How do I jump to the start of the next or previous fold?
zj
When your file uses folds, zj and zk let you navigate directly to fold boundaries — jumping to the start of the next fold below or the end of the previous fol
Tag: normal-mode
How do I view the first macro or keyword definition without leaving my current position?
[d
The [d command searches from the beginning of the file for the first line matching the define pattern for the word under the cursor, and displays it in the stat
How do I write a file in Vim without triggering BufWritePre or other write autocmds?
:noautocmd w
The :noautocmd modifier runs any Ex command while suppressing all autocmd events for its duration.
How do I run a macro as many times as needed until it hits an error and stops automatically in Vim?
1000@q
Vim macros stop executing the moment any step in the macro causes an error — a failed search, a motion that cannot proceed, or a substitution with no matches.
How do I make j and k navigate display lines normally but physical lines when given a count?
nnoremap <expr> j v:count == 0 ? 'gj' : 'j'
By default, j and k move by physical lines (newline-delimited), which jumps over the entire visual span of a long wrapped line in a single keystroke.
How do I make the tilde key work as a case-toggle operator so I can use motions like ~w or ~ip?
:set tildeop
By default, ~ toggles the case of a single character and advances the cursor.
How do I match an optional sequence of characters at the end of a word in a Vim regex?
\%[abc]
The \%[.
How do I display a visual column showing fold depth and fold markers on the side of the buffer?
:set foldcolumn=3
The foldcolumn option adds a narrow column on the left side of the window that visually represents the fold structure of the file.
How do I open or close folds one level at a time across the entire file?
zr and zm
The zr and zm commands let you incrementally adjust the global fold depth across the entire buffer — one level at a time.
How do I inspect all syntax highlight groups stacked under the cursor to debug colorscheme or syntax issues?
:echo map(synstack(line('.'), col('.')), 'synIDattr(v:val, "name")')
When syntax highlighting looks wrong or a colorscheme override isn't taking effect, you need to know exactly which highlight groups are active under the cursor.
How do I execute the contents of the system clipboard as a Vim macro?
@+
In Vim, @{register} executes the contents of any register as a macro.
How do I count the number of lines containing a pattern without making any replacements?
:%s/pattern//n
The n flag in the substitute command suppresses the actual replacement and instead reports the match count.
How do I add more keystrokes to the end of an existing macro without re-recording the whole thing?
qQ (or any uppercase register letter)
When recording a macro with qq, you can append additional keystrokes to the existing macro by recording into the uppercase version of the same register.
How do I create a mapping that runs an Ex command without switching modes or affecting the current state?
nnoremap <key> <Cmd>command<CR>
The special key (Vim 8.
config #config #macros #ex-commands #normal-mode #insert-mode
How do I join every line matching a pattern with the line that follows it?
:g/pattern/join
The :g/pattern/join command combines the :global command with :join to merge every line matching a pattern with the line immediately following it.
command-line #ex-commands #editing #command-line #search #normal-mode
How do I search for a character by its ASCII or Unicode code point value in a Vim pattern?
/\%d{decimal}
Vim's regex engine supports special atoms that match characters by their numeric value rather than their glyph.
What is the difference between :norm and :norm! when running normal commands from the command line?
:norm! {cmd}
Both :norm and :norm! execute a sequence of Normal mode keystrokes from the command line or a script, but they differ in how they handle user-defined mappings.
How do I run a substitution only on lines that match a specific pattern using the global command?
:g/pattern1/s/pattern2/replacement/g
Combining :g with :s lets you apply a substitution using two independent patterns: :g selects which lines to act on, and :s controls what gets replaced within t
How do I programmatically inject keystrokes into Vim's input queue from a function or mapping?
feedkeys()
The feedkeys({keys}, {flags}) function inserts a string of keystrokes into Vim's input queue as if the user had typed them.
How do I add blank lines above or below the current line using vim-unimpaired?
[<Space> and ]<Space>
vim-unimpaired (by Tim Pope) provides paired bracket mappings for dozens of common operations.