How do I select a rectangular block past the end of shorter lines in visual block mode?
:set virtualedit=block
By default, Vim's visual block mode () is limited by line length — if some lines are shorter than others, the block selection gets ragged.
Tag: config
How do I change which characters Vim treats as part of a word for motions and text objects?
:set iskeyword+={char}
iskeyword defines which characters are considered word characters in Vim.
How do I find out which file or plugin last set a particular Vim option?
:verbose set {option}?
:verbose set {option}? shows the current value of an option and reports exactly which file set it last — the full path and line number.
How do I make wrapped lines preserve their indentation level?
:set breakindent
When wrap is enabled, long lines wrap to the next screen row starting at column 1 by default, which makes indented code look messy.
How do I limit the height of Vim's insert-mode completion popup menu?
:set pumheight=10
By default, Vim's completion popup menu (the PUM — Pop-Up Menu) can expand to fill the entire screen if there are many candidates.
How do I speed up macro execution and bulk operations by preventing screen redraws?
:set lazyredraw
When Vim runs a macro or an :argdo / :bufdo loop, it redraws the screen after every command by default.
How do I make Vim wrap long lines at word boundaries instead of mid-word?
:set linebreak
By default, when wrap is enabled, Vim wraps long lines at the window edge — which can split words in the middle.
How do I apply different settings for specific file types in Vim?
autocmd FileType python setlocal expandtab shiftwidth=4
Vim's autocmd FileType lets you apply settings automatically whenever a specific file type is detected.
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 load project-specific Vim settings automatically when opening files in a directory?
:set exrc
Vim's exrc option tells Vim to look for a .
How do I customise Vim's status line to show useful file information?
:set statusline=%f\ %h%m%r%=%-14.(%l,%c%V%)\ %P
Vim's built-in statusline option lets you build a custom status bar that displays exactly the information you want — without any plugin.
How do I make Vim automatically reload a file when it changes on disk?
:set autoread
The autoread option tells Vim to automatically re-read a file when it detects the file has been changed outside of Vim.
How do I hide or conceal syntax elements like markdown formatting in Vim?
:set conceallevel=2
The conceallevel option controls how Vim displays characters that have the "conceal" syntax attribute.
How do you always show the sign column in Vim?
set signcolumn=yes
Use set signcolumn=yes to always display the sign column (used by diagnostics, git markers).
How do you reload your vimrc without restarting Vim?
:source $MYVIMRC
Use :source $MYVIMRC or :so % if editing the vimrc to reload configuration.
How do you enable enhanced command-line completion?
set wildmenu wildmode=longest:full,full
Enable wildmenu for a visual menu above the command line.
How do you show matching brackets in Vim?
set showmatch
Enable showmatch to briefly highlight the matching bracket when you type a closing bracket.
How do you show relative line numbers in Vim?
set relativenumber
Use set relativenumber (or set rnu) to show line numbers relative to the cursor position.
How do you display invisible characters like tabs and trailing spaces?
set list listchars=tab:>-,trail:~,extends:>,precedes:<
Enable list and configure listchars to show tabs as >-, trailing spaces as ~, and indicators for text extending beyond the screen.
How do you show line numbers in Vim?
set number
Use set number (or set nu) to display absolute line numbers in the left margin.