How do I enable persistent undo so undo history survives closing files?
:set undofile undodir=~/.vim/undodir
By default, Vim's undo history is lost when you close a file.
Search: i( a(
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How do I filter the output of an Ex command to show only matching lines?
:filter /pattern/ command
The :filter command restricts the output of another Ex command to only lines matching a given pattern.
How do I move to the first non-blank character of the next line?
+
The + command moves the cursor to the first non-blank character of the next line.
How do I switch between buffers without being forced to save first?
:set hidden
By default, Vim refuses to let you switch away from a buffer that has unsaved changes, forcing you to save or discard with :w or :e! before moving on.
How do I change the text inside parentheses?
ci(
The ci( command deletes everything inside the nearest pair of parentheses and places you in insert mode, ready to type a replacement.
How do I type special characters and symbols using Vim's built-in digraph system in insert mode?
<C-k>{digraph}
Vim's digraph system lets you insert special characters, accented letters, and symbols by typing a memorable two-character sequence.
How do I reindent the previous visual selection and keep it selected?
gv=gv
When you are iterating on indentation, repeating selection steps is wasted motion.
visual-mode #visual-mode #indentation #editing #formatting #workflow
How do I delete just the current search match with dgn?
*Ndgn
When you are reviewing repetitive text, you often need to remove one specific match without running a broad substitute.
How do I make Vim automatically reload files changed outside the editor?
:set autoread | autocmd FocusGained * checktime
When working with Git, build tools, or collaborators, files may change outside Vim.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #autoread #file-detection #external-changes
How do I repeat the last f/t/F/T motion in the opposite direction?
,
After using f, t, F, or T for single-character motion on a line, Vim lets you repeat that character search without retyping the target.
How do I include dictionary and spelling words in Vim's insert-mode autocomplete?
:set complete+=kspell
Vim's built-in completion ( / ) sources matches from buffers, included files, and tags by default.
How do I search non-greedily across multiple lines between two markers?
/\vstart\_.{-}end
Multiline searches in Vim often overmatch because .
How do I sort lines and remove duplicates in Vim?
:%sort u
The :sort u command sorts all lines in the file and removes duplicate lines in one operation.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #text-manipulation #sort
How do I keep the quickfix window height from resizing when splitting?
:setlocal winfixheight
Quickfix windows are easy to disturb when you open, close, or rebalance other splits.
How do I toggle the case of an entire word in Vim?
g~iw
The g~iw command toggles the case of every character in the word under the cursor — uppercase letters become lowercase and vice versa.
How do I toggle whether / and ? searches wrap around the file?
:set wrapscan!
wrapscan controls what happens when a / or ? search reaches the end (or beginning) of the file.
How do I trim trailing whitespace while preserving marks, jumplist, and search state?
:lockmarks keepjumps keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e
Bulk cleanup commands are easy to automate, but many implementations quietly damage editor state by moving marks, polluting the jumplist, or replacing your last
How do I deeply merge two Lua tables in Neovim config using vim.tbl_deep_extend?
vim.tbl_deep_extend('force', defaults, overrides)
vim.
How do I paste the name of the alternate (previously edited) file into the buffer?
"#p
The # register holds the name of the alternate file — the file you were editing just before the current one.
How do I view all the files Vim would search when resolving include-based completions and lookups?
:checkpath!
:checkpath! recursively walks through every file reachable via Vim's include path and displays the full include tree.