How do I remove the most recent Ex command from command history in Vim?
:call histdel(':', -1)
When you run sensitive or noisy Ex commands, they stay in command history and can be recalled accidentally.
Search: :q
272 results for ":q"
How do I make the = operator use an external formatter instead of Vim's built-in indentation?
:set equalprg={program}
The equalprg option replaces Vim's built-in = indentation operator with any external formatting program.
How do I view only command-history entries matching a pattern in Vim?
:filter /{pattern}/ history cmd
When command history gets crowded, scanning :history cmd manually is slow.
How do I read man pages inside Neovim with syntax highlighting and tag navigation?
:Man {name}
Neovim ships with a built-in :Man command (the man.
command-line #neovim #navigation #documentation #command-line
How do I record a macro that processes one line and moves to the next?
qa0f:dwj0q
How it works When recording a macro that you plan to repeat across multiple lines, the key technique is to end the macro positioned on the next line, ready for
How do I integrate a custom build tool like cargo or pytest with Vim's :make and quickfix workflow?
:set makeprg=
The makeprg option defines the command that :make runs.
How do I anchor a search or substitution pattern to the current cursor position?
\%#
The \%# atom in Vim's regex engine matches the exact position of the cursor — zero-width, between characters.
How do I run a normal mode command on every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>norm I//
After making a visual selection, :norm {commands} executes normal-mode keystrokes on every line in the range.
How do I run the last executed macro across an existing visual line range?
:'<,'>normal @@
When you already have a useful macro but need to apply it to a specific block of lines, :'normal @@ is a high-leverage pattern.
How do I step through a Vimscript command or function to debug it interactively?
:debug
The :debug command prefix puts Vim into its built-in interactive debugger before executing the given command.
command-line #ex-commands #debugging #command-line #vimscript
How do I jump to the beginning of the next word?
w
The w command moves the cursor forward to the beginning of the next word.
How do I quickly create an Ex command range spanning the next N lines using a count before the colon?
5:
Typing a count before : in normal mode automatically fills in a line range in the command line.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #normal-mode
How do I run a command on every individual quickfix entry in Vim?
:cdo s/old/new/ | update
:cdo {cmd} executes a command at every entry in the quickfix list, visiting each location in turn.
How do I reflow and hard-wrap a paragraph or selected lines to a fixed width in Vim?
gq (visual mode)
Pressing gq on a visual selection reformats the selected lines to hard-wrap at textwidth columns.
How do I execute Lua code directly from the Neovim command line without writing a script file?
:lua {code}
Neovim's :lua command lets you run arbitrary Lua code inline from the command line.
command-line #command-line #lua #neovim #vimscript #advanced
How do I reuse the last visual selection range in an Ex command after exiting visual mode in Vim?
:'<,'>
Vim automatically sets two special marks whenever you make a visual selection: ' (end).
How do I jump to a tag and get an interactive list when multiple definitions exist in Vim?
:tjump
:tjump {identifier} is the smart tag-jumping command: it jumps directly when there is only one matching tag, but shows an interactive numbered list when multipl
How do I run a :normal command that ignores user-defined mappings?
:normal! {cmds}
:normal {cmds} executes normal-mode keystrokes from the command line, but it honors your custom key mappings — so remapped keys produce unexpected results in
command-line #ex-commands #macros #normal-mode #command-line
How do I search for the word under my cursor across all project files using Telescope?
require('telescope.builtin').grep_string()
Telescope's grepstring() function performs a project-wide search for the exact word currently under the cursor, displaying live-previewed results in an interact
How do I speed up macro execution and bulk operations by preventing screen redraws?
:set lazyredraw
When Vim runs a macro or an :argdo / :bufdo loop, it redraws the screen after every command by default.