emacs

Open Emacs with a file

$ emacs [path/to/file]

$ emacs +[42] [path/to/file]

$ emacs +[42]:[10] [path/to/file]

$ emacs -nw [path/to/file]

$ emacs -q

$ emacs --batch --eval '(message "Hello")'

$ emacs --daemon

$ emacsclient [path/to/file]

emacs [options] [file...]
emacs [+line] [+line:column] [file...]

emacs is an extensible, customizable, self-documenting text editor and computing environment. Far beyond a simple editor, it includes facilities for email, file management, terminal emulation, web browsing, and thousands of other functions through its extension system.
Emacs is built around Emacs Lisp (Elisp), a full programming language that allows users to customize and extend virtually every aspect of the editor. User configurations are stored in ~/.emacs or ~/.emacs.d/init.el.
The editor operates in different modes depending on the file type, providing syntax highlighting, indentation, and mode-specific commands. Major modes handle different file types, while minor modes add optional features. The built-in help system is accessed with C-h (Ctrl+h) or F1.

-nw, --no-window-system

Run in terminal mode without GUI (text terminal)

Do not load the user init file (~/.emacs)

Do not load the site-wide startup file

Load specified user's init file

Use specified file as terminal

Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during init file processing

Run in batch mode (non-interactive)

Run specified file as an Emacs Lisp script

Evaluate Emacs Lisp expression

Load specified Emacs Lisp file

Execute specified Emacs Lisp function

Start Emacs as a background daemon

Start with minimal configuration (implies -q --no-site-file --no-splash)

Set window geometry (X11)

Start in fullscreen mode

Make window as wide as the screen

Make window as tall as the screen

Set foreground color

Set background color

Use specified X display

Display version information

Display help information

~/.emacs

User initialization file for Emacs configuration and customization.

Alternative location for user initialization file, preferred for organizing multiple config files.

Directory for packages, themes, and additional Elisp files.

Emacs has a steep learning curve with its extensive keyboard shortcuts. The default keybindings differ from most modern applications (e.g., C-x C-s to save, C-x C-c to quit). Running with -q can help troubleshoot configuration issues. Large files may load slowly without proper configuration. GUI and terminal modes have different capabilities.

Emacs was created by Richard Stallman at MIT in 1976, evolving from earlier editor macros for the TECO editor. GNU Emacs, the most widely used implementation, was first released in 1985 and became the flagship project of the GNU Project. The name originally stood for "Editor MACroS". Emacs inspired the free software movement and remains one of the oldest actively developed software projects. Its rival vi sparked the famous "editor wars" among Unix users.

vim(1), nano(1), emacsclient(1), vi(1)