Keymap

These are the keys of the default keymap, which is helix's. The tables are written by the editor itself (ye --docgen) from the same lists its key menus are drawn from, so a key listed here is a key the editor has.

C-w is Ctrl and w. Space f is the space bar, then f. Two keys written together, such as gg, are pressed one after the other. A key that starts a group, such as g, m or Space, opens a menu of what can follow, so you need not learn these tables by heart: press the first key and read.

The editor's own messages write the space bar as ␣, so ␣t o is Space, t, o.

The first two tables are the keys a writer uses in the first hour. They are the ones :help lists first. The rest are the groups, one table per menu.

Under the vim keymap (:keymap vim), vim's keys sit on top of these: x deletes a character, dd a line, % goes to the matching bracket. Every key not taken that way still does what it does here. See Coming from vim for the full list of differences, and Match mode for what the m group takes.

To change a key, see Key remapping. For every : command, see Commands.

moving: command + selection + action

Key	What it does
h j k l	left, down, up, right — down the column in vertical layout
w b e	next word / back to a word start / on to a word end (in 漢字 text, b and e go by clause)
3w 5j	a number in front is a count
g30g / 30G	go to line 30
gg ge	start / end of the file
gh gl gs	line start / line end / first non-blank
C-d C-u	half a page forward/back; C-n / C-p for two thirds, C-f / C-b for a whole one
gd gD	go to / show what this points at: a footnote's note, a component's row
g/ g?	where else this word is: / here, ? in the other region
/ n N	search, next, previous
C-o C-i	jump back / forward again
M a 'a	remember this place / go back to it

editing

Key	What it does
i a	start typing before/after the cursor
o O	open a line below/above and start typing
d c	delete the selection / change it (and you are typing)
x	select the whole line — in Chinese text a line is usually a paragraph
v ;	Select mode on-off / collapse to one character; Esc also leaves Select mode
L H	next sentence / previous sentence
} {	next paragraph / previous paragraph
y p	yank / put
u U	undo / redo
.	repeat the last insert (vim keymap: the last change)
Q q	record keys / play them back
> <	indent / unindent

Space (Space)

Key	What it does
Space f	open file picker (project dir)
Space F	open file picker (working dir)
Space e	browse files (project dir)
Space E	browse files (this file's dir)
Space b	open buffer picker
Space y	copy to the system clipboard
Space p	paste from the system clipboard
Space P	paste before, from the system clipboard
Space s	show outline
Space n	character info (floating)
Space N	character info (sidebar)
Space k	documentation (floating)
Space K	documentation (sidebar)
Space d	show diagnostics (float)
Space D	show diagnostics (sidebar)
Space x	show the change (float)
Space X	show the change (sidebar)
Space r	rename it everywhere
Space a	code actions
Space i	this row's record (floating)
Space I	this row's record (sidebar)
Space w	region
Space t	table operations
Space "	registers
Space c	comment out, by the line
Space C	comment out, in a block
Space m	merge conflict
Space o	open something recent
Space z	the input method
Space /	the search panel
Space ?	every command
Space Space	page down
Space Backspace	page up

g goto (g)

Key	What it does
gg	start of the file
g<N>g	go to line N
ge	end of file
gh / gl	line start / end
gs	first non-blank character
gf	open this file
gL	follow the link
gw	go to a place on this screen
gx	two letters to locate a word
gz	more letters to locate a char
ga	back to the buffer before this one
gn / gp	the next or previous buffer
gd	go to definition
gD	go to definition in the other region
gr	every place it is used
g/	search the selection
g?	search the selection in the other region
gj / gk	down / up a logical line (with line number)
g.	back to the last change
gt / gc / gb	the cursor to the top, middle or bottom of the screen

m (m)

Key	What it does
mm	go to the other half of the pair
mi	select what is inside the pair
ma	select the pair and what is inside
ms	wrap the selection in a pair
md	remove the pair
mr	replace the pair

next… (])

Key	What it does
]m	merge conflict
]g	a change
]d / ]D	a diagnostic (capital: the first / the last)
]p	the next paragraph
]␣	a blank line below
]f	a function
]t	a class
]c	a comment

previous… ([)

Key	What it does
[m	merge conflict
[g	a change
[d / [D	a diagnostic (capital: the first / the last)
[p	the previous paragraph
[␣	a blank line above
[f	a function
[t	a class
[c	a comment

put this line where (z)

Key	What it does
zz	middle
zt	top
zb	bottom

region (C-w)

Key	What it does
C-w w	next
C-w h / C-w j / C-w k / C-w l	go that way
C-w e / C-w i	toggle the left / right bar
C-w E / C-w I	go into the left / right sidebar
C-w s	split in two
C-w q	close this one
C-w o	keep only this one

t table (Space t)

Key	What it does
Space t o	source view: the file as written
Space t b	basic view: the columns lined up
Space t t	window view: the table takes the window
Space t q	leave window view
Space t ] / Space t [	the next table / the one before
Space t x	convert the table's format (delimiter)
Space t w	long cells: wrap / fold / whole
Space t /	search down the columns (a column range can be given)
Space t ?	search down the columns in the other region
Space t g	go to a cell (␣t20,20g)
Space t r / Space t R	insert a new row (below / above)
Space t c / Space t C	add a column (right / left)
Space t d / Space t D	delete this row / column
Space t j / Space t k	move this row down / up
Space t h / Space t l	move this column left / right
Space t y / Space t p / Space t P	yank this column / paste it to the right / to the left
Space t v	write the yanked column over this one
Space t 1s / Space t 1S	sort by column, ascending / descending (␣t1s; ␣t1a2d8as for several)
Space t < / Space t = / Space t >	this column left / centre / right
Space t F	line it up again
Space t i	this row's record
Space t H	whether the table's first row is a heading row
Space t e	this table's metadata

convert the table's format (delimiter) (Space t x)

Key	What it does
Space t x p / Space t x P	pipe (convert / paste)
Space t x c / Space t x C	csv (convert / paste)
Space t x t / Space t x T	tsv (convert / paste)

letter case (`)

Key	What it does
`l	to lowercase
`u	to uppercase
``	switch case
`s	traditional → simplified
`t	simplified → traditional
`w	simplified → Taiwan 繁
`f	to fullwidth
`h	to halfwidth
`k	simplified → Hong Kong 繁
`c	simplified → mainland 繁
`g	simplified → 古籍 繁
`j	traditional → Japanese shinjitai
	vi's marks: M sets, ' returns

open something recent (Space o)

Key	What it does
Space o f	recent files
Space o g	recent files, everywhere
Space o p	recent projects
Space o r	take up the last session

the input method (Space z)

Key	What it does
Space z z	input method on / off (on is Chinese)
Space z m	when a word commits
Space z p	where the candidates are drawn
Space z e	where what you are typing is written
Space z y	prediction (autocompletion) on or off
Space z i	pick a scheme
Space z n	the next scheme
Space z 3-9	candidates on a page
Space z /	the 拆分 beside a candidate
Space z t	switch to the installed 碼表
Space z w	where the 碼表 came from
Space z W	where the data is