How do I delete the last character in each line using vim

Solution 1:

You could use :%s/.\{1}$// to delete 1 character off the end of each line.

Solution 2:

:%normal $x

• : puts you into command line mode
• % is a range representing the entire file
• normal says we're running a normal mode command
• $x deletes the last character in the line

Some overlap with other answers, but to me this one reads most simply.

Solution 3:

TLDR: :%s/.$//

For explanation and more examples read on.

• :%s/.$//
  • deletes any character at the end of all lines (or better to say: replaces any character at the end with nothing)
  • s = substitute command
  • . = any character
  • if you want to delete . (not any character) use \.$ instead of .$
• :'<,'>s/.$//g
  • deletes any character at the end of all lines of the current selection
  • '<,'> = current selection (you get this by SHIFT+V, then selecting the lines, then :)
• :%s/;$//
  • deletes ; at the end of all line
  • useful if you copy & paste code from a language that needs ; to one that doesn't