Vim Split

Vim-style window movement for VS Code editor groups.

Key	If a group exists in that direction	Otherwise
`ctrl+h`	focus the group to the left	split left
`ctrl+j`	focus the group below	split down
`ctrl+k`	focus the group above	split up
`ctrl+l`	focus the group to the right	split right

Splitting opens the current file in the new group and moves the cursor there, the same as :vsplit / :split.

Install

From the Marketplace:

code --install-extension giftorm.vim-split

Or build it yourself:

npx @vscode/vsce package
code --install-extension vim-split-<version>.vsix

With VSCodeVim

VSCodeVim binds ctrl+h/j/k/l itself whenever a text editor is focused, and which extension wins a shared key is not guaranteed. Turn Vim's handling of these keys off (settings.json):

"vim.handleKeys": {
  "<C-h>": false,
  "<C-j>": false,
  "<C-k>": false,
  "<C-l>": false
}

The bindings are inactive in Vim's insert mode (like nnoremap). With Vim's handling turned off, insert-mode ctrl+h falls through to VS Code's default (find/replace) instead of backspace. To keep backspace, add this to keybindings.json:

{ "key": "ctrl+h", "command": "deleteLeft", "when": "editorTextFocus && vim.mode == 'Insert'" }

Trade-offs

These bindings replace VS Code's defaults while an editor is focused: ctrl+h (replace), ctrl+j (toggle panel), ctrl+l (select line) and, most importantly, the ctrl+k chord prefix (ctrl+k ctrl+s, ctrl+k ctrl+c, ...). Those still work from the sidebar/panel and from the command palette.