Numbered Registers

"0 = last yank. "1–"9 = the last nine deletes.

Keys: "0, "1, "9

"0 holds your most recent yank; it never updates on delete. "1 holds your most recent multi-character delete; "2 the one before, and so on through "9. They shift on every delete.

Vim quietly keeps a backlog of your recent yanks and deletes. "0 is your most recent yank. "1 through "9 are the last nine deletes — they shift down on each new one.

The numbered registers

Worked example — "1p and "2p

Walk back through deletion history.

Step 1 ·
registers.numbered
Step 2 · dd · dd — A goes to "1.
dd — A goes to "1.
Step 3 · dd · dd — B goes to "1, A pushed to "2.
dd — B goes to "1, A pushed to "2.
Step 4 · "1p · "1p — most recent (B) back.
"1p — most recent (B) back.
Step 5 · "3p · "2p — older one (A) back.
"2p — older one (A) back.

"1-"9 hold the last 9 line-deletes. They shift each time you delete.

▶ Try this in the simulator

See also: Registers, The Unnamed Register, The Small Delete Register, Walking the Numbered Registers