Emacs Cheat Sheet
(original version by David Cohen)
(revised by Bob Rogers)
Home : Emacs tips : Cheat sheet
UNDO: C-_ ("control underscore")
Find (or Create) file: C-x C-f
Save file: C-x C-s
Exit Emacs: C-x C-c
Quit (i.e. interrupt) command: C-g
Cursor Operation Cutting and Pasting
Motion Move Delete C- Mark one end of region
Amount forward backward forward backward SPC
C-w Cut (after you Mark and move to
Characters C-f C-b C-d DEL
other end)
Words M-f M-b M-d M-DEL
M-w Copy (after you Mark and move to
C-k (to C-SPC C-a other end)
Lines C-n C-p
EOL) C-w C-y Yank (paste) most recently killed
Sentences M-e M-a M-k C-x DEL (cut or copied); will also use text
Expressions C-M-f C-M-b C-M-k C-M-DEL currently selected in another
application.
(no standard
M-y Next most recently killed (do C-y
Paragraphs M-} M-{ bindings for delete
cmds) first, repeat M-y to cycle thru all)
To make cut/copy/paste behave as it
End/start of (repeat count goes does in other apps, do M-x cua-mode,
C-e C-a
line to following lines) or put
End/start of M-> M-< (no repeat count) (cua-mode)
buffer
in your .emacs to enable in every
session.
Scrolling and Windows Files and Buffers
C-v Scroll down (toward end of buffer) C-x C-f Find file (or create if not
M-v Scroll up (toward beginning of buffer) there); prompts for file name
C-M-v Scroll other window down C-x C-s Save file
C-x 1 One window on current buffer C-x C-w Write file; prompts for new
C-x 2 Split window vertically name
C-x s Save modified buffers; asks
C-x 3 Split window horizontally
about each
C-x ^ Grow window vertically; prefix is number of
C-x b Select buffer; prompts for
lines
buffer name
Command-related Stuff C-x C-b List buffers; shows in other
ESC Get me out of where I am now window
ESC
ESC C-x k Kill buffer; prompts for buffer
C-u # Prefix numeric arg # (digits with optional "-" name
sign) to next cmd Searching/Replacing
C-g Stop a command in progress, or quit out of a C-s Incremental search forward;
partially entered command searches as you type
Getting help C-r Incremental search
C-h k Show command documentation; prompts for backward
keystrokes C-M-s Regexp search forward
C-h a "Command apropos"; prompts for regexp and (there are differences in
shows all matching commands Emacs regexp syntax wrt
Perl, etc.)
C-h c Show command name on message line;
prompts for keystrokes
C-M-r Regexp search backward
C-h f Describe function; prompts for command or
M-x String replace from here to
replace- end of buffer; prompts for
function name, shows documentation in other string
window RET
string and replacement
C-h i Info browser; gives access to online M-x String replace from here to
documentation for emacs and more query- end of buffer, querying for
replace
each occurrence
Miscellaneous RET
M-x grep Prompts for a grep
C-_ or C-Undo/redo (a series of these keeps RET command, shows hits in a
x u undoing; after doing something else, C-_ buffer
or C-x u will undo the undo's)
C-x ` Visit next grep hit
C-q Quoted insert; inserts the next character
typed, even if it is a control or meta
character
M-x shell- Flush ^M at end of line
strip-
ctrl-m RET
C-z Suspend/iconify emacs (type "%emacs" in
invoking shell to get it back)
C-x C-c Exit emacs (asks about unsaved buffers
and running programs)
Other resources for learning emacs
Dave Cohen's original emacs cheat sheet at
http://www.primenet.com/~cohen/emacs_cheat.html (dead link), written by an alumnus of
the August bootcamp.
Tutorial outline for the tutorial presented at bootcamp on 4-Oct-99.
http://www.pdc.kth.se/training/Tutor/Basics/emacs/emacsis.great (dead link) tutorial
page (not hypertext), with a topical command summary at the bottom. This is very dense,
and covers a lot of ground.
GNU emacs FAQ. This is also available in emacs itself by typing "C-h F" (note that the "F"
must be capitalized). The Web version is hypertext, though it isn't very easy to navigate,
and it does have a reference page that points to all kinds of good stuff. The version within
emacs is not hypertext, but it's all on one page, and you can use C-s (incremental search)
to find things of interest.
Bob Rogers <rogers@rgrjr.dyndns.org>
