Emacs command bindings (an alphabetical list)

Global Command Bindings

• These should work everywhere

Specials

    SPC .. ~          self-insert-command

    RET               newline

Commands using the Control Key

• Commands of the form control-letter

    C-a               beginning-of-line

    C-b               backward-char

    C-c               mode-specific-command-prefix

• e.g., specific to C-mode or text-mode or whatever
• command will typically be in the form C-c C-char

    C-d               delete-char

• delete current character (backspace deletes previous character)

    C-e               end-of-line

    C-f               forward-char

    C-g               keyboard-quit

• the general 'abandon command' command
• won't work inside a 'recursive edit' where C-] works

    C-h               help-command

• keep typing C-h to get more info --- seehelp commands below

    C-k               kill-line

• kills contents and carriage returns separately (except inside C-u)

    C-l               recenter

• redisplays the screen with cursor at center
• often useful just for “refresh screen”

    C-n               next-line

• that is, “down-a-line”

    C-o              open-line

• add a new line in the middle of text

    C-p               previous-line

• that is, “up-a-line”

    C-q               quoted-insert

• treat the next character (usually a control or escape character) literally

    C-r               isearch-backward

    C-s               isearch-forward

• incremental search

    C-t               transpose-chars

• one of the truly useful and unique features of EMACS

    C-u               universal-argument

• another --- a little like Windows “repeat”

    C-v               scroll-up

    C-w               kill-region

• more-or-less 'cut'
• however, the entire “kill ring” --- or at least a number of previous kills --- remains available

    C-x               Control-X-prefix

    C-y               yank

• more-or-less 'paste'

    C-z               suspend-emacs

• Commands of the form Control-symbol

    C-@               set-mark-command

• mark the beginning of a region (the cursor will mark the end)

    C-]               abort-recursive-edit

• like C-g inside a recursive edit (don’t worry too much about it, but be prepared to use it when C-g fails).

    C-_               undo

Commands inside Help

• Commands of the form C-h letter --- the help-menu options

    C-h a             command-apropos

• like UNIX 'apropos'
• Example: C-h a file gives the commands and functions affecting files

    C-h b             describe-bindings

• gets you this list (in somewhat different order), without comments

    C-h c             describe-key-briefly

• Example: C-h c C-g gives the name of the C-g command

    C-h d             describe-function

    C-h f             describe-function

• Example: C-h d M-x undo describes the undo function

    C-h k             describe-key

• like C-h c, but a description rather than a name

    C-h i             info

    C-h l             view-lossage

• the last several characters typed

    C-h m             describe-mode

• for example, Text mode, or LISP mode

    C-h n             view-emacs-news

    C-h C-n           view-emacs-news

    C-h s             describe-syntax

    C-h t             help-with-tutorial

• run the Emacs tutorial

    C-h v             describe-variable

• Example: C-h v fill-prefix describes the meaning and use of “fill prefix”

    C-h w             where-is

• Help system information

    C-h C-c           describe-copying

    C-h C-d           describe-distribution

    C-h C-w           describe-no-warranty

    C-h ?             help-for-help

    C-h C-h           help-for-help

Commands of the form C-x something

• Note: the useful ones are commented. Three useful families are given separately: window commands, keyboard macro commands, and file/buffer management.

    C-x C-a           add-mode-abbrev

    C-x C-e           eval-last-sexp

    C-x C-h           inverse-add-mode-abbrev

    C-x TAB           indent-rigidly

    C-x C-l           downcase-region

    C-x C-n           set-goal-column

    C-x C-o           delete-blank-lines

    C-x C-p           mark-page

    C-x C-q           toggle-read-only

    C-x C-t           transpose-lines

    C-x C-u           upcase-region

    C-x C-x           exchange-point-and-mark

    C-x ESC           repeat-complex-command

• repeat the last complex command executed

    C-x $             set-selective-display

    C-x '             expand-abbrev

    C-x +             add-global-abbrev

    C-x -             inverse-add-global-abbrev

    C-x .             set-fill-prefix

• on line wrap, use whatever is before the point on this line as a prefix

    C-x /             point-to-register

    C-x ;             set-comment-column

    C-x <              scroll-left

    C-x =             what-cursor-position

    C-x >              scroll-right

    C-x [             backward-page

    C-x ]             forward-page

    C-x `             next-error

• useful for interpreters/compilers which interact with EMACS

    C-x f             set-fill-column

• set to get line wrap, usually at values between 70 and 80
• invoke either by moving the point to the appropriate column
• or by using C-u 75 C-x f (or whatever number in place of 75)

    C-x g             insert-register

    C-x h             mark-whole-buffer

    C-x j             register-to-point

    C-x l             count-lines-page

    C-x m             mail

• only works with a mail system which interacts with EMACS

    C-x n             narrow-to-region

    C-x p             narrow-to-page

    C-x r             copy-rectangle-to-register

    C-x u             advertised-undo

• undo last change

    C-x w             widen

    C-x x             copy-to-register

    C-x {             shrink-window-horizontally

    C-x }             enlarge-window-horizontally

    C-x DEL           backward-kill-sentence

Window commands

• The next bunch of commands manipulate windows inside EMACS (and are almost all useful)

