The following commands open the file name under the cursor: We usually type gf in normal mode in which case Vim has to determine where the file name starts and ends. It does that by taking all characters matching the 'isfname' option. Alternatively, you can visually select the file name, then type gf in which case Vim will use the selected text. :map :vertical wincmd f When writing a program, it is helpful to set the 'path' option to list the directories with your include files. Then you can easily open an include file. You can return to the previous buffer using Ctrl-^ or Ctrl-o.