
:s/pattern/\=expr/
Prefixing the replacement field of :s with \= makes Vim evaluate the rest as a Vimscript expression and use the result as the replacement string.
How do I paste or reuse my last search pattern?
<C-r>/
Vim stores your last search pattern in the / register.