Helix Keyboard Shortcuts

Helix keyboard shortcut reference covering 252 bindings for Windows, Mac & Linux. Commonly searched bindings include Move left, Move down, and Move up. 252 of 252 shortcuts are verified against official Helix 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 Helix documentation

Insert

ActionDescriptionWindowsMacVerifiedSource
Switch to normal mode Switch to normal mode Escape Escape Yes Source
Commit undo checkpoint Commit undo checkpoint Ctrl+s Ctrl+s Yes Source
Autocomplete Autocomplete Ctrl+x Ctrl+x Yes Source
Insert a register content Insert a register content Ctrl+r Ctrl+r Yes Source
Delete previous word Delete previous word Ctrl+w Ctrl+w Yes Source
Delete next word Delete next word Alt+d Alt+d Yes Source
Delete to start of line Delete to start of line Ctrl+u Ctrl+u Yes Source
Delete to end of line Delete to end of line Ctrl+k Ctrl+k Yes Source
Delete previous char Delete previous char Ctrl+h Ctrl+h Yes Source
Delete next char Delete next char Ctrl+d Ctrl+d Yes Source
Insert new line Insert new line Ctrl+j Ctrl+j Yes Source
Move to previous line Move to previous line Up Up Yes Source
Move to next line Move to next line Down Down Yes Source
Backward a char Backward a char Left Left Yes Source
Forward a char Forward a char Right Right Yes Source
Move one page up Move one page up PageUp PageUp Yes Source
Move one page down Move one page down PageDown PageDown Yes Source
Move to line start Move to line start Home Home Yes Source
Move to line end Move to line end End End Yes Source

Normal

ActionDescriptionWindowsMacVerifiedSource
Move left Move left h h Yes Source
Move down Move down j j Yes Source
Move up Move up k k Yes Source
Move right Move right l l Yes Source
Move next word start Move next word start w w Yes Source
Move previous word start Move previous word start b b Yes Source
Move next word end Move next word end e e Yes Source
Move next WORD start Move next WORD start W W Yes Source
Move previous WORD start Move previous WORD start B B Yes Source
Move next WORD end Move next WORD end E E Yes Source
Find till next char Find till next char t t Yes Source
Find next char Find next char f f Yes Source
Find till previous char Find till previous char T T Yes Source
Find previous char Find previous char F F Yes Source
Go to line number <n> Go to line number <n> G G Yes Source
Repeat last motion ( f , t , m , [ or ] ) Repeat last motion ( f , t , m , [ or ] ) Alt+. Alt+. Yes Source
Move to the start of the line Move to the start of the line Home Home Yes Source
Move to the end of the line Move to the end of the line End End Yes Source
Move page up Move page up Ctrl+b Ctrl+b Yes Source
Move page down Move page down Ctrl+f Ctrl+f Yes Source
Move cursor and page half page up Move cursor and page half page up Ctrl+u Ctrl+u Yes Source
Move cursor and page half page down Move cursor and page half page down Ctrl+d Ctrl+d Yes Source
Jump forward on the jumplist Jump forward on the jumplist Ctrl+i Ctrl+i Yes Source
Jump backward on the jumplist Jump backward on the jumplist Ctrl+o Ctrl+o Yes Source
Save the current selection to the jumplist Save the current selection to the jumplist Ctrl+s Ctrl+s Yes Source
Replace with a character Replace with a character r r Yes Source
Replace with yanked text Replace with yanked text R R Yes Source
Switch case of the selected text Switch case of the selected text ~ ~ Yes Source
Set the selected text to lower case Set the selected text to lower case ` ` Yes Source
Set the selected text to upper case Set the selected text to upper case Alt+` Alt+` Yes Source
Insert before selection Insert before selection i i Yes Source
Insert after selection (append) Insert after selection (append) a a Yes Source
Insert at the start of the line Insert at the start of the line I I Yes Source
Insert at the end of the line Insert at the end of the line A A Yes Source
Open new line below selection Open new line below selection o o Yes Source
Open new line above selection Open new line above selection O O Yes Source
Repeat last insert Repeat last insert . . Yes Source
Undo change Undo change u u Yes Source
Redo change Redo change U U Yes Source
Move backward in history Move backward in history Alt+u Alt+u Yes Source
