How To Quit Vi In Linux

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Vi is a powerful text editor that comes pre-installed on almost all Unix and Linux distributions. While it offers a plethora of commands and options, one of the most common problems for beginners is figuring out how to quit or exit the vi editor. In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of quitting vi in Linux.

Exiting Vi Normally

The most common way to exit vi is by using the :q command, which stands for “quit”. However, this command will only work if you haven’t made any changes to the document since you last saved.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to quit vi using this command: 

    1. Press the 'Esc' key to ensure you are not in insert mode.
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Exiting Vi With Unsaved Changes

If you have made changes to your document and attempt to exit vi using the :q command, you will receive an error message. This is because vi wants to prevent you from inadvertently losing your changes.

You have two options in this situation. You can either save your changes before exiting vi, or you can force vi to quit without saving your changes.

Saving Changes Before Exiting

To save your changes before exiting vi, use the :wq command, which stands for “write and quit”. Here’s how: 

    1. Press the &amp;amp;amp;#039;Esc&amp;amp;amp;#039; key to ensure you are not in insert mode.
    2. Type :wq and press &amp;amp;amp;#039;Enter&amp;amp;amp;#039;.

Forcing Vi to Quit Without Saving

If you want to quit vi without saving your changes, you can use the :q! command. Here’s how: 

    1. Press the &amp;amp;amp;#039;Esc&amp;amp;amp;#039; key to ensure you are not in insert mode.
    2. Type :q! and press &amp;amp;amp;#039;Enter&amp;amp;amp;#039;.

Always remember that using this command will discard any changes you have made since the last save, so use it wisely. And that’s it! Now, you know how to quit vi in Linux. With practice, these commands will become second nature.