How do I view the contents of all registers in Vim?
:registers
The :registers command displays the contents of all Vim registers, showing you exactly what text is stored in each one.
All Vim Tricks
How do I insert the same text on multiple lines at once?
<C-v>jjjI
Visual block mode combined with I lets you insert the same text at the beginning of multiple lines simultaneously.
How do I select a rectangular block of text in Vim?
<C-v>
The (Ctrl+v) command enters visual block mode, which lets you select a rectangular column of text across multiple lines.
How do I save a file I opened without sudo permissions?
:w !sudo tee %
The :w !sudo tee % command lets you save a file that requires root permissions, even if you forgot to open Vim with sudo.
How do I copy an entire line in Vim?
yy
The yy command yanks (copies) the entire current line, including the newline character.
How do I copy text to the system clipboard in Vim?
"+y
The "+y command yanks (copies) text into the system clipboard register, making it available to paste in other applications outside of Vim.
How do I search for text in Vim?
/pattern
The /pattern command searches forward through the file for the given pattern.
How do I search backward for the word under the cursor?
#
The # command searches backward for the exact word under the cursor, jumping to the previous occurrence.
How do I search for the word under the cursor?
*
The command searches forward for the exact word under the cursor, jumping to the next occurrence.
How do I select an HTML tag and its contents in Vim?
vat
The vat command visually selects the nearest enclosing HTML or XML tag and all of its contents, including the opening and closing tags themselves.
visual-mode #visual-mode #text-objects #editing #normal-mode
How do I select an entire line in visual mode?
V
The V (uppercase) command enters visual line mode, which selects the entire current line.
How do I select the contents inside curly braces?
vi{
The vi{ command visually selects everything inside the nearest pair of curly braces {}, without selecting the braces themselves.
visual-mode #visual-mode #text-objects #editing #normal-mode
How do I select an entire paragraph in Vim?
vip
The vip command visually selects the inner paragraph — all contiguous non-blank lines surrounding the cursor.
visual-mode #visual-mode #text-objects #editing #normal-mode
How do I display a vertical line at a specific column width?
:set colorcolumn=80
The :set colorcolumn=80 command displays a vertical highlight at column 80, giving you a visual guide for line length.
How do I set a mark and jump back to it later?
ma and 'a
The ma command sets a mark named a at the current cursor position.
How do I enable relative line numbers in Vim?
:set relativenumber
The :set relativenumber command displays line numbers relative to the cursor position instead of absolute line numbers.
How do I set the tab width in Vim?
:set tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab
The :set tabstop=4 shiftwidth=4 expandtab command configures Vim to use 4-space indentation with spaces instead of tab characters.
How do I show invisible characters like tabs and trailing spaces?
:set list
The :set list command makes invisible characters visible by displaying them as special symbols.
How do I sort selected lines in Vim?
:'<,'>sort
The :'sort command sorts the currently selected lines in visual mode alphabetically.
How do I insert the contents of another file into the current buffer?
:r filename
The :r filename command reads the contents of filename and inserts them into the current buffer below the cursor line.