How do I limit a search or substitution to only the text I visually selected?
\%V
The \%V atom in a Vim pattern matches only inside the last visual selection.
search #search #visual-mode #substitute #regex #text-objects
Tag: visual-mode
How do I delete from a visual block column to the end of each selected line?
C (visual-block)
In visual block mode, pressing C (uppercase) deletes from the leftmost column of the selection to the end of every selected line, then drops you into insert mod
How do I append text to the end of multiple lines with different lengths in visual block mode?
<C-v>{motion}$A
In visual block mode, pressing $ makes the right edge of the selection "ragged" — it extends to the real end of each line regardless of length.
How do I search for a pattern only within a visual selection?
/\%V
The \%V pattern atom restricts a search to the region spanned by the last visual selection.
How do I restrict a search or substitution to exactly the characters I visually selected?
\%V (in search/substitute pattern)
The \%V atom in a Vim pattern matches only inside the last visual selection.
search #search #visual-mode #substitution #regex #normal-mode
How do I move to the diagonally opposite corner of a blockwise visual selection?
O (visual-block)
In Visual-Block mode (), pressing O moves the cursor to the diagonally opposite corner of the rectangular selection.
How do I toggle the case of a rectangular column region across multiple lines?
<C-v>{motion}~
Visual block mode () selects a rectangular column region, and pressing ~ at the end toggles the case of every character in that exact column range across all se
How do I visually select an entire code block to the matching closing brace?
V]}
Pressing V]} in normal mode enters visual line mode and immediately extends the selection to the next unmatched closing brace }.
visual-mode #visual-mode #navigation #text-objects #editing #motions
How do I center-align a block of selected lines at a specific column width in Vim?
:'<,'>center
After making a visual selection, typing : automatically inserts ' to scope the command to the selection.
visual-mode #visual-mode #formatting #ex-commands #indentation
How do I auto-indent a block of code in visual selection without specifying a line range?
vip=
Pressing = in visual mode re-indents all selected lines according to the current filetype's indent rules — the same engine used by == for a single line, but a
visual-mode #visual-mode #indentation #editing #text-objects
How do I move the cursor to the other corner of a visual block selection?
o and O
In visual-block mode (), pressing o moves the cursor to the diagonally opposite corner of the selection, and O moves it to the other end of the same row (flippi
How do I toggle, uppercase, or lowercase text using motion commands in Vim?
g~~
Vim has three case-change operators that work like any other operator — you can combine them with motions, text objects, or double them to act on the whole li
visual-mode #editing #visual-mode #normal-mode #text-objects
How do I insert the same text at the start of multiple lines using visual block mode?
<C-v>jjI
Visual block mode () lets you select a rectangular region across lines.
How do I switch between charwise, linewise, and blockwise visual mode without losing my selection?
<C-v> (in visual mode)
Once you are in any visual mode, pressing v, V, or switches to charwise, linewise, or blockwise visual mode respectively — without cancelling the current sele
How do I pipe a visual selection through an external shell command and replace it with the output?
:'<,'>!{cmd}
After making a visual selection and entering the command line with :, Vim automatically inserts the range ' for the selection.
How do I insert text at the beginning of multiple lines at once using visual block mode?
<C-v>I
Visual block mode's I command lets you type once and have the text inserted at the cursor column across all selected lines simultaneously.
How do I reflow and hard-wrap a paragraph or selected lines to a fixed width in Vim?
gq (visual mode)
Pressing gq on a visual selection reformats the selected lines to hard-wrap at textwidth columns.
How do I run a substitution only within the exact characters of my visual selection?
:%s/\%Vpattern/replacement/g
The \%V atom restricts a regex match to the last visual selection — more precisely than :'s/.
How do I adjust the width of a visual block selection without restarting it?
O (visual block mode)
In visual block mode (), pressing O (uppercase) moves your cursor to the other end of the current line — letting you expand or contract the block's horizontal
How do I reindent a block of code using a visual selection?
= (in visual mode)
After making a visual selection, pressing = applies Vim's auto-indent to every selected line at once.