/errors /vim/e37-no-write-since-last-change

Vim: E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)

updated 2026-10-20

tool: Vim / Neovim
exit code: 1
versions: Vim 8, Vim 9, Neovim
os: any

Vim refuses to abandon a buffer with unsaved changes. Commands that would leave it, such as :q, :e other.txt or :bnext, stop with E37: No write since last change (add ! to override). Nothing is lost: decide whether to save the changes or throw them away.

Reproduce it

Vim in batch mode (-es), without any configuration (-Nu NONE): add text, then try to open another file.

bash

printf 'one\n' > a.txt
vim -Nu NONE -i NONE -es \
  -c 'normal! Atwo' \
  -c 'silent! edit b.txt' \
  -c 'call writefile([v:errmsg], "error.txt")' \
  -c 'qa!' a.txt
cat error.txt
cat a.txt     # unchanged on disk: qa! discarded the edit

Output

E37: No write since last change (add ! to override)
one

What to type

Goal	Command
save and quit	:wq or :x, or ZZ in normal mode
quit without saving	:q! or ZQ
save everything and quit	:wqa
quit everything, discard all changes	:qa!
open another file, discard current changes	:e! other.txt
reload this file from disk	:e!
see which buffers are modified	:ls (marked with +)

Switch files without saving first

vim

set hidden

With hidden (on by default in Neovim), :e, :bnext and friends keep the modified buffer open in the background instead of complaining. Vim still warns with E37 or E162 when you try to quit with modified buffers.

Sources

commands · vimVim search and replace: :%s/old/new/g and its flagsReplace text in Vim with :%s/old/new/g; add c to confirm each change and i to ignore case, limit it to a range or a selection, and match whole words only.compare · vimVim vs Neovim: what differs and which to chooseNeovim is a Vim fork with Lua configuration, a built-in LSP client, Tree-sitter and modern defaults; Vim keeps Vim9 script and maximum compatibility. Compared.cheat sheets · regexRegex cheat sheet: characters, quantifiers, groups and lookaroundsRegex cheat sheet: character classes, anchors, quantifiers, greedy and lazy matching, groups and backreferences, lookarounds, with tested Python examples.

Reproduce it

What to type

Switch files without saving first

Sources

Related pages