Usage: /usr/bin/emacs [OPTION-OR-FILENAME]...
Run Emacs, the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time
display editor. The recommended way to start Emacs for normal editing
is with no options at all.
Run M-x info RET m emacs RET m emacs invocation RET inside Emacs to
read the main documentation for these command-line arguments.
Initialization options:
--batch do not do interactive display; implies -q
--chdir DIR change to directory DIR
--daemon, --bg-daemon[=NAME] start a (named) server in the background
--fg-daemon[=NAME] start a (named) server in the foreground
--debug-init enable Emacs Lisp debugger for init file
--display, -d DISPLAY use X server DISPLAY
--module-assertions assert behavior of dynamic modules
--dump-file FILE read dumped state from FILE
--fingerprint output fingerprint and exit
--seccomp=FILE read Seccomp BPF filter from FILE
--no-build-details do not add build details such as time stamps
--no-desktop do not load a saved desktop
--no-init-file, -q load neither ~/.emacs nor default.el
--no-loadup, -nl do not load loadup.el into bare Emacs
--no-site-file do not load site-start.el
--no-x-resources do not load X resources
--no-site-lisp, -nsl do not add site-lisp directories to load-path
--no-splash do not display a splash screen on startup
--no-window-system, -nw do not communicate with X, ignoring $DISPLAY
--init-directory=DIR use DIR when looking for the Emacs init files.
--quick, -Q equivalent to:
-q --no-site-file --no-site-lisp --no-splash
--no-x-resources
--script FILE run FILE as an Emacs Lisp script
-x to be used in #!/usr/bin/emacs -x
and has approximately the same meaning
as -Q --script
--terminal, -t DEVICE use DEVICE for terminal I/O
--user, -u USER load ~USER/.emacs instead of your own
Action options:
FILE visit FILE
+LINE go to line LINE in next FILE
+LINE:COLUMN go to line LINE, column COLUMN, in next FILE
--directory, -L DIR prepend DIR to load-path (with :DIR, append DIR)
--eval EXPR evaluate Emacs Lisp expression EXPR
--execute EXPR evaluate Emacs Lisp expression EXPR
--file FILE visit FILE
--find-file FILE visit FILE
--funcall, -f FUNC call Emacs Lisp function FUNC with no arguments
--insert FILE insert contents of FILE into current buffer
--kill exit without asking for confirmation
--load, -l FILE load Emacs Lisp FILE using the load function
--visit FILE visit FILE
Display options:
--background-color, -bg COLOR window background color
--basic-display, -D disable many display features;
used for debugging Emacs
--border-color, -bd COLOR main border color
--border-width, -bw WIDTH width of main border
--color, --color=MODE override color mode for character terminals;
MODE defaults to `auto', and
can also be `never', `always',
or a mode name like `ansi8'
--cursor-color, -cr COLOR color of the Emacs cursor indicating point
--font, -fn FONT default font; must be fixed-width
--foreground-color, -fg COLOR window foreground color
--fullheight, -fh make the first frame high as the screen
--fullscreen, -fs make the first frame fullscreen
--fullwidth, -fw make the first frame wide as the screen
--maximized, -mm make the first frame maximized
--geometry, -g GEOMETRY window geometry
--no-bitmap-icon, -nbi do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon
--iconic start Emacs in iconified state
--internal-border, -ib WIDTH width between text and main border
--line-spacing, -lsp PIXELS additional space to put between lines
--mouse-color, -ms COLOR mouse cursor color in Emacs window
--name NAME title for initial Emacs frame
--no-blinking-cursor, -nbc disable blinking cursor
--reverse-video, -r, -rv switch foreground and background
--title, -T TITLE title for initial Emacs frame
--vertical-scroll-bars, -vb enable vertical scroll bars
--xrm XRESOURCES set additional X resources
--parent-id XID set parent window
--help display this help and exit
--version output version information and exit
You can generally also specify long option names with a single -; for
example, -batch as well as --batch. You can use any unambiguous
abbreviation for a --option.
Various environment variables and window system resources also affect
the operation of Emacs. See the main documentation.
Report bugs to bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org. First, please see the Bugs
section of the Emacs manual or the file BUGS.
