If you’ve ever been surprised by the vi editor opening when you’re writing a Git commit message in Git Bash, you’re not alone.
The vi (or vim) editor is powerful but can be unintuitive for beginners. The good news? You don’t need to master vi to use Git effectively—you just need to know how to exit safely.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to exit the vi editor in Git Bash, especially when it shows up during Git operations like git commit.
📝 Why Does vi Open in Git Bash?
When you run:
git commit
Without the -m flag, Git opens the default text editor (often vi or vim) to allow you to write a commit message.
In Git Bash on Windows, vi is frequently the default editor. If you don’t know how to use it, getting stuck is frustrating.
🚪 How to Exit vi Editor
If You Want to Save and Exit:
- Press
Escto ensure you’re not in insert mode. - Type:
:wqThen pressEnter.:tellsviyou’re entering a command.wstands for “write” (save).qstands for “quit”.
✅ This will save your changes and exit the editor.
If You Want to Exit Without Saving:
- Press
Escto leave insert mode. - Type:
:q!Then pressEnter.q!means “quit without saving.”
🚫 This will discard any changes you’ve made.
🔄 Quick Summary of Commands
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Save and Exit | :wq |
| Exit Without Saving | :q! |
| Save Only | :w |
| Quit Only (if no changes) | :q |
🛠️ Optional: Change Default Git Editor
If you find vi too cumbersome, you can change the default Git editor to something more user-friendly, like Notepad or VS Code.
Example: Set Notepad as Git Editor
git config --global core.editor "notepad"
Example: Set Visual Studio Code as Git Editor
git config --global core.editor "code --wait"
🧠 The
--waitflag tells Git to wait until you close the file in VS Code before proceeding.
✅ Conclusion
The vi editor may seem intimidating at first, but once you know the basics—especially how to exit—it becomes much more manageable. Whether you decide to learn more about it or switch to a simpler editor, you’re now in control of your Git experience.
