How to Replace Text in Vim on Linux: Simple Guide

In Vim on Linux, you can replace text using the :s command. For example, :s/old/new/g replaces all occurrences of 'old' with 'new' on the current line. To replace in the whole file, use :%s/old/new/g.

Syntax

The basic syntax for replacing text in Vim is:

• :s/old/new/flags - Replace 'old' with 'new' on the current line.
• :%s/old/new/flags - Replace in the entire file.
• flags can be g for global (all occurrences), c to confirm each replacement.

Here, old is the text to find, new is the replacement text.

vim

:s/old/new/g
:%s/old/new/g
:%s/old/new/gc

Example

This example replaces all occurrences of 'apple' with 'orange' in the entire file without confirmation.

vim

:%s/apple/orange/g

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Forgetting the % to apply replacement to the whole file, which limits changes to the current line only.
• Not using the g flag, so only the first occurrence on each line is replaced.
• Not escaping special characters in the search or replacement text.

Example of wrong and right usage:

vim

:s/apple/orange
:s/apple/orange/g

Quick Reference

Command	Description
:s/old/new/	Replace first occurrence on current line
:s/old/new/g	Replace all occurrences on current line
:%s/old/new/	Replace first occurrence in whole file
:%s/old/new/g	Replace all occurrences in whole file
:%s/old/new/gc	Replace all with confirmation in whole file

Key Takeaways

Use :s/old/new/g to replace all occurrences on the current line.

Add % before s to replace throughout the entire file, like :%s/old/new/g.

Use the g flag to replace all matches on a line, not just the first.

Use the c flag to confirm each replacement interactively.

Escape special characters in search or replacement text to avoid errors.