Micro is a modern terminal text editor with intuitive keybindings. If you know Ctrl+S to save and Ctrl+Z to undo, you already know the basics.
[micro](/man/micro) textfile.txt
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+q | Quit (or close the current tab/split) |
| Ctrl+s | Save current file |
| Ctrl+o | Open a file |
| Ctrl+g | Open the help menu |
| Ctrl+e | Open the command bar |
| Alt+g | Show what every key does in a bar at the bottom |
Standard arrow keys, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down all work as expected. These shortcuts provide additional movement.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Left | Move to previous word |
| Ctrl+Right | Move to next word |
| Alt+{ | Move to previous paragraph |
| Alt+} | Move to next paragraph |
| Home | Move to beginning of line |
| End | Move to end of line |
| Ctrl+Home | Move to start of file |
| Ctrl+End | Move to end of file |
Jump to a line with the command bar: press Ctrl+e, then type the goto command.
goto 42
Hold Shift with any movement key to select text.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Shift+Arrow | Extend selection by one character or line |
| Ctrl+Shift+Left | Select to previous word |
| Ctrl+Shift+Right | Select to next word |
| Shift+Home | Select to beginning of line |
| Shift+End | Select to end of line |
| Ctrl+a | Select all text |
Copy, cut, and paste use the familiar system shortcuts.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+z | Undo |
| Ctrl+y | Redo |
| Ctrl+c | Copy selected text |
| Ctrl+x | Cut selected text |
| Ctrl+v | Paste from clipboard |
| Ctrl+k | Cut the current line |
| Ctrl+d | Duplicate the current line |
| Tab | Indent selection or insert tab |
| Shift+Tab | Unindent selection |
| Ctrl+u | Start/stop recording a macro |
| Ctrl+j | Play the recorded macro |
Search is incremental: matches highlight as you type.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+f | Find |
| Ctrl+n | Find next match |
| Ctrl+p | Find previous match |
| Alt+F | Find literal (no regex) |
Replace runs from the command bar (Ctrl+e). It asks for confirmation at each match unless you add -a.
replace "search" "replacement"
replace -a "search" "replacement"
Edit several places at once. Type normally and every cursor applies the change; press Escape to return to a single cursor.
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Click | Place an additional cursor |
| Alt+n | Spawn a cursor at the next match of the current word |
| Alt+x | Skip the current match |
| Alt+p | Remove the last added cursor |
| Alt+c | Remove all extra cursors |
| Alt+m | Spawn a cursor on every match |
Open files side by side or in tabs. Splits are created from the command bar (Ctrl+e).
vsplit other.txt
hsplit notes.txt
tab third.txt
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+t | Open a new tab |
| Alt+, | Switch to previous tab |
| Alt+. | Switch to next tab |
| Ctrl+w | Jump to the next split |
| Ctrl+q | Close the current split or tab |
The command bar (Ctrl+e) also changes settings, permanently stored in ~/.config/micro/settings.json.
set tabsize 4
set tabstospaces on
set ruler off
set colorscheme monokai
help defaultkeys
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+r | Toggle line numbers (ruler) |
| Ctrl+b | Run a shell command |
Micro has built-in mouse support: click to place the cursor, drag to select text, scroll with the wheel, and double-click to select a word.