Jake Worth

Jake Worth

Solved! How to Exit Vim "Ex" Mode

Published: April 06, 2022 • Updated: January 03, 2023 2 min read

  • vim

How does one exit Vim “Ex” mode?

But first… how did you even get into “Ex” mode? Probably by accidentally typing Q in normal mode:

	    *Q* *mode-Ex* *Ex-mode* *Ex* *EX* *E501*
Q	Switch to "Ex" mode.  This is a bit like typing ":"
	commands one after another, except:
	- You don't have to keep pressing ":".
	- The screen doesn't get updated after each command.
	- There is no normal command-line editing.
	- Mappings and abbreviations are not used.

If this is true you probably missed the initial instructions:

Entering Ex mode.  Type "visual" to go to Normal mode.

And so, exit “Ex” mode by tying :visual or :vi in command mode.

“Ex” mode is the mode of Vim that I know the least about. I’ve been using Vim for close to a decade, and I’ve really never see it in use.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know!


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