How Do I Use M In Vim To Set A Local Mark?

Oh nice, this is easy to fix in Vim — that little 'm' for setting marks is super helpful, but sometimes you want to clear it out. In Vim, pressing m followed by a letter (like ma) sets a named mark in the current buffer, and those marks stay until you delete them or quit. If you want to see what marks you currently have, :marks is your best friend — it prints all the marks and where they point, including uppercase file marks and numbered marks. Jumping back to a mark is done with 'a or `a, but when you decide a mark has outlived its usefulness, you can delete it cleanly. To remove marks, use :delmarks. It’s straightforward: :delmarks a removes mark 'a', and you can remove multiple at once by listing them like :delmarks abc. If you prefer ranges, :delmarks a-z clears all lowercase (buffer-local) marks, :delmarks A-Z clears uppercase (global file) marks, and :delmarks 0-9 clears the numbered marks. If you want to wipe everything in one go, either combine ranges (:delmarks a-z A-Z 0-9) or use the :delmarks! variant. The ! lets you delete marks across buffers (handy if you’ve been bouncing between files and want a fresh slate). Quick examples I use all the time: :marks to check, :delmarks a to drop a specific mark, and :delmarks a-z if I just want to clear all the little bookmarks in the current buffer. If you like Vimscript tinkering, there's also :call setpos("'a", [0,0,0,0]) to stomp a mark by setting it to a null position — useful in scripts or mappings — but for casual interactive cleanup I stick with :delmarks because it’s explicit and readable. One tiny tip: uppercase marks (like 'A) are attached to filenames, so deleting them with :delmarks A-Z is useful when removing saved positions across files. And if you ever accidentally set a mark and jump to it, '' (two single quotes) gets you back to the previous location — lifesaver during frantic editing sessions. Honestly, clearing marks is one of those small Vim rituals that makes sessions feel tidy again. I tend to run :delmarks a-z between big refactors to avoid weird jumps, or map a key if I need to reset often. Try the :marks command first so you don’t accidentally remove something you still need, and then use :delmarks with the specific letters or ranges. Happy editing — your buffer will thank you, and you’ll have fewer surprise hops when navigating!

Whenever I'm deep in a giant source file the 'm' command in Vim is my go-to little bookmark trick. Hit 'm' then a letter (for example 'ma') and Vim records the cursor position as mark 'a'. Lowercase letters a–z create marks that are local to the current file (buffer), so they help me jump around within that one document without affecting other files. If I need to jump back, I use a backtick and the letter (for example ` `a` ) to go to the exact column and line, or a single quote and the letter (for example 'a) to jump to the start of that line. Uppercase letters A–Z store the filename too, so they act like global marks across files in the same Vim session — handy when I hop between multiple modules. You can list marks with :marks and remove them with :delmarks. Small tip: some environments also save marks across sessions if your config writes marks to viminfo, which means your bookmarks can survive a restart if you set it up right.

If you're running MacVim (the mvim command) on macOS, the simplest, most reliable route for me has been vim-plug. It just feels clean: drop a tiny bootstrap file into ~/.vim/autoload, add a few lines to ~/.vimrc, then let the plugin manager handle the rest. For vim-plug I run: curl -fLo ~/.vim/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim. After that I edit ~/.vimrc and add: call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged') Plug 'tpope/vim-sensible' Plug 'junegunn/fzf', { 'do': { -> fzf#install() } } call plug#end() Then I launch MacVim with mvim and run :PlugInstall (or from the shell mvim +PlugInstall +qall) and watch the plugins clone and install. A few handy things: if a plugin needs build steps, check its README; some require ctags, ripgrep, or Python support. Also remember MacVim reads your ~/.vimrc (and you can put GUI tweaks in ~/.gvimrc). If you prefer built-in package management, the pack/start method works too: mkdir -p ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start && git clone ~/.vim/pack/vendor/start/, then restart mvim.

Okay, here’s the short version first, but then I’ll expand — I love geeking out about editor choices. For plugins, Neovim is the one that pushed the ecosystem forward: it brought a clean RPC-based plugin model, first-class async job handling, and a modern Lua API that plugin authors love. That means a lot of recent plugins are written in Lua or expect Neovim-only features like virtual text, floating windows, and extmarks. The result is snappier, more feature-rich plugins that can do things without blocking the UI. If you use 'm vim' (think classic Vim or MacVim builds), you still get a massive, mature plugin ecosystem. Many plugin authors keep compatibility with Vim, and core functionality works fine — but some newer plugins either require extra patches, rely on Vim being compiled with specific features (job control, Python/Ruby/Node support), or are Neovim-only because they use the Lua or RPC APIs. Practically, that means your favorite long-lived plugins like statuslines, file explorers, and linters usually work on either, but cutting-edge integrations (native LSP clients, modern completion engines written in Lua) will feel more at home in Neovim. My take: if you want modern plugins, async performance, and future-facing features, Neovim wins. If you prefer a familiar Vim experience, GUI comforts on macOS, or rely on plugins that haven’t migrated, 'm vim' still serves well. I ended up switching because I wanted Lua-based configs and non-blocking LSP, but I still keep a light Vim profile around for quick GUI sessions.

