1EMACS(1) GNU EMACS(1)
2
6 emacs - GNU project Emacs editor
7
9 emacs [ command-line switches ] [ files ... ]
10
12 GNU Emacs is a version of Emacs, written by the author of the original
13 (PDP-10) Emacs, Richard Stallman. The user functionality of GNU Emacs
14 encompasses everything other editors do, and it is easily extensible
15 since its editing commands are written in Lisp.
16 The primary documentation of GNU Emacs is in the GNU Emacs Manual,
18 which you can read using Info, either from Emacs or as a standalone
19 program. Please look there for complete and up-to-date documentation.
20 This man page is updated only when someone volunteers to do so.
21 Emacs has an extensive interactive help facility, but the facility as‐
23 sumes that you know how to manipulate Emacs windows and buffers. CTRL-
24 h or F1 enters the Help facility. Help Tutorial (CTRL-h t) starts an
25 interactive tutorial to quickly teach beginners the fundamentals of
26 Emacs. Help Apropos (CTRL-h a) helps you find a command with a name
27 matching a given pattern, Help Key (CTRL-h k) describes a given key se‐
28 quence, and Help Function (CTRL-h f) describes a given Lisp function.
29 GNU Emacs's many special packages handle mail reading (RMail) and send‐
31 ing (Mail), outline editing (Outline), compiling (Compile), running
32 subshells within Emacs windows (Shell), running a Lisp read-eval-print
33 loop (Lisp-Interaction-Mode), automated psychotherapy (Doctor), and
34 much more.
35 Emacs Options
37 The following options are of general interest:
38 file Edit file.
40 --file=file, --find-file=file, --visit=file
42 The same as specifying file directly as an argument.
43 +number Go to the line specified by number (do not insert a
45 space between the "+" sign and the number). This ap‐
46 plies only to the next file specified.
47 +line:column
49 Go to the specified line and column.
50 --chdir=directory
52 Change to directory.
53 -q, --no-init-file
55 Do not load an init file.
56 -nl, --no-shared-memory
58 Do not use shared memory.
59 --no-site-file
61 Do not load the site-wide startup file.
62 -nsl, --no-site-lisp
64 Do not add site-lisp directories to load-path.
65 --no-desktop
67 Do not load a saved desktop.
68 -Q, --quick
70 Similar to "-q --no-site-file --no-splash". Also, avoid
71 processing X resources.
72 --no-splash
74 Do not display a splash screen during start-up.
75 --debug-init
77 Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during the processing of the
78 user init file ~/.emacs. This is useful for debugging
79 problems in the init file.
80 -u user, --user=user
82 Load user's init file.
83 --init-directory=directory
85 Start emacs with user-emacs-directory set to directory.
86 -t file, --terminal=file
88 Use specified file as the terminal instead of using
89 stdin/stdout. This must be the first argument specified
90 in the command line.
91 --daemon[=name], --bg-daemon[=name]
93 Start Emacs as a daemon, enabling the Emacs server and
94 disconnecting from the terminal. You can then use the
95 emacsclient (see emacsclient(1)) command to connect to
96 the server (with optional name).
97 --fg-daemon[=name]
99 Like "--bg-daemon", but don't disconnect from the termi‐
100 nal.
101 --version
103 Display Emacs version information and exit.
104 --help Display this help and exit.
106 The following options are Lisp-oriented (these options are processed in
108 the order encountered):
109 -f function, --funcall=function
111 Execute the lisp function function.
112 -l file, --load=file
114 Load the lisp code in the file file.
115 --eval=expr, --execute=expr
117 Evaluate the Lisp expression expr.
118 The following options are useful when running Emacs as a batch editor:
120 --batch Edit in batch mode. The editor will send messages to
122 stderr. You must use -l and -f options to specify files
123 to execute and functions to call.
124 --script file
126 Run file as an Emacs Lisp script.
127 --insert=file
129 Insert contents of file into the current buffer.
130 --kill Exit Emacs while in batch mode.