Move forward in history Move forward in history Alt+U Alt+U Yes Source
Yank selection Yank selection y y Yes Source
Paste after selection Paste after selection p p Yes Source
Paste before selection Paste before selection P P Yes Source
Indent selection Indent selection &+then+g+then+t+then+; &+then+g+then+t+then+; Yes Source
Unindent selection Unindent selection &+then+l+then+t+then+; &+then+l+then+t+then+; Yes Source
Format selection ( LSP ) Format selection ( LSP ) = = Yes Source
Delete selection Delete selection d d Yes Source
Delete selection, without yanking Delete selection, without yanking Alt+d Alt+d Yes Source
Change selection (delete and enter insert mode) Change selection (delete and enter insert mode) c c Yes Source
Change selection (delete and enter insert mode, without yanking) Change selection (delete and enter insert mode, without yanking) Alt+c Alt+c Yes Source
Increment object (number) under cursor Increment object (number) under cursor Ctrl+a Ctrl+a Yes Source
Decrement object (number) under cursor Decrement object (number) under cursor Ctrl+x Ctrl+x Yes Source
Start/stop macro recording to the selected register (experimental) Start/stop macro recording to the selected register (experimental) Q Q Yes Source
Play back a recorded macro from the selected register (experimental) Play back a recorded macro from the selected register (experimental) q q Yes Source
Pipe each selection through shell command, replacing with output Pipe each selection through shell command, replacing with output | | Yes Source
Pipe each selection into shell command, ignoring output Pipe each selection into shell command, ignoring output Alt+| Alt+| Yes Source
Run shell command, inserting output before each selection Run shell command, inserting output before each selection ! ! Yes Source
Run shell command, appending output after each selection Run shell command, appending output after each selection Alt+! Alt+! Yes Source
Pipe each selection into shell command, keep selections where command returned 0 Pipe each selection into shell command, keep selections where command returned 0 $ $ Yes Source
Select all regex matches inside selections Select all regex matches inside selections s s Yes Source
Split selection into sub selections on regex matches Split selection into sub selections on regex matches S S Yes Source
Split selection on newlines Split selection on newlines Alt+s Alt+s Yes Source
Merge selections Merge selections Alt Alt Yes Source
Merge consecutive selections Merge consecutive selections Alt+_ Alt+_ Yes Source
Align selection in columns Align selection in columns & & Yes Source
Trim whitespace from the selection Trim whitespace from the selection _ _ Yes Source
Collapse selection onto a single cursor Collapse selection onto a single cursor ; ; Yes Source
Flip selection cursor and anchor Flip selection cursor and anchor Alt+; Alt+; Yes Source
Ensures the selection is in forward direction Ensures the selection is in forward direction Alt+: Alt+: Yes Source
Remove the primary selection Remove the primary selection Alt Alt Yes Source
Copy selection onto the next line (Add cursor below) Copy selection onto the next line (Add cursor below) C C Yes Source
Copy selection onto the previous line (Add cursor above) Copy selection onto the previous line (Add cursor above) Alt+C Alt+C Yes Source
Rotate main selection backward Rotate main selection backward ( ( Yes Source
Rotate main selection forward Rotate main selection forward ) ) Yes Source
Rotate selection contents backward Rotate selection contents backward Alt+( Alt+( Yes Source
Rotate selection contents forward Rotate selection contents forward Alt+) Alt+) Yes Source
Select entire file Select entire file % % Yes Source
Select current line, if already selected, extend to next line Select current line, if already selected, extend to next line x x Yes Source
Extend selection to line bounds (line-wise selection) Extend selection to line bounds (line-wise selection) X X Yes Source
Shrink selection to line bounds (line-wise selection) Shrink selection to line bounds (line-wise selection) Alt+x Alt+x Yes Source
Join lines inside selection Join lines inside selection J J Yes Source
