Command-line startup options
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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 start a server in the background --debug-init enable Emacs Lisp debugger for init file --display, -d DISPLAY use X server DISPLAY --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-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 --quick, -Q equivalent to: -q --no-site-file --no-site-lisp --no-splash --script FILE run FILE as an Emacs Lisp 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 using find-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 using find-file --find-file FILE visit FILE using find-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 using find-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.