How do I enable the built-in matchit plugin to make % jump between matching HTML tags and keywords?
:packadd! matchit
Vim's % command jumps between matching brackets by default.
plugins #navigation #plugins #text-objects #matching #normal-mode
Search: :help
170 results for ":help"
How do I jump to the start or end of a C-style block comment in Vim?
[/
When editing code, you often need to navigate to the boundaries of multi-line block comments (/ .
How do I prevent accidental edits to a buffer by making it completely read-only?
:set nomodifiable
:set nomodifiable locks a buffer so that no changes can be made at all — not even temporary ones.
How do I write vimrc configuration that works in both Vim and Neovim by detecting which one is running?
has('nvim')
The has() function tests whether a feature or capability is available, returning 1 (true) or 0 (false).
How do I open a file in Netrw in a vertical split instead of the current window?
v (netrw)
When browsing files in Vim's built-in file manager (Netrw), pressing v on any file opens it in a vertical split to the right.
How do I re-open a file in Vim with a specific encoding without restarting?
:e ++enc={encoding}
When Vim auto-detects the wrong character encoding — mojibake where é shows as é is a classic symptom — you can reload the current buffer with a specifi
How do I search for text that simultaneously matches two different patterns using Vim's AND operator?
/pattern1\&pattern2
Vim's \& operator lets you intersect two patterns so the match must satisfy both simultaneously.
How do I execute Ctrl-W window commands from a Vimscript mapping or function without using :normal?
:wincmd {key}
:wincmd is the Ex command equivalent of any keystroke.
How do I replace text using a custom Vimscript function in a substitution?
:%s/pattern/\=MyFunc(submatch(0))/g
The \= prefix in Vim's substitute replacement invokes the expression register, which can call any Vimscript function.
How do I interactively browse and set all Vim options in a single window?
:options
:options opens a special Vim buffer that lists every available option, grouped by category (appearance, editing, search, etc.
How do I make Vim's built-in file explorer display files as a tree rather than a flat list?
:let g:netrw_liststyle=3
Vim ships with a built-in file browser called netrw, opened with :Explore (or :Ex).
How do I stop :mkview from restoring local options when loading a view?
:set viewoptions-=options
When you use :mkview and :loadview, Vim stores more than folds and cursor position.
How do I jump between matching #if, #else, and #endif preprocessor directives in C code?
[#
Vim includes built-in motions for navigating C preprocessor conditional blocks: [# jumps backward to the previous unmatched #if or #else, and ]# jumps forward t
How do I indent all lines from the cursor to the matching closing bracket in Vim?
>%
Vim's > operator (indent) works with any motion or text object — including %, which jumps to the bracket, parenthesis, or brace matching the one under the cur
editing #editing #indentation #text-objects #normal-mode #motions
How do I speed up Vim's insert mode completion by disabling include-file scanning?
:set complete-=i
Vim's complete option controls which sources are scanned when you press or to complete a word.
How do I open a file explorer sidebar in Vim with NERDTree?
:NERDTreeToggle
The NERDTree plugin provides a full-featured file explorer sidebar in Vim, giving you a visual directory tree that you can navigate, search, and manipulate file
How do I jump to a tag and get an interactive list when multiple definitions exist in Vim?
:tjump
:tjump {identifier} is the smart tag-jumping command: it jumps directly when there is only one matching tag, but shows an interactive numbered list when multipl
How do I check if a specific Vim feature or capability is available before using it in my vimrc?
has('feature')
The has('feature') function returns 1 if the specified feature is available in the current Vim/Neovim instance, 0 otherwise.
How do I write autocommands that don't duplicate when I reload my vimrc?
augroup name | autocmd! | autocmd ... | augroup END
Autocommand groups (augroup) with autocmd! prevent duplicate autocommands from accumulating every time you source your vimrc.
How do I see the raw UTF-8 byte values of the character under the cursor?
g8
Pressing g8 in normal mode displays the UTF-8 encoding of the character under the cursor as a sequence of hex bytes.