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Helix

Helix Keybindings

Helix is a post-modern, terminal-based text editor inspired by Vim and Kakoune. It uses a selection-first model: you select text first, then apply an action (the reverse of Vim's verb-then-motion). Helix has built-in LSP support, Treesitter integration, and multi-cursor editing out of the box with no plugins needed.

Core Concepts

  • Modes:
    • Normal: The default mode for navigation and selection. Press Esc to return here.
    • Insert: For typing text.
    • Select: Similar to Normal but extends the selection with every motion.
    • Command (:): For running commands.
  • Selection-First: In Vim you type d3w (delete 3 words). In Helix you type 3wd (select 3 words, then delete). You always see what you're about to act on.

The Absolute Essentials

  • Enter Insert Mode: i (before cursor), a (after cursor), I (start of line), A (end of line), o (new line below), O (new line above).
  • Return to Normal Mode: Esc.
  • Undo/Redo: u (undo), U (redo).
  • Save (:w): Write the file.
  • Quit (:q): Quit. :q! to quit without saving. :wq to save and quit.

Movement

  • Basic: h (left), j (down), k (up), l (right).
  • Word: w (next word start), b (previous word start), e (word end).
  • Line: 0 (line start), ^ (first non-blank), $ (line end).
  • File: gg (file start), ge (file end), : + line number (go to line).
  • Page: Ctrl+d (half page down), Ctrl+u (half page up), Ctrl+f (page down), Ctrl+b (page up).
  • Matching Bracket: mm (jump to matching bracket).
  • Paragraph: [p / ]p (previous/next paragraph).
  • Function: [f / ]f (previous/next function).

Selection

  • Select Mode (v): Enter select mode. All motions extend the selection.
  • Select Line (x): Select the entire current line. Press again for more lines.
  • Expand Selection (Alt+Up): Expand selection to the parent syntax node (Treesitter-aware).
  • Shrink Selection (Alt+Down): Shrink selection to the child syntax node.
  • Select All (%): Select the entire file.
  • Select Inside (mi): Select inside a pair (e.g., mi( selects inside parentheses).
  • Select Around (ma): Select around a pair (e.g., ma" selects including quotes).
  • Split Selection (S): Split the selection on a regex pattern, creating multiple selections.
  • Keep Selections (K): Keep only selections matching a regex.
  • Remove Selections (Alt+K): Remove selections matching a regex.

Multi-Cursor

  • Add Cursor Below (C): Add a cursor on the next line (with the same selection width).
  • Add Cursor Above (Alt+C): Add a cursor on the previous line.
  • Split Selection to Lines (Alt+s): Split a multi-line selection into individual line selections.
  • Select All Matches (Ctrl+a): Select all occurrences of the current selection in the file.
  • Keep Primary (,): Collapse to the primary cursor only.
  • Cycle Primary (Alt+,): Cycle through which cursor is the primary one.
  • Remove Primary (Alt+.): Remove the primary selection.

Editing

  • Delete Selection (d): Delete the selected text.
  • Change Selection (c): Delete the selected text and enter Insert mode.
  • Yank/Copy (y): Copy the selection.
  • Paste After (p): Paste after the cursor.
  • Paste Before (P): Paste before the cursor.
  • Replace (r): Replace the selection with a character.
  • Indent (>): Indent the selection.
  • Unindent (<): Unindent the selection.
  • Toggle Comment (Ctrl+c): Comment or uncomment the selection.
  • Join Lines (J): Join selected lines.
  • Toggle Case (~): Toggle the case of the selection.
  • Repeat Last Change (.): Repeat the last insertion or edit.
  • Search Forward (/): Search for a regex pattern.
  • Search Backward (?): Search backward.
  • Next Match (n): Go to the next match.
  • Previous Match (N): Go to the previous match.
  • Select Next Match (*): Add the next match to the selections.
  • Search for Selection (Ctrl+s): Use the current selection as the search pattern.

Space Menu

Press Space in Normal mode to open the space menu:

  • Space f: File picker (fuzzy find files).
  • Space F: File picker (current directory).
  • Space b: Buffer picker (switch between open files).
  • Space s: Symbol picker (jump to symbols in the file).
  • Space S: Workspace symbol picker.
  • Space g: Live grep (search across files).
  • Space d: Diagnostics picker.
  • Space a: Code actions.
  • Space r: Rename symbol.
  • Space h: Hover documentation.
  • Space k: Show signature help.

Window Management

  • Split Right (Ctrl+w v): Vertical split.
  • Split Down (Ctrl+w s): Horizontal split.
  • Focus (Ctrl+w h/j/k/l): Move focus between splits.
  • Close Window (Ctrl+w q): Close the current split.
  • Swap Window (Ctrl+w x): Swap the current window with the next.

Customization

  • Config File: ~/.config/helix/config.toml
  • Languages File: ~/.config/helix/languages.toml (configure LSP servers per language).
  • Example Config: 
    theme = "catppuccin_mocha"

[editor]
line-number = "relative"
mouse = true
bufferline = "multiple"
auto-save = true

[editor.cursor-shape]
insert = "bar"
normal = "block"
select = "underline"

[editor.indent-guides]
render = true

[keys.normal]
C-s = ":w"
C-q = ":q"
  • No Plugin System: Helix intentionally has no plugin system. All features (LSP, Treesitter, fuzzy finder, multi-cursor) are built in.