How do I remove duplicate consecutive lines using a substitute command?
:%s/^\(.\+\)\n\1$/\1/
This substitute command detects pairs of identical adjacent lines and collapses them into one, using a back-reference to match the repeated content.
Search: g* g#
795 results for "g* g#"
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 open a file and jump directly to a specific line or pattern?
:e +{line} {file}
The :edit command accepts a +{cmd} prefix that executes an Ex command immediately after the file is loaded.
command-line #buffers #ex-commands #navigation #command-line
How do I load yanked text into search as a literal pattern without regex escaping headaches?
:let @/='\V'.escape(@", '\\')
When you yank text that contains regex characters like .
How do I search case-insensitively in Vim without changing global settings?
/\cpattern
How it works By default, Vim searches are case-sensitive: /Hello will not match hello or HELLO.
How do I increment or decrement hexadecimal and binary numbers with Ctrl-A and Ctrl-X?
:set nrformats+=hex,bin
By default, Vim's and only increment and decrement decimal numbers.
How do I re-insert the text I typed in the previous insert session?
<C-a> (insert mode)
While in insert mode, pressing re-inserts the exact text you typed during your previous insert session.
How do I reindent a block of code using a visual selection?
= (in visual mode)
After making a visual selection, pressing = applies Vim's auto-indent to every selected line at once.
How do I toggle the case of a rectangular column region across multiple lines?
<C-v>{motion}~
Visual block mode () selects a rectangular column region, and pressing ~ at the end toggles the case of every character in that exact column range across all se
How do I use the patience diff algorithm in Vim to get cleaner diffs on source code?
:set diffopt+=algorithm:patience
Vim's default diff algorithm (Myers) can produce noisy diffs when working with code — it sometimes matches unrelated lines containing common tokens like {, },
How do I replace the next search match and repeat it easily with dot?
cgn
The cgn command combines the change operator with the gn motion to change the next occurrence of your last search pattern.
How do I insert the word under the cursor into the Vim command line?
<C-r><C-w>
When typing a command on the Vim command line, pressing inserts the word currently under the cursor.
How do I scroll and copy text from a terminal buffer in Vim?
<C-w>N
When using Vim's built-in :terminal, the buffer is in Terminal-Job mode by default, meaning all keystrokes go to the running shell.
How do I sort a range of lines by piping them through an external sort command using the ! operator?
!{motion}sort
The ! operator in Vim filters a motion's text through an external shell command, replacing it with the output.
How do I move lines to a different position without using yank and paste?
:m +1
The :move command (abbreviated :m) relocates lines to a new position in the buffer without touching any registers.
How do I safely use a filename containing special characters in a Vim Ex command?
fnameescape(filename)
When building Vim Ex commands dynamically, filenames with spaces, , %, #, [, or other special characters will be misinterpreted — the space looks like an argu
How do I persistently highlight a pattern in Vim using a specific highlight group without a plugin?
:match {group} /pattern/
:match, :2match, and :3match give you three independent highlight slots that overlay patterns on the buffer using any highlight group — without touching the s
How do I run vimgrep across a project using whatever pattern is currently in the search register?
:execute 'vimgrep /' . @/ . '/gj **/*'
If you already refined a search interactively with / or ?, retyping that pattern for project-wide grep is repetitive and error-prone.
How do I move the cursor to the end of a line?
$
The $ command moves the cursor to the last character of the current line.
How do I replace a visual selection with yanked text in Vim?
p (in visual mode)
In visual mode, pressing p replaces the selected text with the contents of the default register.