Cheat Sheet of Common Emacs Commands and Key Bindings

To get help, type a C-h and then a letter specifying what kind of help.
There are lots of kinds.  Here are a few.

C-h     help
C-h C-h help:  tell me how to use help
C-h a   apropos:  find commands and such containing a string
C-h b   bindings:  tell me what key bindings there are in the current mode
C-h c   describe key:  tell me what this keystroke does
C-h d   describe function:  tell me what this Emacs function does
C-h i   info:  show me the online manuals
C-h m   mode help:  tell me about the mode I'm in

The following are commands bound to control letters.

C-a     go to beginning of line
C-b     backward-char:  goes back one char
C-c     prefix keystroke; see below
C-d     deletes char
C-e     go to end of line
C-f     goes forward one char
C-g     cancel out an operation
C-h     prefix keystroke for help.  See above.
C-j     newline and indent     
C-k     kills line, but stored in the yank buffer.  See C-y
C-l     recenter, so the point is in the middle of the window
C-n     next line:  go down one line
C-o     open line:  insert a hard return right here
C-p     previous line:  go up one line
C-q     quote:  insert the next keystroke literally, not as a command
C-r     incremental search backwards
C-s     incremental search forwards
C-t     transpose two characters
C-u     universal argument; this modifies the next command you type
C-v     scroll up:  show the next page of text
C-w     wipe:  what newer editors call "cut".  Stores in yank buffer.  See C-y
C-x     prefix keystroke; see below
C-y     yanks previous kill or wipe
C-z     prefix keystroke
C-/     undo
C-_     undo

There is also an "undo" key on most SUN keyboards; Emacs understands it.

The following are commands bound to meta letters.  Hold down the meta key
while typing the letter.  Typically the "diamond" key on a properly
configured SUN.  If your computer doesn't have a meta key, use the escape
(ESC) key, but you have to type that first, rather than holding it down.

By the way, for many of these, there is a simple relationship between the
C- version and the M- version.  That makes remembering them easier.

M-a     backward sentence
M-b     backward-word:  goes back one word
M-c     capitalize next word
M-d     deletes word
M-e     go to end of sentence
M-f     goes forward one word
M-g     no default.  Your .emacs binds this to goto-line
M-h     mark paragraph
M-j     indent new comment line
M-k     kills sentence, but stored in the yank buffer.  See C-y
M-l     downcase next word
M-m     back to indentation;  beginning of indented line
M-q     fill paragraph, or fix indentation, depending on mode
M-r     move to window line.  By default, moves point to center of window
M-s     center line
M-t     transpose two words
M-u     upcase word
M-v     scroll down:  show the previous page of text
M-w     copy region:  what newer editors call "copy".  Stores in yank buffer.
M-x     Extended command:  prompts you for a command name and executes it.
M-y     yanks the thing killed previous to C-y.  Stores the whole history

The following are mult-keystroke commands, like the C-h set of commands.
That's why the first keystroke doesn't do anything by itself, it's just a
"prefix" command.  

C-x 1		delete-other-windows
C-x 2		split-window-vertically
C-x 3		split-window-horizontally
C-x ;		set-comment-column
C-x =		what-cursor-position
C-x b		switch-to-buffer
C-x d		dired
C-x i		insert-file
C-x k		kill-buffer
C-x m		mail, send a mail message
C-x o		other-window (if you've split the screen)
C-x C-b		list-buffers
C-x C-c		save-buffers-kill-emacs
C-x C-d		list-directory
C-x C-f		find-file
C-x C-w		write-file:  save the buffer to a file.  Prompts for name
C-x C-z		suspend-or-iconify-emacs