Do I need to commit .gitignore?

Yes — .gitignore should be committed to the repository so all collaborators benefit from the same ignore rules.

How do I add custom patterns?

Open your .gitignore file and add the pattern on a new line. Use # for comments, * for wildcards, / to match directories, and ! to un-ignore a previously ignored path.

How do I ignore a file that is already tracked?

Adding a file to .gitignore does not remove it from tracking if it was previously committed. Run: git rm --cached to stop tracking it without deleting the file locally.

Vim creates swap files (e.g., .filename.swp) while editing to allow recovery if the editor crashes. They are temporary and should never be committed.

.gitignore for Vim

Vim/Neovim swap files, backup files, and undo history.

Quick presets

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11 patterns · 266 B

# Generated by DevZone Tools — https://devzone.tools/tools/gitignore-generator
# Templates: Vim
# 2026-04-20

# ---- Vim ----
# Vim
[._]*.s[a-v][a-z]
[._]*.sw[a-p]
[._]s[a-rt-v][a-z]
[._]ss[a-gi-z]
[._]sw[a-p]
Session.vim
Sessionx.vim
.netrwhist
*~
tags
[._]*.un~

What this template ignores

Ignores Vim swap files (.swp), backup files (~), undo history files (.un~), session files, and ctags tag files.

Common additions

+.nvim/ — Neovim project-local config directory

Commonly paired with

macos linux Combine →

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to commit .gitignore?: Yes — .gitignore should be committed to the repository so all collaborators benefit from the same ignore rules.
How do I add custom patterns?: Open your .gitignore file and add the pattern on a new line. Use # for comments, * for wildcards, / to match directories, and ! to un-ignore a previously ignored path.
How do I ignore a file that is already tracked?: Adding a file to .gitignore does not remove it from tracking if it was previously committed. Run: git rm --cached <file> to stop tracking it without deleting the file locally.
What are .swp files?: Vim creates swap files (e.g., .filename.swp) while editing to allow recovery if the editor crashes. They are temporary and should never be committed.

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