Vim / Neovim Buffers, Windows, and Tabs

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Manage multiple files and layouts with buffers, splits, and tab pages.

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Buffers

Open, switch, inspect, and delete buffers cleanly.

Open a file

Edit a file in the current window.

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:edit path/to/file

Often abbreviated as `:e`.

Move between buffers

Cycle through loaded buffers.

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:bnext  :bprevious

Also abbreviated as `:bn` and `:bp`.

List buffers

Show all listed buffers.

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:buffers

Useful before jumping or cleaning up open files.

Delete a buffer

Unload a buffer you no longer need.

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:bdelete

Often shortened to `:bd`.

Windows and splits

Use multiple visible views in one tab page.

Horizontal split

Split the current window horizontally.

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:split

Abbreviation: `:sp`.

Vertical split

Split the current window vertically.

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:vsplit

Abbreviation: `:vsp`.

Move between windows

Navigate split panes from normal mode.

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<C-w>h  <C-w>j  <C-w>k  <C-w>l

This is the core split-navigation pattern in Vim and Neovim.

Close or maximize a window

Close a split or keep only the current one.

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:close  :only

Use `:only` when you want to focus on a single pane.

Tab pages

Use tabs as separate workspaces for groups of windows.

Create a new tab

Open a new tab page.

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:tabnew

Can also open a specific file in a new tab.

Switch tabs

Move forward or backward between tab pages.

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gt  gT  :tabnext  :tabprevious

Normal-mode and Ex-command tab navigation both matter in practice.

Close current tab

Remove the active tab page.

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:tabclose

Handy after temporary reviews or experiments.

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