Close single vim instance when I have multiple open

Question

I did vim * to simultaneously open 3 text files, as I would with any other application. However, when I use :q to close the first file, it does not close, and instead says E173: 2 more files to edit. How can I fix this so that I can access each file, and then close the whole thing?

You might try asking this over at Vi and Vim.SE. Stack Overflow is for programming questions. Vi questions aren't off-topic here but it's not the best site to ask on. — John Kugelman
– John Kugelman, Commented May 27, 2020 at 17:42

knittl · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-27 17:41:54Z

2

Two possibilities that I can think of:

simply run :q again, vi will close
run :qa (quit, all)

answered May 27, 2020 at 17:41

knittl

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jonnybolton16 Over a year ago

Thanks. I wasn't clear with my question, but you got half of what I was trying to ask!

that other guy · Accepted Answer · 2020-05-27 17:44:16Z

1

You don't have multiple instances of vim, just a single one with three buffers.

Use :n to close the first file and go to the next, or :wn to save and go next. :prev goes backwards.

You can also use :2b to jump to buffer #2, and/or set up a plugin like MiniBufExpl to show a list of currently opened files for easier navigation.

answered May 27, 2020 at 17:44

that other guy

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1 Comment

jonnybolton16 Over a year ago

Thanks. I wasn't clear with my question, but you got half of what I was trying to ask!

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