Emacs 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