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Vim Cheat Sheet

Global Editing Macros Working with multiple files
:h[elp] keyword - open help r - replace a single character. qa - record macro a :e[dit] file - edit a file in a new buffer
for keyword
R - replace more than one character, q - stop recording macro :bn[ext] -
go to the next buffer
:sav[eas] file - save file as until ESC is pressed.
@a - run macro a :bp[revious] -
go to the previous buffer
:clo[se] - close current pane J - join line below to the current one
with one space in between @@ - rerun last run macro :bd[elete] - delete a buffer (close a file)
:ter[minal] - open a terminal
window gJ - join line below to the current one Cut and paste :b[uffer]# - go to a buffer by index #
without space in between
K - open man page for word under the yy - yank (copy) a line :b[uffer] file - go to a buffer by file
cursor gwip - reflow paragraph
2yy - yank (copy) 2 lines :ls or :buffers - list all open buffers
Cursor movement g~ - switch case up to motion
yw - yank (copy) the characters of the :sp[lit] file - open a file in a new buffer and split window
h - move cursor left
gu - change to lowercase up to motion word from the cursor position to the
start of the next word :vs[plit] file - open a file in a new buffer and vertically split
j - move cursor down window
gU - change to uppercase up to motion yiw - yank (copy) word under the
k - move cursor up cursor :vert[ical] ba[ll] - edit all buffers as vertical windows
cc - change (replace) entire line
l - move cursor right C - change (replace) to the end of the yaw - yank (copy) word under the :tab ba[ll] - edit all buffers as tabs
cursor and the space after or before it
line
H - move to top of screen Ctrl + ws - split window
y$ - yank (copy) to end of line
M - move to middle of screen c$ - change (replace) to the end of the
line Ctrl + wv - split window vertically
p - put (paste) the clipboard after
L - move to bottom of screen ciw - change (replace) entire word cursor Ctrl + ww - switch windows
w - jump forwards to the start of a cw or ce - change (replace) to the end P - put (paste) before cursor Ctrl + wq - quit a window
word of the word
gp - put (paste) the clipboard after Ctrl + wx - exchange current window with next one
W - jump forwards to the start of a s - delete character and substitute text cursor and leave cursor after the new
word (words can contain punctuation) text Ctrl + w= - make all windows equal height & width
- delete line and substitute text
e - jump forwards to the end of a word S gP - put (paste) before cursor and
Ctrl + wh - move cursor to the left window (vertical split)
(same as cc) leave cursor after the new text
E - jump forwards to the end of a word xp - transpose two letters (delete and Ctrl + wl - move cursor to the right window (vertical split)
(words can contain punctuation) dd - delete (cut) a line
paste)
2dd - delete (cut) 2 lines Ctrl + wj - move cursor to the window below (horizontal split)
b - jump backwards to the start of a u - undo
word Ctrl + wk - move cursor to the window above (horizontal split)
U - restore (undo) last changed line dw - delete (cut) the characters of the
B - jump backwards to the start of a word from the cursor position to the
word (words can contain punctuation) start of the next word Ctrl + wH - make current window full height at far left (leftmost vertical
Ctrl + r - redo window)
ge - jump backwards to the end of a diw - delete (cut) word under the
word
. - repeat last command cursor Ctrl + wL - make current window full height at far right (rightmost
vertical window)
gE - jump backwards to the end of a Marking text (visual mode) daw - delete (cut) word under the
cursor and the space after or before it
Ctrl + wJ - make current window full width at the very bottom
word (words can contain punctuation) v - start visual mode, mark lines, then (bottommost horizontal window)
do a command (like y-yank)
% - move to matching character D - delete (cut) to the end of the line
(default supported pairs: '()', '{}', '[]' -
Ctrl + wK - make current window full width at the very top (topmost
V - start linewise visual mode horizontal window)
use :h matchpairs in vim for more d$ - delete (cut) to the end of the line
info) o - move to other end of marked area
x - delete (cut) character Diff
0 - jump to the start of the line Ctrl + v - start visual block mode zf - manually define a fold up to motion
Indent text
^ - jump to the first non-blank O - move to other corner of block zd - delete fold under the cursor
character of the line >> - indent (move right) line one
shiftwidth
aw - mark a word za - toggle fold under the cursor
$ - jump to the end of the line
<< - de-indent (move left) line one
ab - a block with () shiftwidth zo - open fold under the cursor
g_ - jump to the last non-blank
character of the line aB - a block with {} zc - close fold under the cursor
>% - indent a block with () or {}
gg - go to the first line of the (cursor on brace)
at - a block with <> tags zr - reduce (open) all folds by one level
document
>ib - indent inner block with ()