132 -L dir, --directory=dir
134 Add dir to the list of directories Emacs searches for
135 Lisp files.
136 Using Emacs with X
138 Emacs has been tailored to work well with the X Window System. If you
139 run Emacs from under X windows, it will create its own X window to dis‐
140 play in. You will probably want to start the editor as a background
141 process so that you can continue using your original window.
142 Emacs can be started with the following X switches:
144 --name=name
146 Specify the name which should be assigned to the initial
147 Emacs window. This controls looking up X resources as
148 well as the window title.
149 --no-x-resources
151 Do not load X resources.
152 -T name, --title=name
154 Specify the title for the initial X window.
155 -r, -rv, --reverse-video
157 Display the Emacs window in reverse video.
158 -fn font, --font=font
160 Set the Emacs window's font to that specified by font.
161 You will find the various X fonts in the
162 /usr/lib/X11/fonts directory. Note that Emacs will only
163 accept fixed width fonts. Under the X11 Release 4 font-
164 naming conventions, any font with the value "m" or "c"
165 in the eleventh field of the font name is a fixed width
166 font. Furthermore, fonts whose name are of the form
167 widthxheight are generally fixed width, as is the font
168 fixed. See xlsfonts(1) for more information.
169 When you specify a font, be sure to put a space between
171 the switch and the font name.
172 --xrm=resources
174 Set additional X resources.
175 --color, --color=mode
177 Override color mode for character terminals; mode de‐
178 faults to "auto", and can also be "never", "auto", "al‐
179 ways", or a mode name like "ansi8".
180 -bw pixels, --border-width=pixels
182 Set the Emacs window's border width to the number of
183 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel on
184 each side of the window.
185 -ib pixels, --internal-border=pixels
187 Set the window's internal border width to the number of
188 pixels specified by pixels. Defaults to one pixel of
189 padding on each side of the window.
190 -g geometry, --geometry=geometry
192 Set the Emacs window's width, height, and position as
193 specified. The geometry specification is in the stan‐
194 dard X format; see X(7) for more information. The width
195 and height are specified in characters; the default for
196 GUI frames is a width of 80 and a height between 35 and
197 40, depending on the OS and the window manager. See the
198 Emacs manual, section "Options for Window Size and Posi‐
199 tion", for information on how window sizes interact with
200 selecting or deselecting the tool bar, tab bar and menu
201 bar.
202 -lsp pixels, --line-spacing=pixels
204 Additional space to put between lines.
205 -vb, --vertical-scroll-bars
207 Enable vertical scrollbars.
208 -fh, --fullheight
210 Make the first frame as high as the screen.
211 -fs, --fullscreen
213 Make the first frame fullscreen.
214 -fw, --fullwidth
216 Make the first frame as wide as the screen.
217 -mm, --maximized
219 Maximize the first frame, like "-fw -fh".
220 -fg color, --foreground-color=color
222 On color displays, set the color of the text.
223 Use the command M-x list-colors-display for a list of
225 valid color names.
226 -bg color, --background-color=color
228 On color displays, set the color of the window's back‐
229 ground.
230 -bd color, --border-color=color
232 On color displays, set the color of the window's border.
233 -cr color, --cursor-color=color
235 On color displays, set the color of the window's text
236 cursor.
237 -ms color, --mouse-color=color
239 On color displays, set the color of the window's mouse
240 cursor.
241 -d displayname, --display=displayname
243 Create the Emacs window on the display specified by dis‐
244 playname. Must be the first option specified in the
245 command line.
246 -nbi, --no-bitmap-icon
248 Do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon.
249 --iconic
251 Start Emacs in iconified state.
252 -nbc, --no-blinking-cursor
254 Disable blinking cursor.
255 --parent-id=xid
257 Set parent window.
258 -nw, --no-window-system
260 Tell Emacs not to create a graphical frame. If you use
261 this switch when invoking Emacs from an xterm(1) window,
262 display is done in that window.
