Emacs Shortcut Cheat Sheet
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1Emacs Shortcut Cheatsheet
Content borrowed and updated (with permission)
from Duane A. Bailey’s guidelines from 2007.
C-x means: hold Control and x at the same time
M-x means: type escape then x, or Meta and x
Searching
Starting Emacs:
forward!!
!
!
C-s
start emacs!
!
!
emacs
backward!
!
!
C-r
forward expression!
!
C-M-s
Exiting Emacs:
backward expression!
!
C-M-r
suspend emacs!
!
!
C-z
exit search!
!
!
Return
exit emacs!
!
!
C-x C-c
undo last search char!
!
Delete
abort search!
!
!
C-g
Files:
read file!
!
!
C-x C-f
Query Replace:
visit file other window! !
C-x C-v
start query replace !
!
M-%
save file!
!
!
C-x C-s
query replace word!
!
C-u M-%
insert file!
!
!
C-x i
write buffer to file!
!
C-x C-w
Once searching…
replace & search! !
!
Space
Getting Help:
replace & stay here!
!
,
first time users! !
!
C-h t
backup to previous!
!
^
second time users!
!
C-h ?
ignore and go on! !
!
Delete
help on keystroke!
!
C-h k
replace all remaining!
!
!
help on function! !
!
C-h f
exit!
!
!
!
Return
man page!
!
!
M-x manual-entry
Multiple Open Windows:
Error recovery:
keep just this window!
!
C-x 1
abort command!
!
!
C-g
split window vertically! !
C-x 2
recover lost file!
!
M-x recover-file
split window horizontal.!!
C-x 3
undo!
!
!
!
C-_
switch to a diff. window!!
C-x o
restore buffer! !
!
M-x revert-buffer
redraw screen!
!
!
C-l
Buffers:
switch to another buffer!!
C-x b
Moving around:!
!
!
Back!
Forth
list all other buffers!
!
C-x C-b
move by character!
!
C-b!
C-f
kill this buffer! !
!
C-x k
move by word!
!
!
M-b!
M-f
minibuffer!
!
!
M-x
move by line!
!
!
C-p!
C-n
move by sentence! !
!
M-a!
M-e
Within Minibuffer:
goto end of line! !
!
C-a!
C-e
complete command! !
!
Tab
move by screen! !
!
M-v!
C-v
show completions! !
!
?
top or bottom of buffer! !
C-x [!
C-x ]
complete and execute!
!
Return
center screen here!
!
C-x l
previous input ! !
!
M-p
next input!
!
!
M-n
Marking:
abort! !
!
!
C-q
set mark!
!
!
C-space
exchange point and mark! !
C-x x
Keyboard Macros:
mark buffer !
!
!
C-x h
start defining! !
!
C-x (
stop defining!
!
!
C-x )
Registers
execute macro!
!
!
C-x e
copy region to reg!
!
C-x C-x
get region from reg!
!
C-x g
Compile something
Compile window! !
!
M-x compile
Find next error ! !
!
C-x '
Killing and Deleting: !
!
Back!
Forth
delete character! !
!
Delete! C-d
Fun Stuff
delete word!
!
!
M-Del!
M-d
dungeon!!
!
!
M-x dunnet
delete rest of line!
!
M-0 C-k! C-k
tetris! !
!
!
M-x tetris
sent!
!
!
!
C-x Del! M-k
hide & seek!
!
!
M-x blackbox
region! !
!
!
C-w
psychotherapy!
!
!
M-x doctor
yank back (replace line cut)!
C-y
gomoku! !
!
!
M-x gomoku
zap to <char>!
!
!
M-z <char>
robot game!
!
!
M-x landmark
the snake game! !
!
M-x snake
Transpose
peg solitare!
!
!
M-x solitare
characters!
!
!
C-t
words! !
!
!
M-t
lines! !
!
!
C-x C-t
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