[vim] How do I close a single buffer (out of many) in Vim?

I open several files in Vim by, for example, running

vim a/*.php

which opens 23 files.

I then make my edit and run the following twice

:q

which closes all my buffers.

How can you close only one buffer in Vim?

Check your buffer id using :buffers

you will see list of buffers there like

1  a.php
2  b.php
3  c.php

if you want to remove b.php from buffer

:2bw

if you want to remove/close all from buffers

:1,3bw

Rather than browse the ouput of the :ls command and delete (unload, wipe..) a buffer by specifying its number, I find that using file names is often more effective.

For instance, after I opened a couple of .txt file to refresh my memories of some fine point.. copy and paste a few lines of text to use as a template of sorts.. etc. I would type the following:

:bd txt <Tab>

Note that the matching string does not have to be at the start of the file name.

The above displays the list of file names that match 'txt' at the bottom of the screen and keeps the :bd command I initially typed untouched, ready to be completed.

Here's an example:

doc1.txt doc2.txt
:bd txt 

I could backspace over the 'txt' bit and type in the file name I wish to delete, but where this becomes really convenient is that I don't have to: if I hit the Tab key a second time, Vim automatically completes my command with the first match:

:bd doc1.txt

If I want to get rid of this particular buffer I just need to hit Enter.

And if the buffer I want to delete happens to be the second (third.. etc.) match, I only need to keep hitting the Tab key to make my :bd command cycle through the list of matches.

Naturally, this method can also be used to switch to a given buffer via such commands as :b.. :sb.. etc.

This approach is particularly useful when the 'hidden' Vim option is set, because the buffer list can quickly become quite large, covering several screens, and making it difficult to spot the particular buffer I am looking for.

To make the most of this feature, it's probably best to read the following Vim help file and tweak the behavior of Tab command-line completion accordingly so that it best suits your workflow:

:help wildmode

The behavior I described above results from the following setting, which I chose for consistency's sake in order to emulate bash completion:

:set wildmode=list:longest,full

As opposed to using buffer numbers, the merit of this approach is that I usually remember at least part of a given file name letting me target the buffer directly rather than having to first look up its number via the :ls command.

Those using a buffer or tree navigation plugin, like Buffergator or NERDTree, will need to toggle these splits before destroying the current buffer - else you'll send your splits into wonkyville

I use:

"" Buffer Navigation                                                                                                                                                                                        
" Toggle left sidebar: NERDTree and BufferGator                                                                                                                                                             
fu! UiToggle()                                                                                                                                                                                              
  let b = bufnr("%")                                                                                                                                                                                        
  execute "NERDTreeToggle | BuffergatorToggle"                                                                                                                                                              
  execute ( bufwinnr(b) . "wincmd w" )                                                                                                                                                                      
  execute ":set number!"                                                                                                                                                                                    
endf                                                                                                                                                                                                        
map  <silent> <Leader>w  <esc>:call UiToggle()<cr>   

Where "NERDTreeToggle" in that list is the same as typing :NERDTreeToggle. You can modify this function to integrate with your own configuration.

Use:

• :ls - to list buffers
• :bd#n - to close buffer where #n is the buffer number (use ls to get it)

Examples:

• to delete buffer 2:

  :bd2
  

How about

vim -O a a

That way you can edit a single file on your left and navigate the whole dir on your right... Just a thought, not the solution...

[EDIT: this was a stupid suggestion from a time I did not know Vim well enough. Please don't use tabs instead of buffers; tabs are Vim's "window layouts"]

Maybe switch to using tabs?

vim -p a/*.php opens the same files in tabs

gt and gT switch tabs back and forth

:q closes only the current tab

:qa closes everything and exits

:tabo closes everything but the current tab

If this isn't made obvious by the the previous answers:

:bd will close the current buffer. If you don't want to grab the buffer list.

Close buffer without closing the window

If you want to close a buffer without destroying your window layout (current layout based on splits), you can use a Plugin like bbye. Based on this, you can just use

:Bdelete (instead of :bdelete)
:Bwipeout (instead of :bwipeout)

Or just create a mapping in your .vimrc for easier access like

:nnoremap <Leader>q :Bdelete<CR>

Advantage over vim's :bdelete and :bwipeout

From the plugin's documentation:

• Close and remove the buffer.
• Show another file in that window.
• Show an empty file if you've got no other files open.
• Do not leave useless [no file] buffers if you decide to edit another file in that window.
• Work even if a file's open in multiple windows.
• Work a-okay with various buffer explorers and tabbars.

:bdelete vs :bwipeout

From the plugin's documentation:

Vim has two commands for closing a buffer: :bdelete and :bwipeout. The former removes the file from the buffer list, clears its options, variables and mappings. However, it remains in the jumplist, so Ctrl-o takes you back and reopens the file. If that's not what you want, use :bwipeout or Bbye's equivalent :Bwipeout where you would've used :bdelete.

You can map next and previous to function keys too, making cycling through buffers a breeze

map <F2> :bprevious<CR>
map <F3> :bnext<CR>

from my vimrc