Options (61)
| Option | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|
--batch | do not do interactive display; | help + man |
--chdir DIR | change to directory DIR | help + man |
--fg-daemon NAME | Like "--bg-daemon", but don't disconnect from the terminal. | help + man |
--debug-init | Enable Emacs Lisp debugger during the processing of the user init file ~/.emacs. | help + man |
--display, -d DISPLAY | Create the Emacs window on the display specified by displayname. | help + man |
--module-assertions | assert behavior of dynamic modules | help |
--dump-file FILE | read dumped state from FILE | help |
--fingerprint | output fingerprint and exit | help |
--seccomp FILE | read Seccomp BPF filter from FILE | help |
--no-build-details | do not add build details such as time stamps | help |
--no-desktop | Do not load a saved desktop. | help + man |
--no-init-file, -q | load neither ~/.emacs nor default.el | help + man |
--no-loadup, -nl, --no-shared-memory | do not load loadup.el into bare Emacs | help + man |
--no-site-file | Do not load the site-wide startup file. | help + man |
--no-x-resources | Do not load X resources. | help + man |
--no-site-lisp, -nsl | Do not add site-lisp directories to load-path. | help + man |
--no-splash | Do not display a splash screen during start-up. | help + man |
--no-window-system, -nw | do not communicate with X, ignoring $DISPLAY | help + man |
--init-directory DIR | Start emacs with user-emacs-directory set to directory. | help + man |
--quick, -Q | Similar to "-q --no-site-file --no-splash". | help + man |
--script FILE | Run file as an Emacs Lisp script. | help + man |
-x | to be used in #!/usr/bin/emacs -x and has approximately the same meaning as -Q --script | help |
--terminal, -t DEVICE | Use specified file as the terminal instead of using stdin/stdout. | help + man |
--user, -u USER | Load user's init file instead of your own. | help + man |
--directory, -L DIR | Add dir to the list of directories Emacs searches for Lisp files. | help + man |
--eval EXPR | evaluate Emacs Lisp expression EXPR | help + man |
--execute EXPR | evaluate Emacs Lisp expression EXPR | help |
--file FILE | The same as specifying file directly as an argument. | help + man |
--find-file FILE | visit FILE | help |
--funcall, -f FUNC | call Emacs Lisp function FUNC with no arguments | help + man |
--insert FILE | Insert contents of file into the current buffer. | help + man |
--kill | exit without asking for confirmation | help + man |
--load, -l FILE | load Emacs Lisp FILE using the load function | help + man |
--visit FILE | visit FILE | help |
--background-color, -bg COLOR | On color displays, set the color of the window's background. | help + man |
--basic-display, -D | This option disables many display features; | help + man |
--border-color, -bd COLOR | On color displays, set the color of the window's border. | help + man |
--border-width, -bw WIDTH | Set the Emacs window's border width to the number of pixels specified by pixels. | help + man |
--color, --color MODE | override color mode for character terminals; | help + man |
--cursor-color, -cr COLOR | On color displays, set the color of the window's text cursor. | help + man |
--font, -fn FONT | Set the Emacs window's font to that specified by font. | help + man |
--foreground-color, -fg COLOR | On color displays, set the color of the text. | help + man |
--fullheight, -fh | Make the first frame as high as the screen. | help + man |
--fullscreen, -fs | Make the first frame fullscreen. | help + man |
--fullwidth, -fw | Make the first frame as wide as the screen. | help + man |
--maximized, -mm | Maximize the first frame, like "-fw -fh". | help + man |
--geometry, -g GEOMETRY | Set the Emacs window's width, height, and position as specified. | help + man |
--no-bitmap-icon, -nbi | Do not use picture of gnu for Emacs icon. | help + man |
--iconic | Start Emacs in iconified state. | help + man |
--internal-border, -ib WIDTH | Set the window's internal border width to the number of pixels specified by pixels. | help + man |
--line-spacing, -lsp PIXELS | Additional space to put between lines. | help + man |
--mouse-color, -ms COLOR | On color displays, set the color of the window's mouse cursor. | help + man |
--name NAME | Specify the name which should be assigned to the initial Emacs window. | help + man |
--no-blinking-cursor, -nbc | Disable blinking cursor. | help + man |
--reverse-video, -r, -rv | Display the Emacs window in reverse video. | help + man |
--title, -T TITLE | Specify the title for the initial X window. | help + man |
--vertical-scroll-bars, -vb | enable vertical scroll bars | help + man |
--xrm XRESOURCES | Set additional X resources. | help + man |
--parent-id XID | Set parent window. | help + man |
--help | display this help and exit | help + man |
--version | Display Emacs version information and exit. | help + man |