Vim: How to turn off splitting

Question

Is there a way to permanently turn off window splitting? I want all buffers to open in full windows. Can it be turned off permanently somehow?

Answer 1

You can:

• avoid any commands that create window splits
• configure Vim to minimize creation of splits (e.g. :set switchbuf-=split),
• additionally define :autocmds that check for created splits and :tabedit them instead

but you won't succeed in totally getting rid of them. For example, the preview and quickfix windows were designed to be viewed in a window split, and you won't get much value out of them without that.

Vim is different than most other editors, and it derives a lot of its power from that. So, try to rid yourself of preconceptions, be open to the Vim way, keep experimenting and learning. You'll get by with multiple windows with a few built-in (<C-w>...) commands. Maybe you'll only use window splits occasionally, maybe you'll later recognize the shortcomings of alternative approaches of buffer handling (e.g. too many tabs) and start to love window splits. But don't try to expunge a feature because you initially don't like / understand it.