263 -D, --basic-display
265 This option disables many display features; use it for
266 debugging Emacs.
267 You can set X default values for your Emacs windows in your .Xresources
269 file (see xrdb(1)). Use the following format:
270 emacs.keyword:value
272 where value specifies the default value of keyword. Emacs lets you set
274 default values for the following keywords:
275 background (class Background)
277 For color displays, sets the window's background color.
278 bitmapIcon (class BitmapIcon)
280 If bitmapIcon's value is set to on, the window will
281 iconify into the "kitchen sink."
282 borderColor (class BorderColor)
284 For color displays, sets the color of the window's bor‐
285 der.
286 borderWidth (class BorderWidth)
288 Sets the window's border width in pixels.
289 cursorColor (class Foreground)
291 For color displays, sets the color of the window's text
292 cursor.
293 cursorBlink (class CursorBlink)
295 Specifies whether to make the cursor blink. The default
296 is on. Use off or false to turn cursor blinking off.
297 font (class Font)
299 Sets the window's text font.
300 foreground (class Foreground)
302 For color displays, sets the window's text color.
303 fullscreen (class Fullscreen)
305 The desired fullscreen size. The value can be one of
306 fullboth, maximized, fullwidth, or fullheight, which
307 correspond to the command-line options "-fs", "-mm",
308 "-fw", and "-fh", respectively. Note that this applies
309 to the initial frame only.
310 geometry (class Geometry)
312 Sets the geometry of the Emacs window (as described
313 above).
314 iconName (class Title)
316 Sets the icon name for the Emacs window icon.
317 internalBorder (class BorderWidth)
319 Sets the window's internal border width in pixels.
320 lineSpacing (class LineSpacing)
322 Additional space ("leading") between lines, in pixels.
323 menuBar (class MenuBar)
325 Gives frames menu bars if on; don't have menu bars if
326 off. See the Emacs manual, sections "Lucid Resources"
327 and "Motif Resources", for how to control the appearance
328 of the menu bar if you have one.
329 minibuffer (class Minibuffer)
331 If none, don't make a minibuffer in this frame. It will
332 use a separate minibuffer frame instead.
333 paneFont (class Font)
335 Font name for menu pane titles, in non-toolkit versions
336 of Emacs.
337 pointerColor (class Foreground)
339 For color displays, sets the color of the window's mouse
340 cursor.
341 privateColormap (class PrivateColormap)
343 If on, use a private color map, in the case where the
344 "default visual" of class PseudoColor and Emacs is using
345 it.
346 reverseVideo (class ReverseVideo)
348 If reverseVideo's value is set to on, the window will be
349 displayed in reverse video.
350 screenGamma (class ScreenGamma)
352 Gamma correction for colors, equivalent to the frame pa‐
353 rameter "screen-gamma".
354 scrollBarWidth (class ScrollBarWidth)
356 The scroll bar width in pixels, equivalent to the frame
357 parameter "scroll-bar-width".
358 selectionFont (class SelectionFont)
360 Font name for pop-up menu items, in non-toolkit versions
361 of Emacs. (For toolkit versions, see the Emacs manual,
362 sections "Lucid Resources" and "Motif Resources".)
363 selectionTimeout (class SelectionTimeout)
365 Number of milliseconds to wait for a selection reply. A
366 value of 0 means wait as long as necessary.
367 synchronous (class Synchronous)
369 Run Emacs in synchronous mode if on. Synchronous mode
370 is useful for debugging X problems.
371 title (class Title)
373 Sets the title of the Emacs window.
374 toolBar (class ToolBar)
376 Number of lines to reserve for the tool bar.
377 tabBar (class TabBar)
379 Number of lines to reserve for the tab bar.
380 useXIM (class UseXIM)
382 Turns off use of X input methods (XIM) if false or off.
383 verticalScrollBars (class ScrollBars)
385 Gives frames scroll bars if on; suppresses scroll bars
386 if off.
