diff --git a/src/eval.c b/src/eval.c
index ef9b6d1..be59f98 100644
--- a/src/eval.c
+++ b/src/eval.c
@@ -18309,8 +18309,8 @@
 # ifdef FEAT_MBYTE
     if (eap->force_enc != 0)
 	len += (unsigned)STRLEN(eap->cmd + eap->force_enc) + 7;
-    if (eap->bad_char_idx != 0)
-	len += (unsigned)STRLEN(eap->cmd + eap->bad_char_idx) + 7;
+    if (eap->bad_char != 0)
+	len += 7 + 4;  /* " ++bad=" + "keep" or "drop" */
 # endif
 
     newval = alloc(len + 1);
@@ -18334,9 +18334,12 @@
     if (eap->force_enc != 0)
 	sprintf((char *)newval + STRLEN(newval), " ++enc=%s",
 					       eap->cmd + eap->force_enc);
-    if (eap->bad_char_idx != 0)
-	sprintf((char *)newval + STRLEN(newval), " ++bad=%s",
-					       eap->cmd + eap->bad_char_idx);
+    if (eap->bad_char == BAD_KEEP)
+	STRCPY(newval + STRLEN(newval), " ++bad=keep");
+    else if (eap->bad_char == BAD_DROP)
+	STRCPY(newval + STRLEN(newval), " ++bad=drop");
+    else if (eap->bad_char != 0)
+	sprintf((char *)newval + STRLEN(newval), " ++bad=%c", eap->bad_char);
 # endif
     vimvars[VV_CMDARG].vv_str = newval;
     return oldval;
diff --git a/src/ex_cmds.h b/src/ex_cmds.h
index eb47297..488feae 100644
--- a/src/ex_cmds.h
+++ b/src/ex_cmds.h
@@ -1152,8 +1152,7 @@
     int		force_ff;	/* ++ff= argument (index in cmd[]) */
 #ifdef FEAT_MBYTE
     int		force_enc;	/* ++enc= argument (index in cmd[]) */
-    int		bad_char_idx;	/* ++bad= argument (index in cmd[]) */
-    int		bad_char;	/* BAD_KEEP, BAD_DROP or replacement char */
+    int		bad_char;	/* BAD_KEEP, BAD_DROP or replacement byte */
 #endif
 #ifdef FEAT_USR_CMDS
     int		useridx;	/* user command index */
diff --git a/src/ex_docmd.c b/src/ex_docmd.c
index 748e3bc..13e26d5 100644
--- a/src/ex_docmd.c
+++ b/src/ex_docmd.c
@@ -4688,6 +4688,7 @@
     char_u	*arg = eap->arg + 2;
     int		*pp = NULL;
 #ifdef FEAT_MBYTE
+    int		bad_char_idx;
     char_u	*p;
 #endif
 
@@ -4739,7 +4740,7 @@
     else if (STRNCMP(arg, "bad", 3) == 0)
     {
 	arg += 3;
-	pp = &eap->bad_char_idx;
+	pp = &bad_char_idx;
     }
 #endif
 
@@ -4770,7 +4771,7 @@
     {
 	/* Check ++bad= argument.  Must be a single-byte character, "keep" or
 	 * "drop". */
-	p = eap->cmd + eap->bad_char_idx;
+	p = eap->cmd + bad_char_idx;
 	if (STRICMP(p, "keep") == 0)
 	    eap->bad_char = BAD_KEEP;
 	else if (STRICMP(p, "drop") == 0)