How do I get enhanced tab completion with a visual menu for commands and file paths?
:set wildmenu wildmode=longest:full,full
By default, Vim's command-line tab completion just cycles through options.
Search: i" a"
1031 results for "i" a""
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 copy a line to another location without yanking?
:t {line-number}
The :t (copy/transfer) command duplicates the current line and places it after the specified line number.
How do I yank and paste a vertical block of text using blockwise registers?
<C-v>jj"ay then "ap
How it works Vim registers remember not just the text content but also the type of selection that was used to yank it: characterwise, linewise, or blockwise.
How do I select the contents inside curly braces?
vi{
The vi{ command visually selects everything inside the nearest pair of curly braces {}, without selecting the braces themselves.
visual-mode #visual-mode #text-objects #editing #normal-mode
How do I close all buffers except the current one in Vim?
:%bd | e#
How it works Vim does not have a built-in single command to close all buffers except the current one, but you can achieve this with a two-part command: :%bd e#.
How do I run a Vim command without triggering any autocommands?
:noautocmd write
The :noautocmd modifier (abbreviated :noa) runs any subsequent Ex command while temporarily disabling all autocommand events.
How do I move a line or selection up or down in Vim?
:move +1 / :move -2
The :move command relocates lines to a specific position without using delete and paste.
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 interactively browse and set all Vim options in a single window?
:options
:options opens a special Vim buffer that lists every available option, grouped by category (appearance, editing, search, etc.
How do I use the expression register in a mapping to insert dynamic values?
:nnoremap <leader>d "=strftime('%Y-%m-%d')<CR>p
The expression register (=) evaluates Vimscript expressions and uses the result as register content.
How do I set a different statusline for a specific buffer or window?
:setlocal statusline=%f\ %m\ %y\ [%l/%L]
The :setlocal statusline command lets you override the global statusline for a specific window.
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.
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 search for a second pattern relative to where the first one matched?
/pattern1/;/pattern2/
Vim's search offsets allow chaining two patterns together with a semicolon.
How do I replace every character in a visual selection with a single character?
r{char} in visual mode
In visual mode, pressing r followed by a character replaces every character in the selection with that single character.
How do I move to the first non-blank character of a line?
^
The ^ command moves the cursor to the first non-blank character of the current line.
How do I paste the last Ex command I ran into my buffer?
":p
The : register holds the most recently executed Ex command.
registers #registers #ex-commands #normal-mode #productivity
How do I use a macro to generate a numbered list automatically?
qaYp<C-a>q99@a
By recording a macro that duplicates a line and increments its number, you can generate a numbered list of any length with a single replay command.
macros #macros #editing #normal-mode #automation #productivity
How do I view the list of positions where I made edits in Vim?
:changes
How it works Vim maintains a change list that records the position of every change you make to a buffer.