ib - inner block with () zm - fold more (close) all folds by one level
G - go to the last line of the document
>at - indent a block with <> tags
iB - inner block with {} zi - toggle folding functionality
5gg or 5G - go to line 5
3== - re-indent 3 lines
it - inner block with <> tags ]c - jump to start of next change
gd - move to local declaration
=% - re-indent a block with () or {}
Esc - exit visual mode (cursor on brace) [c - jump to start of previous change
gD - move to global declaration
Visual commands =iB - re-indent inner block with {} do or :diffg[et] - obtain (get) difference (from other buffer)
fx - jump to next occurrence of
character x > - shift text right dp or :diffpu[t] - put difference (to other buffer)
gg=G - re-indent entire buffer
tx - jump to before next occurrence of < - shift text left :diffthis - make current window part of diff
character x ]p - paste and adjust indent to
current line
y - yank (copy) marked text :dif[fupdate] - update differences
Fx - jump to previous occurence of
character x d - delete marked text Exiting :diffo[ff] - switch off diff mode for current window
Tx - jump to after previous occurence :w - write (save) the file, but don't exit
~ - switch case
of character x :w !sudo tee % - write out the
u - change marked text to lowercase current file using sudo
; - repeat previous f, t, F or T
movement U - change marked text to uppercase :wq or :x or ZZ - write (save) and
, - repeat previous f, t, F or T quit
movement, backwards Registers
:q - quit (fails if there are unsaved
:reg[isters] - show registers changes)
} - jump to next paragraph (or content
function/block, when editing code) :q! or ZQ - quit and throw away
"xy - yank into register x unsaved changes
{ - jump to previous paragraph (or
function/block, when editing code) "xp - paste contents of register x :wqa - write (save) and quit on all
zz - center cursor on screen tabs
"+y - yank into the system clipboard
register
Ctrl + e - move screen down one Search and replace
line (without moving cursor) "+p - paste from the system clipboard /pattern - search for pattern
register
Ctrl + y - move screen up one line ?pattern - search backward for
(without moving cursor) pattern
Marks and positions
 Ctrl + b - move back one full screen :marks - list of marks \vpattern - 'very magic' pattern:
non-alphanumeric characters are
Ctrl + f - move forward one full ma - set current position for mark A interpreted as special regex symbols
screen (no escaping needed)
`a - jump to position of mark A
Ctrl + d - move forward 1/2 a n - repeat search in same direction
screen y`a - yank text to position of mark A
N - repeat search in opposite direction
Ctrl + u - move back 1/2 a screen `0 - go to the position where Vim was
previously exited :%s/old/new/g -
replace all old
Insert mode - inserting/appending text with new throughout file
`" - go to the position when last
i - insert before the cursor editing this file :%s/old/new/gc -
replace all old
with new throughout file with
I - insert at the beginning of the line `. - go to the position of the last confirmations
change in this file
a - insert (append) after the cursor :noh[lsearch] - remove
`` - go to the position before the last highlighting of search matches
A - insert (append) at the end of the jump
line Search in multiple files
:ju[mps] - list of jumps
o - append (open) a new line below the :vim[grep] /pattern/
current line Ctrl + i - go to newer position in {`{file}`} -
search for pattern in
jump list multiple files
O - append (open) a new line above the
current line Ctrl + o - go to older position in
jump list :cn[ext] - jump to the next match
ea - insert (append) at the end of the
word :changes - list of changes :cp[revious] - jump to the
previous match
Ctrl + h - delete the character g, - go to newer position in change
before the cursor during insert mode list :cope[n] - open a window
containing the list of matches
Ctrl + w - delete word before the g; - go to older position in change list
cursor during insert mode :ccl[ose] - close the quickfix
Ctrl + ] - jump to the tag under window
Ctrl + j - begin new line during cursor
insert mode Tabs
Ctrl + t - indent (move right) line :tabnew or :tabnew
one shiftwidth during insert mode {page.words.file} -
open a
file in a new tab
Ctrl + d - de-indent (move left) line
one shiftwidth during insert mode Ctrl + wT - move the current split
window into its own tab
Ctrl + n - insert (auto-complete)
next match before the cursor during gt or :tabn[ext] - move to the
insert mode next tab

Ctrl + p - insert (auto-complete) gT or :tabp[revious] - move

previous match before the cursor to the previous tab
during insert mode
#gt - move to tab number #
Ctrl + rx - insert the contents of
register x :tabm[ove] # - move current tab
to the #th position (indexed from 0)
Ctrl + ox - Temporarily enter
normal mode to issue one normal- :tabc[lose] - close the current
mode command x. tab and all its windows

Esc - exit insert mode :tabo[nly] - close all tabs except

for the current one

:tabdo command - run the

command on all tabs (e.g. :tabdo q -
closes all opened tabs)