How To Undo A Text Replacement In Vim?

2025-07-03 01:20:37 103

3 Answers

Benjamin
Benjamin
2025-07-07 09:13:57
I've been using Vim for years, and text replacement mishaps happen to everyone. If you accidentally replaced text using the ':s/old/new/g' command and want to undo it, the simplest way is to press 'u' right after the replacement. This undoes the last change. If you've made other edits after the replacement, you might need to use ':undo' followed by the number of changes you want to revert. For example, ':undo 2' will undo the last two changes. Another handy trick is using ':earlier 1f' to go back to the state of the file one minute ago. Vim's undo history is pretty powerful, so exploring ':help undo' can give you more control over your mistakes.
Grace
Grace
2025-07-04 18:16:42
As someone who spends a lot of time coding in Vim, I’ve had my fair share of text replacement blunders. The quickest fix is hitting 'u' to undo the last operation. But if you’ve done multiple replacements or other edits, things get trickier. Vim keeps a detailed undo history, so you can use ':undolist' to see all your undo branches. This helps pinpoint where the replacement happened. If you know roughly when it occurred, ':earlier 10s' rolls back 10 seconds, or ':earlier 5m' goes back 5 minutes.

For more precision, Vim allows undoing specific changes by their number. ':undo 3' reverts the last three edits. If you’ve closed and reopened the file, Vim still preserves undo history if 'undofile' is enabled. Just make sure to set 'undofile' and 'undodir' in your .vimrc to keep this feature active. Another lifesaver is ':q!' to exit without saving, then reopening the file to discard all changes. But this is a last resort—losing all recent edits isn’t ideal.
Malcolm
Malcolm
2025-07-06 18:34:06
When I first started using Vim, undoing a text replacement felt like solving a puzzle. The basic 'u' command works if you catch the mistake immediately. But Vim’s undo system is way more flexible. For instance, if you replaced something across the entire file with ':%s/old/new/g', 'u' might not suffice if other edits followed. Instead, try ':undo' with a count, like ':undo 1', to step back through changes one by one.

For deeper control, ':undolist' shows a tree of your undo history, letting you jump to specific points. If you remember the replacement was a few minutes ago, ':earlier 2m' rewinds time. If you’re unsure, ':later' and ':earlier' navigate forward and backward in the undo timeline. Always enable 'set undofile' in your .vimrc to preserve undo history between sessions. This way, even if you close Vim, your undo steps remain intact when you reopen the file.
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