Join lines inside selection and select the inserted space Join lines inside selection and select the inserted space Alt+J Alt+J Yes Source
Keep selections matching the regex Keep selections matching the regex K K Yes Source
Remove selections matching the regex Remove selections matching the regex Alt+K Alt+K Yes Source
Comment/uncomment the selections Comment/uncomment the selections Ctrl+c Ctrl+c Yes Source
Expand selection to parent syntax node ( TS ) Expand selection to parent syntax node ( TS ) Alt+o Alt+o Yes Source
Shrink syntax tree object selection ( TS ) Shrink syntax tree object selection ( TS ) Alt+i Alt+i Yes Source
Select previous sibling node in syntax tree ( TS ) Select previous sibling node in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+p Alt+p Yes Source
Select next sibling node in syntax tree ( TS ) Select next sibling node in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+n Alt+n Yes Source
Select all sibling nodes in syntax tree ( TS ) Select all sibling nodes in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+a Alt+a Yes Source
Select all children nodes in syntax tree ( TS ) Select all children nodes in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+I Alt+I Yes Source
Move to end of parent node in syntax tree ( TS ) Move to end of parent node in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+e Alt+e Yes Source
Move to start of parent node in syntax tree ( TS ) Move to start of parent node in syntax tree ( TS ) Alt+b Alt+b Yes Source
Search for regex pattern Search for regex pattern / / Yes Source
Search for previous pattern Search for previous pattern ? ? Yes Source
Select next search match Select next search match n n Yes Source
Select previous search match Select previous search match N N Yes Source
Use current selection as the search pattern, automatically wrapping with \b on word boundaries Use current selection as the search pattern, automatically wrapping with \b on word boundaries * * Yes Source
Use current selection as the search pattern Use current selection as the search pattern Alt+* Alt+* Yes Source
Enter select (extend) mode Enter select (extend) mode v v Yes Source
Enter goto mode Enter goto mode g g Yes Source
Enter match mode Enter match mode m m Yes Source
Enter command mode Enter command mode : : Yes Source
Enter view mode Enter view mode z z Yes Source
Enter sticky view mode Enter sticky view mode Z Z Yes Source
Enter window mode Enter window mode Ctrl+w Ctrl+w Yes Source
Enter space mode Enter space mode Space Space Yes Source
Vertically center the line Vertically center the line z z Yes Source
Align the line to the top of the screen Align the line to the top of the screen t t Yes Source
Align the line to the bottom of the screen Align the line to the bottom of the screen b b Yes Source
Align the line to the middle of the screen (horizontally) Align the line to the middle of the screen (horizontally) m m Yes Source
Scroll the view downwards Scroll the view downwards j j Yes Source
Scroll the view upwards Scroll the view upwards k k Yes Source
Go to line number <n> else start of file Go to line number <n> else start of file g g Yes Source
Go to column number <n> else start of line Go to column number <n> else start of line | | Yes Source
Go to the end of the file Go to the end of the file e e Yes Source
Go to files in the selections Go to files in the selections f f Yes Source
Go to the start of the line Go to the start of the line h h Yes Source
Go to the end of the line Go to the end of the line l l Yes Source
Go to first non-whitespace character of the line Go to first non-whitespace character of the line s s Yes Source
Go to the top of the screen Go to the top of the screen t t Yes Source
Go to the middle of the screen Go to the middle of the screen c c Yes Source
Go to the bottom of the screen Go to the bottom of the screen b b Yes Source
Go to definition ( LSP ) Go to definition ( LSP ) d d Yes Source
Go to type definition ( LSP ) Go to type definition ( LSP ) y y Yes Source
Go to references ( LSP ) Go to references ( LSP ) r r Yes Source
Go to implementation ( LSP ) Go to implementation ( LSP ) i i Yes Source
