16.3 Speed Keys

Single keystrokes can execute custom commands in an Org file when point is on a headline. Without the extra burden of a meta or modifier key, Speed Keys can speed navigation or execute custom commands. Besides faster navigation, Speed Keys may come in handy on small mobile devices that do not have full keyboards. Speed Keys may also work on TTY devices known for their problems when entering Emacs key chords.

By default, Org has Speed Keys disabled. To activate Speed Keys, set the variable org-use-speed-commands to a non-nil value. To trigger a Speed Key, point must be at the beginning of an Org headline, before any of the stars.

Org comes with a pre-defined list of Speed Keys. To add or modify Speed Keys, customize the variable, org-speed-commands-user. For more details, see the variable’s docstring. With Speed Keys activated, M-x org-speed-command-help, or ? when point is at the beginning of an Org headline, shows currently active Speed Keys, including the user-defined ones.