Summary of Commands by Group
Tables list keystrokes, command name, and description. C- indicates the Ctrl key; M- indicates the Meta key.
File Handling Commands
Binding |
Command |
Action |
---|---|---|
C-x C-f |
find-file |
Find file and read it. |
C-x C-v |
find-alternate-file |
Read another file; replace the one read currently in the buffer. |
C-x i |
insert-file |
Insert file at cursor position. |
C-x C-s |
save-buffer |
Save file. (If terminal hangs, C-q restarts.) |
C-x C-w |
write-file |
Write buffer contents to file. |
C-x C-c |
save-buffers-kill-emacs |
Exit Emacs. |
C-z |
suspend-emacs |
Suspend Emacs (use |
Cursor Movement Commands
In addition to the key bindings shown in this table, you can use the arrow keys to move around in Emacs. When you run Emacs in a graphical display environment (e.g., in the X Window System), you can also use the mouse for operations such as moving the cursor or selecting text.
Binding |
Command |
Action |
---|---|---|
C-f |
forward-char |
Move forward one character (right). |
C-b |
backward-char |
Move backward one character (left). |
C-p |
previous-line |
Move to previous line (up). |
C-n |
next-line |
Move to next line (down). |
M-f |
forward-word |
Move one word forward. |
M-b |
backward-word |
Move one word backward. |
C-a |
beginning-of-line |
Move to beginning of line. |
C-e |
end-of-line |
Move to end-of-line. |
M-a |
backward-sentence |
Move backward one sentence. |
M-e |
forward-sentence |
Move forward one sentence. |
M-{ |
backward-paragraph |
Move backward one paragraph. |
M-} |
forward-paragraph ... |
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