7 Find Help While You Work

You do not need to memorize every Emacs or Emacsvox command. Emacs can explain the key you are about to use, the modes active in the current buffer, and the commands and variables available in your running session. This live help is usually more reliable than a copied key list because it includes installed packages and personal customizations.

Most help commands begin with the C-h prefix. If you forget what can follow it, press C-h C-h for help-for-help.

7.1 Ask About A Key, Command, Or Setting

Use the question you have to choose a help command:

For example, press C-h k C-e l to ask what the current-line speaking key does. If you know the command name but not its key, use C-h w and enter that name.

7.2 Discover What The Current Buffer Can Do

Two commands answer most questions about a buffer:

After opening Dired, EWW, mail, a terminal, or another application, start with C-h m. Use C-h b when you need the exact keys available in that particular buffer.

7.3 Read And Leave A Help Window

Help usually appears in a separate *Help* window, and Emacsvox speaks the most relevant initial result automatically. Press C-e h emacsvox-speak-help to hear the displayed help again.

To explore the help text directly, press C-x o to move to its window and use ordinary reading and navigation commands. Press q in the Help buffer when you are finished. If another window is selected unexpectedly, C-e C-w describes the current window arrangement.

7.4 Learn Interactively And Read Manuals

See the Emacs manual’s help and Info chapters when you want to search manuals, follow cross-references, or keep a help buffer for later.

7.5 Emacsvox-Specific Help

The generated Emacsvox Keymaps in Emacsvox Reference Manual records all default Emacsvox bindings. Prefer C-h k, C-h m, and C-h b when a running package or customization changes those defaults.