Emacs Keyboard Shortcuts
Emacs keyboard shortcut reference covering 30 bindings for Windows, Mac & Linux. Commonly searched bindings include Save File, Exit Emacs, and Find File. 30 of 30 shortcuts are verified against official Emacs documentation, each with a linked source when available. Search by action name, filter by category, look up what a key combination does, print a cheat sheet, or practice with flashcards.
Official Emacs documentation
Editing
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Undo |
Undo last change |
Ctrl+/ |
Ctrl+/ |
Yes |
Source |
| Kill Line |
Cut from cursor to end of line |
Ctrl+K |
Ctrl+K |
Yes |
Source |
| Kill Region |
Cut selected region |
Ctrl+W |
Ctrl+W |
Yes |
Source |
| Yank |
Paste (yank) last kill |
Ctrl+Y |
Ctrl+Y |
Yes |
Source |
| Delete Char |
Delete character forward |
Ctrl+D |
Ctrl+D |
Yes |
Source |
| Open Line |
Insert blank line below |
Ctrl+O |
Ctrl+O |
Yes |
Source |
File
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Save File |
Save the current file |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+S |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+S |
Yes |
Source |
| Exit Emacs |
Exit Emacs (prompts to save) |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+C |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+C |
Yes |
Source |
| Find File |
Open file by name |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+F |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+F |
Yes |
Source |
General
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Cancel Command |
Cancel current command or beep |
Ctrl+G |
Ctrl+G |
Yes |
Source |
| Execute Command |
Run extended command (M-x) |
Alt+X |
Option+X |
Yes |
Source |
| Help |
Open Emacs help |
Ctrl+H |
Ctrl+H |
Yes |
Source |
Navigation
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Beginning of Line |
Move to start of line |
Ctrl+A |
Ctrl+A |
Yes |
Source |
| End of Line |
Move to end of line |
Ctrl+E |
Ctrl+E |
Yes |
Source |
| Next Line |
Move down one line |
Ctrl+N |
Ctrl+N |
Yes |
Source |
| Previous Line |
Move up one line |
Ctrl+P |
Ctrl+P |
Yes |
Source |
| Forward Char |
Move forward one character |
Ctrl+F |
Ctrl+F |
Yes |
Source |
| Backward Char |
Move backward one character |
Ctrl+B |
Ctrl+B |
Yes |
Source |
Search
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Search Forward |
Incremental search forward |
Ctrl+S |
Ctrl+S |
Yes |
Source |
| Search Backward |
Incremental search backward |
Ctrl+R |
Ctrl+R |
Yes |
Source |
| Find Replace |
Query replace |
Alt+% |
Option+% |
Yes |
Source |
Selection
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Mark Sexp |
Set mark at end of sexp |
Ctrl+M-SPC |
Ctrl+M-SPC |
Yes |
Source |
| Exchange Point and Mark |
Swap cursor and mark |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+X |
Ctrl+X+then+Ctrl+X |
Yes |
Source |
View
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Scroll Down |
Scroll down one screen |
Ctrl+V |
Ctrl+V |
Yes |
Source |
| Scroll Up |
Scroll up one screen |
Alt+V |
Option+V |
Yes |
Source |
| Recenter |
Recenter screen on point |
Ctrl+L |
Ctrl+L |
Yes |
Source |
Window
| Action | Description | Windows | Mac | Verified | Source |
|---|
| Switch Buffer |
Switch to another buffer |
Ctrl+X+then+B |
Ctrl+X+then+B |
Yes |
Source |
| Split Window |
Split window vertically |
Ctrl+X+then+2 |
Ctrl+X+then+2 |
Yes |
Source |
| Close Window |
Delete selected window |
Ctrl+X+then+0 |
Ctrl+X+then+0 |
Yes |
Source |
| Other Window |
Switch to other window |
Ctrl+X+then+O |
Ctrl+X+then+O |
Yes |
Source |
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