Literal Insert and Digraphs
Ctrl-V for literals, Ctrl-K for digraphs โ type the un-typeable.
Ctrl-V (or Ctrl-Q on Windows) inserts the next keystroke literally โ including special keys and Unicode codepoints. Ctrl-K combines two characters into one via the digraph table.
Sometimes you need to type a character that isn't on your keyboard, or you need to type a literal Tab that won't be expanded by autoindent. Ctrl-V and Ctrl-K are the escape hatches.
Literal Insert: Ctrl-V
| Sequence | Inserts |
|---|---|
| Ctrl-VTab | Literal tab character (no shiftwidth math) |
| Ctrl-VEsc | Literal Esc (^[) into the buffer |
| Ctrl-VEnter | Literal CR (^M) |
| Ctrl-V065 | Decimal codepoint 65 โ A |
| Ctrl-Vx41 | Hex codepoint 0x41 โ A |
| Ctrl-Vu00e9 | Unicode U+00E9 โ รฉ |
Digraphs: Ctrl-K
| Sequence | Inserts |
|---|---|
| Ctrl-Ke' | รฉ (e-acute) |
| Ctrl-Kn? | รฑ |
| Ctrl-KOK | โ (check mark) |
| Ctrl-K->| | โ (right arrow) |
| Ctrl-KPi | ฯ |
Watch
- ๐บ #0394 Ctrl-X Ctrl-S Spelling (not yet published)
- ๐บ #0395 Ctrl-X Ctrl-V Vim Command Complete (not yet published)
See also: Inserting from a Register