How do I copy or transfer text between Vim registers?
:let @+ = @"
Vim's :let @{reg} syntax lets you read from one register and write to another.
Search: /pattern
640 results for "/pattern"
How do I paste the contents of a register into the command line or search prompt?
:<C-r>"
When typing an Ex command or search pattern, you often need to insert text you've already yanked or deleted.
How do I remove trailing whitespace without clobbering @/ or showing no-match errors?
:silent keeppatterns %s/\s\+$//e
Trailing whitespace cleanup is a common housekeeping step, but a plain substitution can leave side effects: it can overwrite your last search pattern (@/) and t
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #editing #search #formatting
How do I clear search highlighting in Vim?
:noh
The :noh (short for :nohlsearch) command clears the highlighting from the last search pattern.
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 run a dynamically constructed Ex command or pass special keys to :normal?
:execute
:execute evaluates a string as an Ex command, letting you build commands dynamically or embed special key sequences (like or ) as literal characters.
How do I jump to a literal search target without adding jump-list noise?
:keepjumps normal! /\Vtarget\<CR>
Repeated navigational searches can pollute the jump list, especially when you are doing targeted inspections before returning to your main edit location.
navigation #navigation #search #jumplist #normal-mode #workflow
How do I jump to a match across included files using Vim's include search?
:ijump /MySymbol/
:ijump is an include-aware jump command that searches the current file plus files discovered through your include and path settings, then jumps directly to a se
How do I open any file in a project by partial name without a fuzzy finder plugin in Vim?
:find **/*.py
Vim's built-in :find command supports recursive glob patterns, making it possible to locate and open files anywhere in a project without installing a fuzzy find
How do I see all recent Vim messages, errors, and echo output I may have missed?
:messages
:messages displays the full log of recent Vim messages — errors, warnings, echo output, and status notifications.
How do I sort lines numerically so that 10 sorts after 2 rather than before it?
:'<,'>sort n
By default, :sort in Vim uses lexicographic (alphabetical) ordering, so "10" sorts before "2" because "1" sort n — sort selected lines by the leading number,
How do I run a normal mode command on multiple lines at once?
:'<,'>norm! A;
The :normal Ex command lets you execute any Normal mode keystrokes on a range of lines simultaneously, turning a single-line operation into a multi-line batch e
editing #editing #normal-mode #ex-commands #visual-mode #text-manipulation
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 collapse multiple consecutive spaces into a single space throughout a file?
:%s/\s\+/ /g
The pattern \s\+ matches one or more whitespace characters (spaces, tabs).
How do I programmatically set the contents of a register from the command line?
:let @a = "value"
The :let @{reg} = expr command lets you assign any string or expression directly into a named register without entering insert mode or performing a yank.
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 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 populate a window-local location list for only the current file using ripgrep output?
:call setloclist(0, [], 'r', {'title': 'TODO current file', 'lines': systemlist('rg --vimgrep TODO ' . shellescape(expand('%:p'))), 'efm': '%f:%l:%c:%m'})
For focused review work, a window-local location list is often better than global quickfix.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #location-list #search #quickfix
How do I jump through several annotation keywords with one search command?
/\v<(TODO|FIXME|BUG)>
When you triage code, jumping among TODO, FIXME, and BUG markers quickly is often more useful than searching each token separately.