387 visualClass (class VisualClass)
389 Specify the "visual" that X should use. This tells X
390 how to handle colors. The value should start with one
391 of TrueColor, PseudoColor, DirectColor, StaticColor,
392 GrayScale, and StaticGray, followed by -depth, where
393 depth is the number of color planes.
394
396 You can order printed copies of the GNU Emacs Manual from the Free
397 Software Foundation, which develops GNU software. See the online store
398 at <https://shop.fsf.org/>.
399 Your local administrator might also have copies available. As with all
400 software and publications from FSF, everyone is permitted to make and
401 distribute copies of the Emacs manual. The Texinfo source to the man‐
402 ual is also included in the Emacs source distribution.
403
405 /usr/local/share/info — files for the Info documentation browser. The
406 complete text of the Emacs reference manual is included in a convenient
407 tree structured form. This includes the Emacs Lisp Reference Manual,
408 useful to anyone wishing to write programs in the Emacs Lisp extension
409 language, and the Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp.
410 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/lisp — Lisp source files and compiled
412 files that define most editing commands. Some are preloaded; others
413 are autoloaded from this directory when used.
414 /usr/local/libexec/emacs/$VERSION/$ARCH — various programs that are
416 used with GNU Emacs.
417 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc — various files of information.
419 /usr/local/share/emacs/$VERSION/etc/DOC.* — contains the documentation
421 strings for the Lisp primitives and preloaded Lisp functions of GNU
422 Emacs. They are stored here to reduce the size of Emacs proper.
423
426 There is a mailing list, bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org, for reporting Emacs
427 bugs and fixes. But before reporting something as a bug, please try to
428 be sure that it really is a bug, not a misunderstanding or a deliberate
429 feature. We ask you to read the section "Reporting Bugs" in the Emacs
430 manual for hints on how and when to report bugs. Also, include the
431 version number of the Emacs you are running in every bug report that
432 you send in. Bugs tend actually to be fixed if they can be isolated,
433 so it is in your interest to report them in such a way that they can be
434 easily reproduced.
435 Do not expect a personal answer to a bug report. The purpose of re‐
437 porting bugs is to get them fixed for everyone in the next release, if
438 possible. For personal assistance, consult the service directory at
439 <https://www.fsf.org/resources/service/> for a list of people who offer
440 it.
441 Please do not send anything but bug reports to this mailing list. For
443 other Emacs lists, see <https://savannah.gnu.org/mail/?group=emacs>.
444
446 Emacs is free; anyone may redistribute copies of Emacs to anyone under
447 the terms stated in the GNU General Public License, a copy of which ac‐
448 companies each copy of Emacs and which also appears in the reference
449 manual.
450 Copies of Emacs may sometimes be received packaged with distributions
452 of Unix systems, but it is never included in the scope of any license
453 covering those systems. Such inclusion violates the terms on which
454 distribution is permitted. In fact, the primary purpose of the GNU
455 General Public License is to prohibit anyone from attaching any other
456 restrictions to redistribution of Emacs.
457 Richard Stallman encourages you to improve and extend Emacs, and urges
459 that you contribute your extensions to the GNU library. Eventually GNU
460 (Gnu's Not Unix) will be a complete replacement for Unix. Everyone
461 will be free to use, copy, study and change the GNU system.
462
464 emacsclient(1), etags(1), X(7), xlsfonts(1), xterm(1), xrdb(1)
465
467 Emacs was written by Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation.
468 For detailed credits and acknowledgments, see the GNU Emacs manual.
469
471 Copyright 1995, 1999-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
472 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
474 document provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
475 preserved on all copies.
476 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
478 document under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
479 entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a per‐
480 mission notice identical to this one.
481 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this docu‐
483 ment into another language, under the above conditions for modified
484 versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a trans‐
485 lation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
486GNU Emacs 29.1 2022-06-07 EMACS(1)