How do I paste my last Ex command into the command line or a buffer?
<C-r>:
Vim stores your last executed Ex command in the read-only : register.
Search: /pattern
640 results for "/pattern"
How do I jump directly to a specific tab page by its number in Vim?
{count}gt
Prefixing gt (go to next tab) with a count jumps directly to the tab page at that position.
buffers-windows #tabs #buffers-windows #navigation #normal-mode
How do I run commands without polluting the jump list?
:keepjumps
When writing scripts or running commands that move the cursor (like :g, :s, or :normal), Vim normally adds each cursor position to the jump list.
How do I configure :grep to use ripgrep with quickfix output and include hidden files?
:set grepprg=rg\ --vimgrep\ --smart-case\ --hidden\ --glob\ !.git
Vim's :grep becomes much more useful when grepprg is tuned for ripgrep and quickfix-compatible output.
How do I refactor a recorded macro by rewriting its keystrokes with substitute()?
:let @q = substitute(@q, 'foo', 'bar', 'g')
Recorded macros are plain text stored in registers, which means you can refactor them instead of re-recording from scratch.
How do I run a replacement only over the current window's location-list matches?
:ldo s/foo/bar/ge | update\<CR>
:ldo is one of the most effective ways to perform targeted, multi-file edits without touching unrelated text.
How do I visually select a double-quoted string including the quotes themselves?
va"
Vim's text objects let you select structured regions of text with two-keystroke shortcuts.
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 append text to a named register programmatically without re-recording a macro?
:let @a .= "text"
Vim registers are just strings, and you can read and write them directly using the :let command.
How do I build a location list of TODO matches across a project?
:lvimgrep /\<TODO\>/gj **/* | lopen
If you want project-wide search results without polluting the global quickfix list, use a location list.
How do I convert text to title case (capitalize first letter, lowercase the rest of each word)?
:%s/\(\w\+\)/\u\L\1/g
Vim's substitute command supports case-conversion escape sequences in the replacement string.
How do I write a non-greedy (lazy) quantifier in Vim's search regex?
\{-}
In Vim's regex engine, \{-} is the non-greedy (lazy) quantifier — it matches as few characters as possible, unlike .
How do I insert register contents into the command line?
:<C-r>a
How it works While typing an Ex command on the command line (after pressing :), you can insert the contents of any register by pressing Ctrl-R followed by the r
How do I prepend text to every line in a visual block selection?
I{text}<Esc>
When you need to add the same prefix to many adjacent lines, Visual Block insert is faster and safer than repeating macros or substitutions.
How do I edit a file on a remote server directly from Vim?
:e scp://user@host//path/to/file
Vim's built-in netrw plugin supports editing files over the network using protocols like SCP, SFTP, and HTTP.
How do I apply my last normal-mode change to every line in a visual selection?
:'<,'>normal! .
When you already made one correct edit, replaying it is usually safer than retyping it by hand.
How do I jump to the first macro or #define definition of the word under the cursor?
[<C-d>
Vim's [ command jumps to the first definition of the macro or identifier under the cursor, searching from the beginning of the current file and through any file
How do I manually add the current position to the jump list before making a large movement?
m'
Vim's jump list automatically records your position whenever you make large motions (like G, /pattern, or ).
How to navigate between buffers, quickfix entries, and location list items using bracket pairs with vim-unimpaired?
[b and ]b
The vim-unimpaired plugin by Tim Pope adds symmetric [ and ] bracket mappings for navigating common Vim lists.
plugins #navigation #buffers #quickfix #plugins #normal-mode
How do I profile Vim functions at runtime to find what's making it slow?
:profile start /tmp/profile.log | profile func *
When Vim feels sluggish during editing (not just at startup), the :profile command lets you measure the execution time of every function call.