FAQ(28) - Key modifier which acts as the ESC key; what is it ?

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QUESTION (28)

Key modifier which acts as the ESC key; what is it ?

What is the modifier key which acts as the ESC key ? Having to type ESCAPE and then f to move one word forward is very boring.

With Gnu Emacs (on Unix systems), there is a "meta" modifier key which is a shortcut for pressing ESCAPE followed by the command key. The "meta" key should be the "Alt" key.

ANSWER

The "meta" key is the "Alt" key. But 'F' is the Main menu hot-key for the 'File' sub-menu so by default 'A-f' will open the File sub-menu. This can be disabled by clearing bit 0x2000 in the $system variable. This option can now be set using user-setup (Alt -> Main Menu).

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Ref: FAQ(28) - Key modifier which acts as the ESC key; what is it ? File: faq.2 Date: 2026/03/05