How do I reset a Vim option back to its compiled default value?
:set {option}&
Append & to any :set command to reset that option to its compiled-in default value — the value Vim shipped with before any vimrc or plugin changed it.
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How do I force a search to be case-sensitive regardless of the ignorecase setting?
/\Cpattern
Vim's ignorecase and smartcase settings change how all searches behave globally.
How do I copy or transfer text between Vim registers?
:let @+ = @"
Vim's :let @{reg} syntax lets you read from one register and write to another.
How do I avoid backslash-escaping slashes in a substitution when replacing file paths or URLs?
:s#pattern#replacement#g
Vim's substitution command accepts any non-alphanumeric, non-whitespace character as the delimiter — not just /.
How do I execute a macro while ignoring custom mappings that could change behavior?
:normal! @q
Recorded macros can become fragile when your config defines mappings that shadow built-in keys.
How do I search and replace only within a visual block selection?
:'<,'>s/\%Vold/new/g
The \%V atom restricts a search pattern to match only within the visual selection area, including visual block selections.
How do I display a visual column showing fold depth and fold markers on the side of the buffer?
:set foldcolumn=3
The foldcolumn option adds a narrow column on the left side of the window that visually represents the fold structure of the file.
How do I comment out all lines matching a pattern at once using vim-commentary?
:g/pattern/Commentary
vim-commentary exposes Commentary as an Ex command that toggles comments on the current line, making it composable with Vim's :global command.
How do I edit the contents of a macro register without re-recording it?
:let @q = substitute(@q, 'old', 'new', 'g')
When a recorded macro has a typo or needs a small tweak, re-recording the entire thing is error-prone.
How do I insert a Unicode character by its code point in Vim?
<C-v>u{code}
In insert mode, followed by u and a 4-digit hex code inserts the Unicode character with that code point.
How do I make Vim reuse an existing window when jumping to a buffer instead of opening a new split?
:set switchbuf=useopen
The switchbuf option controls how Vim decides where to display a buffer when switching to it via commands like :sb, :cc, :cn, quickfix jumps, or .
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #navigation #ex-commands #config
How do I keep a utility split from resizing when other windows open or close?
:setlocal winfixheight winfixwidth
If you use a dedicated utility pane (logs, quick notes, REPL output), Vim's default equalization behavior can keep resizing it whenever other splits change.
How do I accept a flagged word as correct for the current session without permanently adding it to my spellfile?
zG
zG marks the word under the cursor as correctly spelled in Vim's internal word list, which exists only for the current session.
How do I select or operate on the entire buffer as a text object?
ggVG
While Vim doesn't have a built-in "entire buffer" text object, the ggVG sequence achieves it: go to the first line, enter line-wise visual mode, then select to
How do I change the case of matched text in a Vim substitute command?
\u and \l in :s replacement
Vim's substitute command supports special case modifiers in the replacement string that let you change the case of captured text on the fly.
How do I move all lines matching a pattern to the top of the file?
:g/pattern/m0
When working with large files, you sometimes need to reorganize content by pulling all lines matching a certain pattern to the top.
command-line #global #move #ex-commands #editing #command-line
How do I create a macro that repeats itself automatically until there is nothing left to process?
qq{commands}@qq
A recursive macro calls itself at the end of its own definition, causing it to run repeatedly until Vim hits an error — such as reaching the end of the file o
How do I collapse each paragraph of text into a single long line, removing the hard line breaks within it?
:g/./,/^$/join
Hard-wrapped text (where each sentence is on its own line) is common in commit messages, email threads, and older documentation.
How do I edit a recorded macro without re-recording it from scratch?
"qp
Macros are stored as plain text in named registers.
How do I count the number of pattern matches in a file without making substitutions?
:s/pattern//gn
The :s///gn command counts how many times a pattern appears in the file without actually replacing anything.
command-line #search #ex-commands #substitution #command-line