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.
Search: G
795 results for "G"
How do I search for multiple spellings or word endings with a single Vim pattern?
/colour\%[s]
Vim's \%[.
How do I reopen the last Telescope picker with my previous search and results still there?
:Telescope resume
The :Telescope resume command reopens the most recent Telescope picker, restoring the exact query string, filtered results, and cursor position from the last ti
How do I search a project without overwriting the global quickfix list?
:lvimgrep /pattern/gj **/*.js | lopen
When you already rely on the global quickfix list for compiler errors or another search, running :vimgrep can wipe that context.
How do I override Vim's case sensitivity for a single search without changing the global ignorecase setting?
/\c
Vim lets you override the ignorecase and smartcase settings on a per-search basis using the \c (case-insensitive) and \C (case-sensitive) atoms directly inside
What is the difference between \n and \r in Vim search patterns versus substitution replacements?
\n in search, \r in replacement
Vim uses \n and \r differently depending on whether they appear in a search pattern or a replacement string, and mixing them up is a common source of confusion.
How do I use POSIX character classes like [:alpha:] and [:digit:] in Vim search patterns?
[[:alpha:]]
Vim's regex engine supports POSIX character classes inside bracket expressions, giving you locale-aware, readable alternatives to manual character ranges like [
How do I convert space-indented code to tab-indented code in Vim?
:set noexpandtab | retab!
When you inherit space-indented code and need to switch to tabs, :retab! (with the bang) converts groups of spaces into tabs throughout the file.
How do I jump to the Nth next search match instead of pressing n repeatedly?
{count}n
Like most Vim motions, the n and N search repeat commands accept a count prefix.
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 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 normalize curly quotes to straight quotes in the current buffer?
:%s/[“”]/"/ge<CR>:%s/[‘’]/'/ge<CR>
When text comes from docs, email, or CMS exports, it often contains typographic quotes (“”‘’) that break code snippets, Markdown tooling, or shell comma
How do I increment or decrement a number under the cursor?
<C-a> / <C-x>
Pressing increments and decrements the number under or after the cursor.
How do I match a pattern only when it is preceded or followed by another pattern using Vim regex?
\@<= and \@=
Vim's regex engine supports zero-width lookahead and lookbehind assertions using the \@ atom.
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 access and manipulate the last search pattern as a register?
"/
Vim stores the last search pattern in the special / register.
How do I force a case-sensitive search in Vim even when ignorecase is enabled?
/pattern\C
Appending \C anywhere in a search pattern forces the entire search to be case-sensitive, regardless of whether ignorecase or smartcase is set.
search #search #case-sensitive #ignorecase #smartcase #normal-mode