How do I keep each search match centered and unfolded as I jump with n?
nzzzv
When you are stepping through many matches, plain n often lands with poor context and can hide the match inside a closed fold.
Search: n N
415 results for "n N"
How do I control how many fold levels are open when first opening a file?
set foldlevelstart=N
When Vim opens a file with folds enabled, it uses the foldlevelstart option to decide how many fold levels to open automatically.
How do I quickly create an Ex command range spanning the next N lines using a count before the colon?
5:
Typing a count before : in normal mode automatically fills in a line range in the command line.
command-line #command-line #ex-commands #ranges #normal-mode
How do I auto-complete words in insert mode without any plugins?
<C-n> / <C-p>
Vim has a powerful built-in completion system that requires zero plugins.
How do I jump to a specific percentage position in a file?
{N}%
The {N}% command jumps the cursor to the line that is N percent of the way through the file.
How do I position the cursor at a specific character offset from a search match?
/pattern/e+2
Vim's search command supports an offset suffix that controls where the cursor lands after a match.
How do I control which sources Vim searches when triggering keyword completion with Ctrl-N?
set complete=.,w,b,u,t
The complete option controls which sources Vim scans when you press or for generic keyword completion.
How do I travel backward through undo history by time rather than by change count?
:earlier {time}
Vim's :earlier and :later commands let you travel through undo history using real-world time intervals instead of individual change counts.
How do I edit multiple lines at once using multiple cursors in Vim?
<C-n>
The vim-visual-multi plugin (formerly vim-multiple-cursors) brings VS Code-style multiple cursor editing to Vim.
plugins #plugins #visual-multi #editing #multiple-cursors #refactoring
How do I replace exactly N consecutive characters with the same character without entering visual mode?
{count}r{char}
The {count}r{char} command replaces a precise number of characters starting at the cursor position with a single repeated character.
How do I search for a pattern repeated an exact number of times in Vim?
/pattern\{3}
Vim supports counted quantifiers that let you specify exactly how many times a pattern should repeat.
How do I undo all changes made within the last hour using time-based undo?
:earlier 1h
Vim's undo history is annotated with timestamps, allowing you to travel back to any point in time using :earlier and forward using :later.
How do I run a substitute command without overwriting my last search pattern?
:keeppatterns %s/old/new/g
The :keeppatterns modifier runs any Ex command without modifying Vim's last search pattern (stored in @/).
command-line #search #ex-commands #command-line #substitute #registers
How do I undo changes back to how the file looked 5 minutes ago?
:earlier
Vim's undo history is not just a linear list of changes — it records timestamps too.
How do I land the cursor a few lines above or below a search match?
/pattern/+3
Vim's search command accepts an offset after the pattern that shifts where the cursor lands relative to the match.
How do I jump to the next search match and keep it centered on the screen?
nzz
Typing nzz chains two normal-mode commands: n jumps to the next match of the last search, and zz immediately redraws the screen so the cursor line is vertically
How do I use LSP for go-to-definition, references, and refactoring in Neovim?
gd / gr / <leader>rn with nvim-lspconfig
The Language Server Protocol (LSP) brings IDE-level intelligence to Neovim — go-to-definition, find references, rename symbol, and more.
How do I restrict a Vim search to match only within a specific range of line numbers?
/\%>5l\%<10l pattern
Vim's \%>{lnum}l and \%5l — matches only at positions after line 5 (i.
How to configure what Neovim saves between sessions using the ShaDa file?
:set shada
Neovim's ShaDa (Shared Data) file replaces Vim's viminfo and persists session state across restarts — marks, registers, command history, search history, jump
How do I replace a character or pattern with a newline in a substitute command?
:%s/,/\r/g
In Vim's substitute command, \r in the replacement string inserts a newline.