Go to the last accessed/alternate file Go to the last accessed/alternate file a a Yes Source
Go to the last modified/alternate file Go to the last modified/alternate file m m Yes Source
Go to next buffer Go to next buffer n n Yes Source
Go to previous buffer Go to previous buffer p p Yes Source
Go to last modification in current file Go to last modification in current file . . Yes Source
Move down textual (instead of visual) line Move down textual (instead of visual) line j j Yes Source
Move up textual (instead of visual) line Move up textual (instead of visual) line k k Yes Source
Show labels at each word and select the word that belongs to the entered labels Show labels at each word and select the word that belongs to the entered labels w w Yes Source
Goto matching bracket ( TS ) Goto matching bracket ( TS ) m m Yes Source
Switch to next window Switch to next window w w Yes Source
Vertical right split Vertical right split v v Yes Source
Horizontal bottom split Horizontal bottom split s s Yes Source
Go to files in the selections in horizontal splits Go to files in the selections in horizontal splits f f Yes Source
Go to files in the selections in vertical splits Go to files in the selections in vertical splits F F Yes Source
Move to left split Move to left split h h Yes Source
Move to split below Move to split below j j Yes Source
Move to split above Move to split above k k Yes Source
Move to right split Move to right split l l Yes Source
Close current window Close current window q q Yes Source
Only keep the current window, closing all the others Only keep the current window, closing all the others o o Yes Source
Swap window to the left Swap window to the left H H Yes Source
Swap window downwards Swap window downwards J J Yes Source
Swap window upwards Swap window upwards K K Yes Source
Swap window to the right Swap window to the right L L Yes Source
Open file picker at LSP workspace root Open file picker at LSP workspace root f f Yes Source
Open file picker at current working directory Open file picker at current working directory F F Yes Source
Open buffer picker Open buffer picker b b Yes Source
Open jumplist picker Open jumplist picker j j Yes Source
Open changed file picker Open changed file picker g g Yes Source
Debug (experimental) Debug (experimental) G G Yes Source
Show documentation for item under cursor in a popup ( LSP ) Show documentation for item under cursor in a popup ( LSP ) k k Yes Source
Open document symbol picker ( LSP ) Open document symbol picker ( LSP ) s s Yes Source
Open workspace symbol picker ( LSP ) Open workspace symbol picker ( LSP ) S S Yes Source
Open document diagnostics picker ( LSP ) Open document diagnostics picker ( LSP ) d d Yes Source
Open workspace diagnostics picker ( LSP ) Open workspace diagnostics picker ( LSP ) D D Yes Source
Rename symbol ( LSP ) Rename symbol ( LSP ) r r Yes Source
Apply code action ( LSP ) Apply code action ( LSP ) a a Yes Source
Select symbol references ( LSP ) Select symbol references ( LSP ) h h Yes Source
Open last fuzzy picker Open last fuzzy picker ' ' Yes Source
Enter window mode Enter window mode w w Yes Source
Comment/uncomment selections Comment/uncomment selections c c Yes Source
Block comment/uncomment selections Block comment/uncomment selections C C Yes Source
Line comment/uncomment selections Line comment/uncomment selections Alt+c Alt+c Yes Source
Paste system clipboard after selections Paste system clipboard after selections p p Yes Source
Paste system clipboard before selections Paste system clipboard before selections P P Yes Source
Yank selections to clipboard Yank selections to clipboard y y Yes Source
Yank main selection to clipboard Yank main selection to clipboard Y Y Yes Source
Replace selections by clipboard contents Replace selections by clipboard contents R R Yes Source
Global search in workspace folder Global search in workspace folder / / Yes Source
Open command palette Open command palette ? ? Yes Source
Scroll up Scroll up Ctrl+u Ctrl+u Yes Source
Scroll down Scroll down Ctrl+d Ctrl+d Yes Source
Previous entry Previous entry Shift+Tab Shift+Tab Yes Source
Next entry Next entry Tab Tab Yes Source
