Can I gain root permission without leaving vim?

Question

Sometimes when I edit a file which require root permission (e.g. files under /etc), but I forget run vim as sudo.

After edit finished, and type :wq to save and leave, I find I can't, even using !wq, because the file is readonly.

If I leave and re-edit the file, all my work will lost, but if not, I cannot save my edit. So, how can I gain root permission to write without leaving vim?

I don't think you can, just copy whatever you have in it, close vim, run with sudo and paste. edit: or do as darryn.ten answered. — Gonçalo Vieira, Jun 06 '12 at 13:22
@darryn.ten There are no 'correct' answers. Just 'helpful' and/or 'accepted' answers :) — sehe, Jun 07 '12 at 13:59
The easiest solution is of course to use Emacs, which won't allow to edit a file when you don't have the permission to save it in the first place. *grins, ducks and runs* — Sven Marnach, Jun 08 '12 at 10:38

score 24 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 06 '12 at 13:21

24

To force a save use the following command

:w !sudo tee %

It will prompt you for your password.

answered Jun 06 '12 at 13:21

darryn.ten

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I can never remember this when I need it :/ – Michael Berkowski Jun 06 '12 at 13:25
I forced myself to remember it as I use it quite regularly – darryn.ten Jun 06 '12 at 13:26
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@Michael: A common workaround used in order to get rid of the necessity to remember a complex command is to create a custom one: `:command! W w !sudo tee % >/dev/null`. – ib. Jun 06 '12 at 13:34
I have test it, and it work as expected, thank you very much. Can you tell me why I should this command, what dose it mean? – Yongqiang Zhou Jun 06 '12 at 13:36
I have bound this to w!! in my vimrc, but often ssh to boxes that don't have my vimrc available. – darryn.ten Jun 06 '12 at 13:49
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@Andy: See the question "[How does the vim “write with sudo” trick work?](http://stackoverflow.com/q/2600783/254635)" – ib. Jun 07 '12 at 02:56

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 08 '13 at 20:24

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The mentioned trick with tee is nice; if you need this often I'd recommend the SudoEdit plugin, which offers a :SudoWrite command (and even a sudo: protocol handler).

answered Feb 08 '13 at 20:24

Ingo Karkat

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Can I gain root permission without leaving vim?

2 Answers2

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