How do I save and restore my entire Vim session?
:mksession and :source
The :mksession command saves the current Vim session (windows, buffers, tabs, cursor positions) to a file.
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How do I search and replace with case-preserving substitution?
:%S/old/new/g (vim-abolish)
vim-abolish by Tim Pope provides :%S (Subvert), a substitute command that preserves the case pattern of the original text.
How do I add custom functions to Vim's statusline for dynamic information?
set statusline=%{MyCustomFunc()}
How it works Vim's statusline supports the %{expr} syntax which evaluates a Vimscript expression and displays the result.
How do I profile Vim functions at runtime to find what's making it slow?
:profile start /tmp/profile.log | profile func *
When Vim feels sluggish during editing (not just at startup), the :profile command lets you measure the execution time of every function call.
How do I paste the last yanked text while in Insert mode without using the unnamed register?
<C-r>0
In Insert mode, {reg} pastes the contents of any register inline at the cursor.
How do I jump backward to the previous sentence?
(
The ( motion moves the cursor backward to the start of the current or previous sentence.
How do I get syntax highlighting and indentation for every language in Vim without configuring each one?
vim-polyglot
The vim-polyglot plugin is a curated collection of language packs for Vim that provides syntax highlighting, indentation, filetype detection, and compiler suppo
How do I insert special characters like arrows, math symbols, or accented letters in Vim?
<C-k>
Vim has a built-in digraph system that lets you type special characters using short two-character codes.
How do I make the indent width automatically match the tabstop setting without keeping them in sync manually?
:set shiftwidth=0
Setting shiftwidth=0 tells Vim to use the value of tabstop wherever shiftwidth would normally be consulted — for the > and and in insert mode, and auto-indent
How do I configure Vim's :grep command to use ripgrep for faster project-wide searching?
:set grepprg=rg\ --vimgrep\ --smart-case
By default, Vim's :grep command calls the system grep.
How do I complete keywords using only the current buffer as the source?
<C-x><C-n>
triggers keyword completion that searches only the current buffer for matches, scanning forward from the cursor.
How do I highlight all search matches in the file?
:set hlsearch
The hlsearch option highlights all matches of the current search pattern throughout the file, making it easy to see where matches occur.
How do I move through search matches while still typing the pattern?
<C-g> and <C-t>
While the search prompt is open (with incsearch enabled), pressing advances the cursor to the next match and moves it to the previous match — all without leav
How do I search forward for text in Vim?
/{pattern}
The / command initiates a forward search in the file.
How do I configure backup and swap file behavior?
:set nobackup noswapfile
Disabling backup and swap files prevents Vim from creating extra files alongside your source code.
How do I keep concealed text hidden while navigating but automatically reveal it when my cursor enters insert mode?
:set concealcursor=nv
The 'concealcursor' option controls in which modes concealed text is revealed on the cursor line.
How do I make Vim open new splits below and to the right instead of above and left?
:set splitbelow splitright
How it works By default, Vim opens horizontal splits (:split or :sp) above the current window and vertical splits (:vsplit or :vsp) to the left.
How do I use relative line offsets in Ex commands to target lines near the cursor?
:.+1,.+3d
Vim's Ex command addresses support arithmetic offsets relative to the current line (.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #navigation #command-line
How do I paste text and leave the cursor after the pasted content instead of on it?
gp
The standard p command pastes text after the cursor but leaves the cursor at the beginning of the pasted text.
How do I make buffer jumps prefer the last-used window that already shows the target buffer?
:set switchbuf+=uselast
When jumps open the target buffer in an unexpected split, context switching gets expensive.