Close menu and accept completion Close menu and accept completion Enter Enter Yes Source
Close menu and reject completion Close menu and reject completion Ctrl+c Ctrl+c Yes Source
Previous signature Previous signature Alt+p Alt+p Yes Source
Next signature Next signature Alt+n Alt+n Yes Source
Go to next diagnostic ( LSP ) Go to next diagnostic ( LSP ) ]+then+d ]+then+d Yes Source
Go to previous diagnostic ( LSP ) Go to previous diagnostic ( LSP ) [+then+d [+then+d Yes Source
Go to last diagnostic in document ( LSP ) Go to last diagnostic in document ( LSP ) ]+then+D ]+then+D Yes Source
Go to first diagnostic in document ( LSP ) Go to first diagnostic in document ( LSP ) [+then+D [+then+D Yes Source
Go to next function ( TS ) Go to next function ( TS ) ]+then+f ]+then+f Yes Source
Go to previous function ( TS ) Go to previous function ( TS ) [+then+f [+then+f Yes Source
Go to next type definition ( TS ) Go to next type definition ( TS ) ]+then+t ]+then+t Yes Source
Go to previous type definition ( TS ) Go to previous type definition ( TS ) [+then+t [+then+t Yes Source
Go to next argument/parameter ( TS ) Go to next argument/parameter ( TS ) ]+then+a ]+then+a Yes Source
Go to previous argument/parameter ( TS ) Go to previous argument/parameter ( TS ) [+then+a [+then+a Yes Source
Go to next comment ( TS ) Go to next comment ( TS ) ]+then+c ]+then+c Yes Source
Go to previous comment ( TS ) Go to previous comment ( TS ) [+then+c [+then+c Yes Source
Go to next test ( TS ) Go to next test ( TS ) ]+then+T ]+then+T Yes Source
Go to previous test ( TS ) Go to previous test ( TS ) [+then+T [+then+T Yes Source
Go to next paragraph Go to next paragraph ]+then+p ]+then+p Yes Source
Go to previous paragraph Go to previous paragraph [+then+p [+then+p Yes Source
Go to next change Go to next change ]+then+g ]+then+g Yes Source
Go to previous change Go to previous change [+then+g [+then+g Yes Source
Go to last change Go to last change ]+then+G ]+then+G Yes Source
Go to first change Go to first change [+then+G [+then+G Yes Source
Add newline below Add newline below ]+then+S+then+p+then+a+then+c+then+e ]+then+S+then+p+then+a+then+c+then+e Yes Source
Add newline above Add newline above [+then+S+then+p+then+a+then+c+then+e [+then+S+then+p+then+a+then+c+then+e Yes Source

UI

ActionDescriptionWindowsMacVerifiedSource
Page up Page up PageUp PageUp Yes Source
Page down Page down PageDown PageDown Yes Source
Go to first entry Go to first entry Home Home Yes Source
Go to last entry Go to last entry End End Yes Source
Open selected Open selected Enter Enter Yes Source
Open selected in the background without closing the picker Open selected in the background without closing the picker Alt+Enter Alt+Enter Yes Source
Open horizontally Open horizontally Ctrl+s Ctrl+s Yes Source
Open vertically Open vertically Ctrl+v Ctrl+v Yes Source
Toggle preview Toggle preview Ctrl+t Ctrl+t Yes Source
Close picker Close picker Escape Escape Yes Source
Close prompt Close prompt Escape Escape Yes Source
Backward a word Backward a word Alt+b Alt+b Yes Source
Backward a char Backward a char Ctrl+b Ctrl+b Yes Source
Forward a word Forward a word Alt+f Alt+f Yes Source
Forward a char Forward a char Ctrl+f Ctrl+f Yes Source
Move prompt end Move prompt end Ctrl+e Ctrl+e Yes Source
Move prompt start Move prompt start Ctrl+a Ctrl+a Yes Source
Delete previous char Delete previous char Backspace Backspace Yes Source
Delete next char Delete next char Delete Delete Yes Source
Insert a word under doc cursor, may be changed to Ctrl-r Ctrl-w later Insert a word under doc cursor, may be changed to Ctrl-r Ctrl-w later Ctrl+s Ctrl+s Yes Source
Select previous history Select previous history Ctrl+p Ctrl+p Yes Source
Select next history Select next history Ctrl+n Ctrl+n Yes Source
Insert the content of the register selected by following input char Insert the content of the register selected by following input char Ctrl+r Ctrl+r Yes Source
Select next completion item Select next completion item Tab Tab Yes Source
Select previous completion item Select previous completion item B+then+a+then+c+then+k+then+T+then+a+then+b B+then+a+then+c+then+k+then+T+then+a+then+b Yes Source

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