How do I apply the last substitution's replacement to a different search pattern without retyping it?
:~
The :~ command repeats the last substitution but uses the current search pattern instead of the original pattern.
Tag: search
How do I find invalid UTF-8 byte sequences in a file in Vim?
8g8
The 8g8 command searches forward from the cursor for the first byte that belongs to an invalid UTF-8 sequence.
How do I jump anywhere on screen with labeled targets using flash.nvim?
:lua require('flash').jump()
flash.
How do I transform matched text to uppercase or lowercase directly inside a substitute replacement?
:s/pattern/\U&/g
Vim's :substitute command supports case-transformation escape sequences in the replacement string.
search #search #substitute #ex-commands #editing #text-objects
How do I suppress the 'Pattern not found' error when a substitution has no match?
:s/pattern/replacement/e
The e flag in Vim's :substitute command silently ignores the "E486: Pattern not found" error when the pattern does not match anything.
How do I run a command on lines matching a pattern within blocks matching another pattern?
:g/outer/,/end/g/inner/
The :global command accepts a range, which lets you scope its search to sections of the file rather than the entire buffer.
How do I use zero-width lookbehind assertions in Vim search patterns to match text only when preceded (or not preceded) by a pattern?
\@<= and \@<!
Vim's \@<= and \@<! atoms let you write zero-width lookbehind assertions — they check what comes before the match position without consuming characters.
What is the difference between \n and \r in Vim substitution patterns and replacements?
:s/\n/ /
One of the most confusing asymmetries in Vim's substitution syntax: \n and \r mean different things depending on whether they appear in the pattern or the repla
How do I jump to the next search match and keep it centered on the screen?
nzz
Typing nzz chains two normal-mode commands: n jumps to the next match of the last search, and zz immediately redraws the screen so the cursor line is vertically
How do I make substitutions replace every match on a line by default without typing the g flag?
:set gdefault
By default, :s/old/new/ only replaces the first occurrence of a pattern on each line.
How do I capitalize the first letter of every word in a file using a substitute command?
:%s/\w\+/\u&/g
Vim's substitute command supports case-conversion modifiers in the replacement string.
How do I jump to the start or end of a C-style block comment in Vim?
[/
When editing code, you often need to navigate to the boundaries of multi-line block comments (/ .
How do I override Vim's case sensitivity for a single search without changing the global ignorecase setting?
/\c
Vim lets you override the ignorecase and smartcase settings on a per-search basis using the \c (case-insensitive) and \C (case-sensitive) atoms directly inside
How do I search for the contents of a register without typing the pattern manually?
:let @/ = @a
Vim's search register (@/) holds the current search pattern — the same one used by n, N, *, and hlsearch highlighting.
How do I match a pattern only when it is NOT followed by another pattern in Vim regex?
\@!
In Vim's regex engine, \@! is the negative lookahead assertion.
How do I use the location list instead of the quickfix list to have per-window grep results?
:lgrep {pattern} {files}
The location list is a per-window counterpart to the global quickfix list.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #ex-commands #search #navigation
How do I duplicate every line matching a pattern, placing a copy directly below each one?
:g/pattern/t.
Combining :global with the :t (copy) command and the .
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 navigate between multiple quickfix lists from previous searches or builds?
:colder
Vim maintains a history stack of up to 10 quickfix lists.
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #navigation #ex-commands #search
How do I match an optional sequence of characters at the end of a word in a Vim regex?
\%[abc]
The \%[.