Oh wow, trimming 'mvim' startup is one of those tiny joys that makes the whole day smoother. I usually start by profiling so I know what's actually slow: run mvim --startuptime ~/vim-startup.log and open that log. It quickly shows which scripts or plugins dominate time. Once I know the culprits, I move heavy things into autoload or optional plugin folders so they only load when needed. Next, I use lazy-loading with a plugin manager like 'vim-plug' (Plug 'foo', { 'on': 'SomeCommand' } or 'for': ['python', 'javascript']). Put plugins you need immediately in 'start' and everything else in 'opt' or load by filetype. Also disable unnecessary providers (let g:loaded_python_provider = 0, let g:loaded_ruby_provider = 0) if you don't use them — that shave off seconds. Finally, keep UI tweaks minimal for GUI start: font fallback, complex statuslines and external helpers (like large LSPs) can wait until you open a project. After a few iterations of profile → defer → test, 'mvim' feels snappy and more pleasant to use.

I'm pretty sure what's biting you here: uppercase marks in Vim behave differently than the little lowercase ones, and that difference is often the cause of confusion. Lowercase marks (a–z) are file-local, while uppercase marks (A–Z) are global — they store the file name and a position so you can jump between files. To set one you must type m then the capital letter (for example mA). To jump, use 'A (line) or `A (exact position). If mA doesn't seem to do anything, check a few concrete things. First, are you in Normal mode? m only works there. Second, make sure the keypress is actually reaching Vim: press Ctrl+V then Shift+A in insert mode to see what character the terminal sends. Third, check for mappings that hijack m with :verbose nmap m (or :map m). Plugins or your vimrc can remap m and break the default behavior. Also try :marks to list current marks and see whether the uppercase mark was created but you’re jumping incorrectly. If you use tmux, a terminal emulator, or an SSH connection, those can sometimes interfere with special key handling — try gVim or a different terminal to isolate the problem.

Okay, let me walk you through this like I'm showing a buddy at my desk — clipboard sync in "m vim" usually means getting Vim to talk to your system clipboard, and there are a few ways to make that happen depending on your OS and which Vim binary you're using. First, check what your Vim actually supports: run :version inside Vim and look for +clipboard or -clipboard (or in Vim script do :echo has('clipboard')). If you already have +clipboard, the easy move is to add set clipboard=unnamedplus to your ~/.vimrc so the "+ register is used automatically. Then use "+y to yank or "+p to paste from the system clipboard. If you see -clipboard, you probably need a different build. On macOS I usually install 'macvim' via Homebrew (brew install macvim) or the Homebrew 'vim' that includes clipboard support, and then make sure that binary is first in my PATH (which which vim will show). On Linux, install the GUI-enabled package like vim-gtk3 or vim-gnome (sudo apt install vim-gtk3). If you can't change the build, a hacky but reliable trick is mapping to system tools: for macOS use pbcopy/pbpaste (for example, vmap :w !pbcopy), on Linux use xclip/xsel, and on WSL use win32yank.exe or clip.exe. If you're in tmux or over SSH, look into OSC52 or tmux clipboard integration. Try these steps and see which one clicks for your setup — tell me what :version shows if you want more exact commands.

Okay—let's get this working in mvim (MacVim) with a friendly, practical walkthrough that actually gets you autocompletion without too much fuss. First, make sure your MacVim is a modern build: you want Vim 8+ with +job and +channel support. If you installed via Homebrew (brew install macvim) you’re usually okay. Then pick a plugin manager; I use vim-plug. Put this in your ~/.vimrc (or ~/.gvimrc if you prefer GUI): call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged') Plug 'neoclide/coc.nvim', {'branch': 'release'} call plug#end() Restart mvim and run :PlugInstall. coc.nvim is my go-to because it brings VSCode-style LSP features to Vim: completion, diagnostics, code actions, hover, go-to-def. Next, install language servers. For JS/TS I do :CocInstall coc-tsserver coc-eslint; for Python I install 'pyright' globally (npm i -g pyright) or use :CocInstall coc-pyright. You can also add a global list in your vimrc: let g:coc_global_extensions = ['coc-tsserver','coc-pyright','coc-json','coc-html','coc-css','coc-snippets'] Small quality-of-life mappings I put in my vimrc: inoremap pumvisible() ? '\' : coc#refresh() nmap gd (coc-definition) nmap K :call CocActionAsync('doHover') If something breaks, check :CocInfo and :CocList services; it tells you which servers are running. And make sure Node (v12+) is installed for coc.nvim. If you prefer a lighter route, 'vim-lsp' + 'completion-nvim' or 'LanguageClient-neovim' are alternatives, but coc is the fastest path to a full-featured LSP experience in mvim. Happy hacking—once completion is humming, the tiny setup headaches feel so worth it.