This reference sheet assumes no customization. There are several modes that make buffer switching, window navigation, region manipulation, and a lot of other operations easier. Those keybindings are not part of this very basic reference sheet.
| Files, Buffers, Windows | |
| C-x C-f | Find file (“Open”) |
| C-x C-s | Save buffer (“Save”) |
| C-x C-w | Write file (“Save As…”) |
| C-x 2 | Split window |
| C-x 1 | Delete other windows (“Unsplit”) |
| C-x o | Other window |
| C-x C-b | Buffer menu |
| Search and replace | |
| C-s | Incremental search string forwards |
| C-r | Incremental search string backwards |
| M-% | Query replace string |
| C-M-s | Incremental search regexp forwards |
| C-M-r | Incremental search regexp backwards |
| C-M-% | Query replace regexp |
| Lines | |
| C-a | Beginning of line |
| C-e | End of line |
| C-k | Kill line (“cut line”) |
| Words | |
| M-b | Backwards word |
| M-f | Forwards word |
| M-d | Kill word (“cut word”) |
| Balanced expressions such as “foo” or (foo) | |
| C-M-b | Backwards sexp |
| C-M-f | Forwards sexp |
| C-M-k | Kill sexp |
| Region (between mark and point) | |
| C-SPC | Set mark |
| C-w | Kill region (“cut”) |
| M-w | Copy region (“copy”) |
| Pasting, Undoing | |
| C-y | Yank (“paste”) |
| C-y M-y | Yank older copy (M-y…) |
| C-_ | Undo, anything else interrupts the undo chain |
| Rectangles | |
| C-x r k | Kill rectangle |
| C-x r y | Yank rectangle |