# Neovim Navigation

**Movement** in Neovim is central to efficiency. Use dedicated keys instead of arrow keys (though they work) — they keep your hands near the home row.

## Character and word movement

`h`, `j`, `k`, `l` — move left, down, up, right. Alternatives: arrow keys work but are slower. `H`, `M`, `L` — move to top, middle, bottom of screen (useful on large files).

`w` — next word (cursor on start), `b` — previous word. `e` — next word end, `ge` — previous word end. `W`, `B`, `E` — same but on whitespace boundaries (treat punctuation as part of word).

```vim
j j j    " move down 3 lines
5w       " jump 5 words forward
```

## Line movement

`0` — start of line (absolute column 0), `^` — first non-blank character, `$` — end of line, `g_` — last non-blank character. `|` — jump to specific column (e.g., `20|` moves to column 20).

## File movement

`gg` — start of file (line 1), `G` — end of file (last line), `:N` — jump to line N. `:set number` shows line numbers for easier reference.

`Ctrl+G` — display current line and column in status bar. Useful to know position without looking at line numbers.

## Search navigation

`/pattern` — search forward, `?pattern` — search backward. `n` — next match, `N` — previous match. `*` — search for word under cursor forward, `#` — search backward.

`gd` — go to definition of word under cursor (works in code with proper LSP). `gD` — go to global definition.

## Bracket and text object navigation

`%` — jump to matching bracket/paren/brace. Works on `()`, `[]`, `{}`, and can be extended via settings.

`(` and `)` — jump to previous/next sentence (a sentence ends with `.!?`). `{` and `}` — jump to previous/next paragraph (blank line separated).

## In-file jumps

`Ctrl+O` — jump back to previous location (open old position), `Ctrl+I` — jump forward (redo the jump). Creates a jump stack so you can backtrack through edits.

`[count]G` — prefix any command with a count. `10G` jumps to line 10, `10j` moves down 10 lines.

```vim
/function_name    " search for function
n                 " next occurrence
:%s/old/new/g     " replace all (with navigation)
```

Common patterns: search a term with `/`, then `n` to cycle through, or use `*` on cursor word.