GNU Emacs Cheatsheet

Emacs Commands Relation Diagram

Key Notation

• C- means hold the Control key
• M- means hold the Alt key (Meta) or press and release Escape
• C-x means press Control and 'x' together
• M-x means press Alt and 'x' together or press Escape then 'x'

File Operations

Command	Description
C-x C-f	Open a file
C-x C-s	Save current file
C-x C-w	Save as...
C-x C-k	Close file
C-x C-c	Quit Emacs

Text Selection

Command	Description
C-<space> or C-@	Start selection
C-g	Deselect

Navigation Commands

Line Navigation

Command	Description
C-p	Move to previous line
C-n	Move to next line

Character Navigation

Command	Description
C-b	Move back one character
C-f	Move forward one character

Word Navigation

Command	Description
M-b	Move back one word
M-f	Move forward one word

Line Boundaries

Command	Description
C-a	Go to start of line
C-e	Go to end of line

Copy & Paste Operations

Traditional Emacs Style

Command	Description
C-w	Cut (Kill)
M-w	Copy
C-y	Paste (Yank)
C-k	Cut line after cursor
M-d	Cut word after cursor

Modern Style (CUA Mode)

Command	Description
M-x cua-mode	Activate modern copy & paste
C-x	Cut
C-c	Copy
C-v	Paste

Undo Operations

Command	Description
C-/ or C-x u	Undo last operation

Windows, Frames, and Buffers

Split Operations

Command	Description
C-3	Split window vertically
C-2	Split window horizontally
C-1	Remove all splits (single window)
C-0	Remove current window

Buffer Management

Command	Description
C-x <arrow>	Cycle through active buffers
C-o	Visit other split window

Frame Management

Command	Description
C-x 52	Open a new frame

Emergency Commands

Command	Description
C-g	Cancel current operation/command

Help System

Command	Description
C-h k <key combo>	Show key combination binding
C-h b	Display all key bindings

Package Management

Command	Description
M-x list-packages	List all available packages
M-x describe-package	Describe package at cursor
M-x package-menu-mark-install	Mark package for installation
M-x package-install-selected-packages	Install marked packages

Important Concepts

1. Buffer: Holds a process or file content
2. Window: Your view of a buffer
3. Frame: The desktop window containing Emacs

Additional Navigation Methods

• Use arrow keys for cursor movement if available
• Use mouse to click and drag for text selection

Tips for New Users

1. Start with basic file operations and navigation
2. Learn the help system commands early
3. Consider using CUA mode if coming from other editors
4. Practice emergency cancel (C-g) for when things go wrong
5. Use package management to extend functionality

Customization Basics

;; Add to your .emacs file or init.el
;; Enable CUA mode for familiar copy-paste
(cua-mode t)

;; Enable line numbers
(global-display-line-numbers-mode)

;; Enable syntax highlighting
(global-font-lock-mode t)

Common Workflows

File Management Workflow

1. Open Emacs
2. Use C-x C-f to find file
3. Edit content
4. Save with C-x C-s
5. Close with C-x C-k or quit Emacs with C-x C-c

Text Editing Workflow

1. Navigate to location
2. Start selection with C-<space>
3. Move cursor to select text
4. Cut/copy as needed
5. Navigate to new location
6. Paste content

Window Management Workflow

1. Split window as needed (C-2 or C-3)
2. Open different files in splits
3. Use C-o to switch between splits
4. Close splits when done (C-0 or C-1)

Best Practices

1. Learn the help system first
2. Practice navigation commands
3. Use package management for extensions
4. Learn buffer management
5. Master window splitting
6. Understand the difference between kill/yank and modern copy/paste
7. Keep emergency commands in mind