:match {group} /{pattern}/
:match lets you apply a highlight group to any pattern in the current window without touching the buffer or its syntax rules.
:set nrformats+=alpha
By default, and only increment and decrement numbers (decimal, hex, and octal depending on format).
:lcd {dir}
:lcd (local cd) sets the working directory for the current window only, leaving other windows at their previous directory.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #navigation #ex-commands #config
iabbrev
:iabbrev defines insert-mode abbreviations that expand automatically when you type a non-keyword character (space, punctuation, ) after the abbreviation.
:set opfunc and g@
Vim's operatorfunc option lets you define your own operators — just like the built-in d, y, or c — that accept any motion or text object.
:noautocmd write
The :noautocmd modifier (abbreviated :noa) runs any subsequent Ex command while temporarily disabling all autocommand events.
zx
The zx command resets and recomputes all folds in the current window based on the current foldmethod.
]s / [s / z=
Vim has a built-in spell checker that highlights misspelled words and provides correction suggestions — all without plugins.
:set iskeyword+=-
By default, Vim treats hyphens, dots, and many punctuation characters as word boundaries.
:set matchpairs+=<:>
By default, the % command jumps between (), {}, and [] pairs.
config #navigation #config #matchpairs #editing #normal-mode
:set suffixesadd+=.js,.ts,.jsx,.tsx
The gf (go to file) command opens the file under the cursor, but it fails when the path lacks an extension — common in JavaScript/TypeScript imports like impo
navigation #navigation #config #editing #buffers #file-management
:set complete+=kspell
Vim's built-in completion ( / ) sources matches from buffers, included files, and tags by default.
:set scrolloff=999
By default, Vim only scrolls the viewport when the cursor reaches the very top or bottom of the screen.
navigation #navigation #scrolling #config #cursor #scrolloff
:profile
When Vim feels sluggish to start, the built-in :profile command lets you measure exactly how much time each script, function, or plugin takes to load.
:breakadd func {funcname}
Vim has a built-in debugger for Vimscript that most users never discover.
:setlocal statusline=%f\ %m\ %y\ [%l/%L]
The :setlocal statusline command lets you override the global statusline for a specific window.
:set diffopt+=iwhite
When comparing files in Vim's diff mode, whitespace-only changes (extra spaces, changed indentation) can clutter the diff and hide meaningful edits.
:compiler gcc | :make
Vim ships with built-in compiler plugins that configure makeprg and errorformat for popular tools.
:nnoremap <expr> j (v:count == 0 ? 'gj' : 'j')
Expression mappings use the flag to evaluate a Vimscript expression at the time the key is pressed.
:set wildmenu wildmode=longest:full,full
By default, Vim's command-line tab completion just cycles through options.
