File Explorer and Built-in Completion

Vim has a built-in file explorer

You don't need NerdTree or neo-tree to browse files. Vim ships with netrw, a directory editor where each line is a file or folder. :Explore (or :e .) opens the current directory; navigate with normal motions; press Enter to open.

Netrw commands inside the explorer

• Enter — open file or descend into directory.
• - — go up one directory.
• % — create a new file (you'll be prompted for the name).
• d — create a new directory.
• D — delete the file/directory under the cursor.
• R — rename.
• i — cycle list styles (thin, long, wide, tree).

Letting Vim suggest completions

You don't need a plugin to get useful completion. Inside Insert mode, Ctrl-n scans every open buffer for words that match what you've typed and offers them. Ctrl-p does the same in reverse. It's the surprise tool — limited compared to a full LSP, but free, instant, and works on any server.

The Ctrl-x sub-menu

Ctrl-x in Insert mode opens a smaller completion menu where each follow-up key picks a different source. The ones to know:

• Ctrl-x Ctrl-f — filename completion. Type a partial path and Vim completes it from the filesystem.
• Ctrl-x Ctrl-l — whole-line completion. Type the start of a line, Vim suggests entire matching lines from open buffers.
• Ctrl-x Ctrl-o — omni-completion (language-aware, when configured).
• Ctrl-x Ctrl-n — keywords from the current file only.
• Ctrl-x Ctrl-k — dictionary words (set dictionary=/usr/share/dict/words first).