    C-x 0             delete-window

    C-x 1             delete-other-windows

    C-x 2             split-window-vertically

    C-x 4             ctl-x-4-prefix

    C-x 5             split-window-horizontally

    C-x o             move-to-next-window

    C-x ^             enlarge-window

C-x 4 Commands

    C-x 4 C-f         find-file-other-window

    C-x 4 .           find-tag-other-window

    C-x 4 a           add-change-log-entry-other-window

    C-x 4 b           switch-to-buffer-other-window

    C-x 4 d           dired-other-window

    C-x 4 f           find-file-other-window

    C-x 4 m           mail-other-window

Keyboard Macros

    C-x (             start-kbd-macro

    C-x )             end-kbd-macro

• keyboard macros are defined with C-x ( key-sequence C-x )
• “key sequence” will be interpreted as if it were a sequence of commands

    C-x e             execute kbd-macro

• there can be at most one keyboard macro
• it can be re-executed without a name
• other macros can be named and reused

    C-x q             kbd-macro-query

• what is the current keyboard macro

File/Buffer Management

    C-x C-b           buffer-menu

• display the set of buffers --- allowing some to be closed

    C-x C-c           save-buffers-kill-emacs

• exit, saving all buffers

    C-x C-d           list-directory

    C-x C-f           find-file

• create a new buffer for the given file

    C-x C-r           find-file-read-only

    C-x C-s           save-buffer

• save the file in the current buffer

    C-x s             save-some-buffers

• asks whether to save each buffer

    C-x C-v           find-alternate-file

• bring a different file into this buffer (usually use C-x C-f instead)

    C-x C-w           write-file

    C-x C-z           suspend-emacs

• get out of EMACS temporarily, without losing state

    C-x a             append-to-buffer

    C-x b             switch-to-buffer

• switch to the named buffer

    C-x d             dired

    C-x i             insert-file

• useful

    C-x k             kill-buffer

Commands using Escape (M-)

• Commands using M-C-char
  • Few of these will be useful for even an experienced casual user; as usual, these few have been moved to the front, and are commented. The rest of these commands are used mostly in recursive editing of commands, menus, and macros.

    ESC C-c           exit-recursive-edit

• Unlike C-], causes the edit contents to take effect
• (although most recursive edits are ended with ENTER, or close-parens, etc.)

    ESC C-s           isearch-forward-regexp

• This can be useful if we are searching for something more general than a single word.

    ESC C-v           scroll-other-window

• This is useful for comparing two versions of a text, or doing selective copying.

    ESC C-\           indent-region

• Could be useful

    ESC C-@           mark-sexp

    ESC C-a           beginning-of-defun

    ESC C-b           backward-sexp

    ESC C-d           down-list

    ESC C-e           end-of-defun

    ESC C-f           forward-sexp

    ESC C-h           mark-defun

    ESC TAB           lisp-complete-symbol

    ESC LFD           indent-new-comment-line

    ESC C-k           kill-sexp

    ESC C-n           forward-list

    ESC C-o           split-line

    ESC C-p           backward-list

    ESC C-t           transpose-sexps

    ESC C-u           backward-up-list

    ESC C-w           append-next-kill

• Commands using M-symbol (ESC or META key). Again, the useful ones (in my opinion) are listed first.

    M-SPC             just-one-space

• Hard space --- don’t expand

    M-!               shell-command

• Execute a UNIX command without interrupting EMACS

    M-$               spell-word

• Obvious --- can also be invoked by M-x spell-word

    M-%               query-replace

• Do a replace, asking each time --- can also be invoked by M-x query replace

    M-(               insert-parentheses

• From the mark to the point

    M-<                beginning-of-buffer

• Useful

    M->                end-of-buffer

• Useful

    M-[               backward-paragraph

• Useful

    M-]               forward-paragraph

• Useful

    M-ESC             eval-expression

    M-'               abbrev-prefix-mark

    M-)               move-past-close-and-reindent

    M-,               tags-loop-continue

    M--               negative-argument

    M-.               find-tag

    M-/               dabbrev-expand

    ESC 0 ... ESC 9   digit-argument

    M-;               indent-for-comment

    M-=               count-lines-region

    M-@               mark-word

    ESC O             Prefix Command

• Allowing use of C-whatever commands when the control key can’t be used.

    M-\               delete-horizontal-space

    M-^               delete-indentation

    M-|               shell-command-on-region

    M-~               not-modified

Meta-commands (M-)

• Most of these are useful; M- is ESCAPE, except on machines which actually have a META key

    M-a               backward-sentence

    M-b               backward-word

    M-c               capitalize-word

    M-d               kill-word

    M-e               forward-sentence

    M-f               forward-word

    M-g               fill-region

    M-h               mark-paragraph

....M-i               tab-to-tab-stop

    M-j               indent-new-comment-line

    M-k               kill-sentence

    M-l               downcase-word

    M-m               back-to-indentation

    M-q               fill-paragraph

    M-r               move-to-window-line

    M-t               transpose-words

    M-u               upcase-word

    M-v               scroll-down

    M-w               copy-region-as-kill

    M-x               execute-extended-command

    M-y               yank-pop

    M-z               zap-to-char

    M-DEL             backward-kill-word

ESC 0 commands (mostly alternatives to control commands)

    ESC O A           previous-line

    ESC O B           next-line

    ESC O C           forward-char

    ESC O D           backward-char

    ESC O M           open-line

    ESC O P           beginning-of-line

    ESC O Q           end-of-line

    ESC O R           isearch-forward

    ESC O S           kill-line

    ESC O n           delete-char

    ESC O p           yank

    ESC O q           backward-word

    ESC O r           next-line

    ESC O s           forward-word

    ESC O t           backward-char

    ESC O u           universal-argument

    ESC O v           forward-char

    ESC O w           scroll-down

    ESC O x           previous-line

    ESC O y           scroll-up