Productivity Boosters in Vim
From the Vim cheat sheet · Tips & Tricks · verified Jul 2026
Productivity Boosters
Time-saving tips and powerful combinations
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# Quick edits
ci" - Change inside quotes
ci( - Change inside parentheses
ci{ - Change inside braces
cit - Change inside HTML tag
ciw - Change word (from anywhere in word)
# Useful combinations
ggVG - Select entire file
gg=G - Auto-indent entire file
:%y+ - Copy entire file to clipboard
ggdG - Delete entire file
ZZ - Save and quit (like :wq)
ZQ - Quit without saving (like :q!)
# Marks
ma - Set mark a at cursor position
'a - Jump to line of mark a
`a - Jump to exact position of mark a
'' - Jump to last position
# Advanced
:!command - Run shell command
:r !date - Insert current date
:earlier 5m - Go back 5 minutes in time
:later 5m - Go forward 5 minutes
g; - Go to last edit location
g, - Go forward in edit location list
Ctrl+o - Jump to previous location
Ctrl+i - Jump to next location💡 ci + text object is incredibly powerful
⚡ Use marks for quick navigation in large files
📌 gg=G auto-formats entire file
🟢 Master ciw and ci" for quick edits
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