Emacs Commands Quick Reference

This page lists some frequently used emacs commands. For many more commands, see the complete Gnu emacs manual.

C-x means press the Control and x keys simultaneously, and E-x means press the Esc key followed by the x key.

Emacs Control
run emacs	emacs FileName	quit emacs	C-x C-c
write file	C-x C-w	save file	C-x C-s
suspend emacs	C-z	resume emacs (foreground)	fg
quit current command	C-g	undo last command	C-x u
Cursor Movement
next char (forward)	C-f	previous char (back)	C-b
next word	E-f	previous word	E-b
beginning of line	C-a	end of line	C-e
next line	C-n	previous line	C-p
next page	C-v	previous page	E-v
first page	E-<	last page	E->
(you may also use the arrow keys)
Erasing Characters
delete right	C-d	delete left	DEL
Cut and Paste
cut line right (kill)	C-k	paste (yank)	C-y
Search/Replace
global search and replace(it prompts for old and new)	E-x replace-string	ask search and replace (it prompts for old and new, then asks each replacement)	E-x query-replace
On-line Help
help about Subject	C-h a Subject	run emacs on-line info	C-h i