Diff Mode

vimdiff and :diffthis — visualize and edit changes side-by-side.

Keys: ]c, [c, do, dp

Vim has a built-in diff view: vimdiff a b opens two files in vertical splits with synchronized scrolling and highlighted differences. ]c and [c jump between hunks; do and dp pull and push changes.

Vim has a real diff tool baked in. Launch with vimdiff a b from the shell, or :diffsplit other.txt to compare with the current buffer.

Key	Action
`]c`	Jump to next change
`[c`	Jump to previous change
`do`	Diff Obtain — pull change from the other file
`dp`	Diff Put — push change to the other file
``:diffupdate``	Re-scan for changes after edits
``:diffoff``	Exit diff mode for current buffer

Tip. Comparing with the version on disk? :w !diff % - pipes the buffer to diff against the saved file.

Watch

#0473 — The Useless _ Key
#0475 — Ctrl-O in Insert Mode

See also: The [ and ] Family