:hide edit {file}<CR>
Normally, trying to :edit another file from a modified buffer triggers a warning and blocks the switch unless you save or force the command.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #workflow #command-line #editing
:vnew | setlocal buftype=nofile bufhidden=wipe nobuflisted noswapfile
For quick throwaway notes, command output cleanup, or temporary edits, a normal buffer is noisy: it appears in :ls, can prompt you to save, and may leave swap a
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #buffers #windows #scratch #workflow
:let @q .= "A;\<Esc>"
If a recorded macro is almost correct but missing a final step, re-recording from scratch is slow and error-prone.
:drop {file}
When the same file is already open elsewhere, using :edit can create extra navigation friction because you stay in the current window and may lose layout contex
buffers-windows #buffers-windows #windows #buffers #workflow
5<C-o>
Most Vim users know jumps backward in the jumplist, but fewer use a count with it.
:keepjumps normal! /\Vtarget\<CR>
Repeated navigational searches can pollute the jump list, especially when you are doing targeted inspections before returning to your main edit location.
navigation #navigation #search #jumplist #normal-mode #workflow
:packadd gzip
Compressed logs and artifacts often appear in debugging workflows, and repeatedly shelling out to decompress and recompress wastes time.
:let @+ = @a
If you already have carefully collected text in a named register, re-yanking just to reach the system clipboard is noisy and error-prone.
:tabdo only
When you are deep in a refactor, each tab can accumulate helper splits, previews, and temporary views.
buffers-windows #buffers #windows #tabs #ex-commands #workflow
:packadd termdebug | Termdebug ./a.out
If you only debug occasionally, loading termdebug on demand keeps startup lean while still giving you an in-editor GDB workflow.
]`
Most users jump to marks directly ('a, ` a `), but when a file has many lowercase marks, stepping through them in order is faster than remembering each name.
:argdedupe
If you build an arglist incrementally (:args, :argadd, glob expansions), duplicates can sneak in and make :argdo workflows slower or confusing.
command-line #command-line #arglist #batch-editing #workflow
:filter /pattern/ ls
When you have many open buffers, plain :ls output gets noisy fast.
gv=gv
When you are iterating on indentation, repeating selection steps is wasted motion.
visual-mode #visual-mode #indentation #editing #formatting #workflow
:set diffopt+=algorithm:histogram,hiddenoff
Default diff behavior is fine for small changes, but larger refactors often produce noisy hunks and annoying warnings about hidden buffers.
:set cedit=<C-y>
Vim's command-line window is invaluable for editing long : commands, search patterns, and complex substitutions with normal-mode tools.
:set sessionoptions+=globals
By default, :mksession restores windows, buffers, and many editor states, but it skips most global variables.
:keepjumps normal! gg
Sometimes you need to make a quick structural move (for example, jump to top, inspect context, then return) without polluting jump navigation history.
:<C-f>
Long Ex commands are easy to mistype when you edit inline on a single command line.
:lvimgrep /{pattern}/j ## | lopen
When you need to run focused searches across a curated set of files, the argument list is a strong scope boundary.
