What Is The Fastest Way To Copy And Paste In Vim?

I spend a lot of time coding in vim, and over the years, I've found the fastest way to copy and paste is using visual mode. Highlight the text you want with 'v' for character-wise or 'V' for line-wise selection, then hit 'y' to yank (copy). Move your cursor to where you want to paste and press 'p' to paste after the cursor or 'P' to paste before. For copying entire lines, 'yy' is a lifesaver, and 'dd' cuts the line if you need to move it. This method keeps my hands on the keyboard, speeding up my workflow without breaking focus.

As someone who juggles multiple projects, efficiency in vim is non-negotiable. The fastest copy-paste method depends on context. For small chunks, visual mode ('v' or 'V') followed by 'y' and 'p' works fine. But for larger blocks, I prefer using marks. Set a mark with 'ma' at the start, navigate to the end, and yank with 'y'a'. Paste with 'p' anywhere.
Another trick is using named registers. Yanking into register 'a' with '\\"ay' lets you paste from it using '\\"ap'. This is handy when you need to preserve the default register. For repetitive tasks, macros can automate copy-pasting. Record a macro with 'q', perform your yank and paste, then replay it with '@'.
Don’t forget about system clipboard integration. '+y' copies to the system clipboard, and '+p' pastes from it, which is great for cross-app workflows. Mastering these methods turns vim into a powerhouse for text manipulation.

I love vim for its speed, and copy-pasting is no exception. The quickest method I use involves combining motions with yanking. For instance, 'yiw' yanks the current word, and 'yap' grabs the entire paragraph. Pasting is just 'p' or 'P'.
For more precision, I use text objects like 'yit' to yank inside a tag in HTML or 'yi(' for content inside parentheses. This avoids the hassle of visual mode when the structure is clear.
If I need to duplicate a line, 'Y' (shift+y) yanks the whole line, and 'p' pastes it below. This is faster than 'yy' for me. For frequent pasting, the '. ' command repeats the last action, which includes pasting. These small optimizations add up, making vim feel lightning-fast.