How do I delete characters, words, and lines without leaving insert mode?
<C-h> / <C-w> / <C-u>
Vim provides three levels of deletion directly in insert mode, so you don't need to switch to normal mode for small corrections.
Search: i" a"
1031 results for "i" a""
How do I set a mark and jump back to it later?
ma and 'a
The ma command sets a mark named a at the current cursor position.
How do I disable the error beep in Vim?
:set belloff=all
The belloff=all option disables all error bells and visual bells in Vim.
How do I paste or reuse my last search pattern from the search register?
"/p
Vim stores the last search pattern in the search register "/.
How do I open the alternate (previously visited) buffer in a new split window?
<C-w>^
Vim tracks the alternate buffer — the last file you were editing before the current one.
How do I insert the full WORD under the cursor (including slashes and dots) into the command line?
<C-r><C-a>
When you are in command-line mode, inserts the word under the cursor (alphanumeric and _ only).
How do I replace a line (or range) with the output of a shell command in Vim?
:.!{cmd}
:.
How do I search for a pattern that spans multiple lines?
/pattern1\_.*pattern2
Vim's \ modifier makes any character class match newlines too.
How do I join multiple lines together with a custom separator like a comma?
:'<,'>s/\n/, /g
Vim's J command joins lines with a single space, but sometimes you need a custom separator like a comma, pipe, or semicolon.
editing #editing #ex-commands #visual-mode #substitution #lines
How do I insert the output of a shell command into my buffer?
:read !date
The :read !{command} syntax runs a shell command and inserts its output below the current line.
How do I view my complete Vim command and search history?
:history
:history displays a numbered list of your recently entered Ex commands, giving you a full audit of what you have run in the current session (and across sessions
How do I select a rectangular block of text in Vim?
<C-v>
The (Ctrl+v) command enters visual block mode, which lets you select a rectangular column of text across multiple lines.
How do I move all lines matching a pattern to the end of the file in Vim?
:g/pattern/m $
The :g (global) command combined with :m (move) lets you collect all lines matching a pattern and relocate them to a specific position in the file.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #global #search #formatting
How do I set breakpoints and debug Vimscript functions interactively?
:breakadd func {funcname}
Vim has a built-in debugger for Vimscript that most users never discover.
How do I view the contents of all registers in Vim?
:registers
The :registers command displays the contents of all Vim registers, showing you exactly what text is stored in each one.
How do I search for tag definitions using a regex pattern instead of an exact name?
:tag /pattern
When working with ctags, you typically jump to exact tag names with .
How do I hide a buffer from the buffer list without closing it?
:setlocal nobuflisted
Setting nobuflisted removes a buffer from the :ls output and buffer-switching commands like :bnext/:bprev, while keeping it loaded and accessible.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #buffers #unlisted #management
How do I see the Unicode code point of the character under the cursor?
ga
The ga command displays the ASCII/Unicode value of the character under the cursor in decimal, hexadecimal, and octal.
editing #editing #unicode #debugging #normal-mode #inspection
How do I yank text into a specific named register for later use?
"{register}y{motion}
Vim has 26 named registers (a-z) that act as independent clipboards.
registers #registers #editing #normal-mode #yank #productivity
How do I fix broken or incorrect syntax highlighting in Vim?
:syntax sync fromstart
Vim's syntax highlighting engine does not always parse the entire file from the beginning — it uses sync points to determine where to start parsing for the vi