How do I open a file by name without knowing its full path?
:find
The :find command searches for a file by name across all directories listed in Vim's path option, so you can open files without typing full paths.
Search: :e!
488 results for ":e!"
How do I refresh the diff highlighting in Vim when it becomes stale after editing?
:diffupdate
After making edits in a vimdiff session, the diff highlighting can become out of sync with the actual content — showing incorrect change markers or missing hu
How do I make a single search case-insensitive without changing my global ignorecase setting?
/pattern\c
Vim's \c and \C atoms let you override the global ignorecase and smartcase settings on a per-search basis.
How do I open the command-line window while I am already typing a command?
<C-f> (command-line mode)
Pressing while in the command-line (:, /, or ? prompt) opens the command-line window with your partially-typed command already loaded and ready for full Vim edi
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #navigation
How do I prevent a window from switching to a different buffer in Neovim?
:set winfixbuf
Neovim's winfixbuf option (added in Neovim 0.
How do I preview a macro register with escaped keycodes before executing it?
:put =strtrans(@q)<CR>
Macro failures are often caused by hidden control keys like , , or tabs that are hard to see in raw register output.
How do I put a register as true line list so embedded newlines stay split correctly?
:put =getreg('a', 1, 1)
Most register pastes are character-oriented, but advanced edits often need to preserve exact line structure.
registers #registers #ex-commands #scripting #text-processing
How do I convert a file from Windows CRLF to Unix LF line endings in Vim?
:set fileformat=unix
When you open a Windows file in Vim on a Unix system, you may see ^M at the end of every line — that's the carriage return (\r) from CRLF line endings.
How do I look up documentation for the keyword under the cursor?
K
Pressing K in normal mode runs a lookup program on the word under the cursor.
navigation #navigation #help #documentation #normal-mode #keywordprg
How do I split a line by inserting a newline with the substitute command?
:s/,/\r/g
In Vim's substitute command, use \r (not \n) in the replacement to insert a real newline.
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 reorder tab pages in Vim without specifying an absolute position?
:tabmove +1
:tabmove normally takes an absolute position (:tabmove 0 moves the tab to the far left), but it also accepts relative offsets using + and -.
How do I accept a flagged word as correct for the current session without permanently adding it to my spellfile?
zG
zG marks the word under the cursor as correctly spelled in Vim's internal word list, which exists only for the current session.
How do I execute Ex commands stored in a register instead of replaying it as normal-mode keys?
:@q
Most macro workflows focus on @q, which replays register q as normal-mode keystrokes.
How do I run a command on every file in the quickfix list?
:cdo s/old/new/g | update
The :cdo command executes a given command on every entry in the quickfix list.
command-line #command-line #quickfix #batch-editing #search #multi-file
How do I turn a visual selection of lines into a numbered list?
:s/^/\=line('.') - line("'<") + 1 . '. '/
When you need to quickly number a set of lines — such as TODO items, steps, or bullet points — you can use a visual selection combined with a substitution e
visual-mode #visual-mode #editing #ex-commands #formatting #substitute
How do I define Vimscript functions that load automatically on demand without slowing down startup?
function! {name}#{funcname}() in autoload/{name}.vim
Vim's autoload mechanism lets you place functions in autoload/*.
How do I run a normal-mode append on only matching lines inside a visual selection?
:'<,'>g/let /normal! A;<CR>
When you need a structural edit in part of a file, Visual mode ranges combine well with :global and :normal!.
visual-mode #visual-mode #command-line #ex-commands #editing
How do I run a substitution over every quickfix hit and save only changed files?
:cdo s/foo/bar/ge | update
When quickfix already contains exactly the lines you want to touch, :cdo is the safest way to batch-edit with tight scope.
command-line #command-line #quickfix #substitution #refactoring
How do I highlight the entire column under the cursor to help with aligning data?
:set cursorcolumn
:set cursorcolumn (or the short form set cuc) highlights the entire vertical column where the cursor sits, painting a visible strip from top to bottom of the wi