Vim Motions provides 60+ ex commands accessible via : in Normal mode. Commands cover file operations, buffer management, window splits, table manipulation, and Obsidian-specific integration.
Command reference
Ex commands
Execute commands via the
:command line, grouped by function.File and buffer
Command Description :w/:writeSave current file :update/:upSave current file (alias for :w):q/:quitClose current tab :wqSave and close :x/:xitWrite if modified and close :xa/:xallWrite if modified all and close all :e {file}/:edit {file}Open file by name in vault :e!/:edit!Revert current file to saved version :enewCreate new untitled note :saveas {file}Save current buffer as new file :find {file}/:finFind and open file by partial name match :read {file}/:rInsert file contents at cursor position :bn/:bpNext / previous tab :b {name}/:buffer {name}Switch to tab matching name :bf/:bfirstGo to first tab :bl/:blastGo to last tab :bd/:bcClose current tab :bw/:bwipeoutClose current tab :onlyClose all other tabs :qaClose all tabs :wa/:wallSave all open files Window and tab
Command Description :sp/:splitHorizontal split :vs/:vsplitVertical split :newHorizontal split with new note :vnewVertical split with new note :tabnew/:tabeditOpen new tab (optionally with file) :tabclose/:tabcClose current tab :tabonly/:taboClose all other tabs :tabfirst/:tabrewindGo to first tab :tablast/:tablGo to last tab Table
Command Description :tableinsertInsert table :tablerowafter/:tablerowbeforeAdd row below / above :tablerowup/:tablerowdownMove row up / down :tablerowdeleteDelete row :tablecolafter/:tablecolbeforeAdd column right / left :tablecolleft/:tablecolrightMove column left / right :tablecoldeleteDelete column :tablealignleft/:tablealigncenter/:tablealignrightSet column alignment :tablerealignRealign table columns to uniform widths Navigation and search
Command Description :explorerReveal active file in file explorer :buffers/:lsShow all open buffers in a modal :backlinksShow backlinks to the current note in a modal :grep {pattern}Search vault for text, show results in a modal :back/:forwardNavigate back / forward in history :marksShow marks and their positions in a modal :changesShow change list in modal Utility
Link to original
Command Description :ob {command-id}Execute any Obsidian command by ID :obList all available command IDs :sidebar left/:sidebar rightToggle left/right sidebar :reg/:registersShow register contents in a modal :delmarks {marks}Delete specified marks :version/:veShow plugin version :gmapList all active global bindings
Obsidian integration
:ob — execute Obsidian commands
:ob {command-id} executes any Obsidian command by its internal ID. Run :ob without arguments to list all available command IDs in a modal.
This is the bridge between Vim’s ex command line and Obsidian’s command palette. Use it with exmap in your vimrc to create custom key bindings for any Obsidian command:
exmap toggleDarkMode obcommand theme:use-dark
nmap <leader>d :toggleDarkMode<CR>:sidebar — toggle sidebars
:sidebar left and :sidebar right toggle the left and right sidebars respectively.
:explorer — reveal in file explorer
:explorer reveals the active file in the file explorer sidebar.
:grep — vault search
:grep {pattern} searches the vault for text and shows results in a modal.
:backlinks — show backlinks
:backlinks shows all backlinks to the current note in a modal.
Non-editor ex command line
Pressing : in a non-editor view (PDF, graph, canvas, etc.) opens a standalone command modal with tab-completion. Only globally-safe commands are available from this modal — commands that require an active editor (:e!, :saveas, :read, :marks) show a notice when invoked.
Tab completion
Ex commands support tab-completion as you type in the : command line, matching available commands by prefix.
Configuration
Ex commands are always enabled — there is no toggle setting. The :ob command is registered independently from obsidian-vimrc-support, so both plugins can coexist.
See known-limitations > Platform for Neovim ex commands that are not applicable in Obsidian.