⌨️ Helix Keyboard Shortcuts
Selection → Action Paradigm
Unlike Vim's Action → Selection (e.g., d w to delete word), Helix fundamentally utilizes a Selection → Action model. In Helix, you navigate to select the text first, and then press the action key (e.g., w d to select word then delete). What you see selected is exactly what you manipulate.
⚙️ General & System
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
: |
Enter command line mode |
:q |
Quit Helix |
:w |
Save current file |
:wq or :x |
Save and quit |
:config-open |
Open user configuration file |
Ctrl + r |
Reload configuration |
🧭 Movement / Navigation (Normal Mode)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
h / j / k / l |
Move cursor Left / Down / Up / Right |
w / b / e |
Move to next word / previous word / end of word |
W / B / E |
Move to next / previous / end of whitespace-separated word |
0 / $ |
Move to start / end of line |
g h / g l |
Move to first / last non-blank character of line |
g g / g e |
Move to first / last line of file |
Ctrl + u / Ctrl + d |
Page up / Page down |
✂️ Changes & Editing (Normal Mode)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
i / a |
Enter Insert mode before / after cursor |
I / A |
Enter Insert mode at start / end of line |
o / O |
Open new line below / above and enter Insert mode |
d |
Delete current selection (cuts to clipboard) |
c |
Change selection (delete and enter Insert mode) |
r |
Replace character under cursor with next typed char |
y |
Yank (copy) selection to register |
p / P |
Paste after / before selection |
u / U |
Undo / Redo |
Multiple Undo Contexts
Helix evaluates changes structurally. If you make concurrent multi-cursor edits, hitting u will undo all variations across those cursors simultaneously, keeping your code history synchronized perfectly.
🔍 Selections & Search
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
v |
Enter Select mode (extend selection with movement) |
; |
Collapse selection to a single cursor |
Alt + ; |
Flip selection direction (swap start/end cursor) |
/ |
Search regular expression forward |
? |
Search regular expression backward |
n / N |
Go to next / previous search match |
* |
Search for current selection |
👥 Multiple Cursors & Selectors
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
s |
Select regex matches within current selection |
S |
Split current selection into lines |
Alt + s |
Split selection on newlines |
C |
Copy cursor to next line |
Alt + C |
Copy cursor to previous line |
, |
Remove primary selection (keeps others) |
Alt + , |
Remove all selections except primary |
🛠️ The Space Leader (Menus & Pickers)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Space + f |
Open file picker |
Space + b |
Open buffer picker |
Space + s |
Open document symbol picker |
Space + S |
Open workspace symbol picker |
Space + d |
Open diagnostics picker |
Space + w |
Enter window management menu (splits) |
Space + ? |
Show all available keymaps interactively |
🚀 Code Intelligence & LSP (Go to)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
g d |
Go to definition |
g y |
Go to type definition |
g r |
Go to references |
g i |
Go to implementation |
] d / [ d |
Go to next / previous diagnostic (error/warning) |
Space + k |
Show documentation hover |
Space + r |
Rename symbol |
Space + a |
Apply code action / quick fix |
Built-in LSP Support
Unlike traditional modal editors, Helix features fully out-of-the-box Language Server Protocol (LSP) functionality. No external plugins or massive setups are needed to make g d or Space + k run instantly.
🪟 Viewports & Splits (Space + w or Ctrl + w)
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl + w v / h |
Split window vertically / horizontally |
Ctrl + w w |
Cycle focus to next window split |
Ctrl + w h / j / k / l |
Move focus to Left / Down / Up / Right split |
Ctrl + w q / c |
Close current split |
