Commands

Command mode can be activated by pressing :, similar to vim. Built-in commands:

NameDescription
:quit, :qClose the current view.
:quit!, :q!Close the current view forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes).
:open, :oOpen a file from disk into the current view.
:buffer-close, :bc, :bcloseClose the current buffer.
:buffer-close!, :bc!, :bclose!Close the current buffer forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes).
:buffer-close-others, :bco, :bcloseotherClose all buffers but the currently focused one.
:buffer-close-others!, :bco!, :bcloseother!Close all buffers but the currently focused one.
:buffer-close-all, :bca, :bcloseallClose all buffers, without quiting.
:buffer-close-all!, :bca!, :bcloseall!Close all buffers forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes), without quiting.
:buffer-next, :bn, :bnextGo to next buffer.
:buffer-previous, :bp, :bprevGo to previous buffer.
:write, :wWrite changes to disk. Accepts an optional path (:write some/path.txt)
:new, :nCreate a new scratch buffer.
:format, :fmtFormat the file using the LSP formatter.
:indent-styleSet the indentation style for editing. ('t' for tabs or 1-8 for number of spaces.)
:line-endingSet the document's default line ending. Options: crlf, lf, cr, ff, nel.
:earlier, :earJump back to an earlier point in edit history. Accepts a number of steps or a time span.
:later, :latJump to a later point in edit history. Accepts a number of steps or a time span.
:write-quit, :wq, :xWrite changes to disk and close the current view. Accepts an optional path (:wq some/path.txt)
:write-quit!, :wq!, :x!Write changes to disk and close the current view forcefully. Accepts an optional path (:wq! some/path.txt)
:write-all, :waWrite changes from all views to disk.
:write-quit-all, :wqa, :xaWrite changes from all views to disk and close all views.
:write-quit-all!, :wqa!, :xa!Write changes from all views to disk and close all views forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes).
:quit-all, :qaClose all views.
:quit-all!, :qa!Close all views forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes).
:cquit, :cqQuit with exit code (default 1). Accepts an optional integer exit code (:cq 2).
:cquit!, :cq!Quit with exit code (default 1) forcefully (ignoring unsaved changes). Accepts an optional integer exit code (:cq! 2).
:themeChange the editor theme.
:clipboard-yankYank main selection into system clipboard.
:clipboard-yank-joinYank joined selections into system clipboard. A separator can be provided as first argument. Default value is newline.
:primary-clipboard-yankYank main selection into system primary clipboard.
:primary-clipboard-yank-joinYank joined selections into system primary clipboard. A separator can be provided as first argument. Default value is newline.
:clipboard-paste-afterPaste system clipboard after selections.
:clipboard-paste-beforePaste system clipboard before selections.
:clipboard-paste-replaceReplace selections with content of system clipboard.
:primary-clipboard-paste-afterPaste primary clipboard after selections.
:primary-clipboard-paste-beforePaste primary clipboard before selections.
:primary-clipboard-paste-replaceReplace selections with content of system primary clipboard.
:show-clipboard-providerShow clipboard provider name in status bar.
:change-current-directory, :cdChange the current working directory.
:show-directory, :pwdShow the current working directory.
:encodingSet encoding based on https://encoding.spec.whatwg.org
:reloadDiscard changes and reload from the source file.
:tree-sitter-scopesDisplay tree sitter scopes, primarily for theming and development.
:debug-start, :dbgStart a debug session from a given template with given parameters.
:debug-remote, :dbg-tcpConnect to a debug adapter by TCP address and start a debugging session from a given template with given parameters.
:debug-evalEvaluate expression in current debug context.
:vsplit, :vsOpen the file in a vertical split.
:vsplit-new, :vnewOpen a scratch buffer in a vertical split.
:hsplit, :hs, :spOpen the file in a horizontal split.
:hsplit-new, :hnewOpen a scratch buffer in a horizontal split.
:tutorOpen the tutorial.
:goto, :gGo to line number.
:set-option, :setSet a config option at runtime
:sortSort ranges in selection.
:rsortSort ranges in selection in reverse order.
:tree-sitter-subtree, :ts-subtreeDisplay tree sitter subtree under cursor, primarily for debugging queries.
:config-reloadRefreshes helix's config.
:config-openOpen the helix config.toml file.