commands.asciidoc

Commands

In qutebrowser, all keybindings are mapped to commands.

Some commands are hidden, which means they don’t show up in the command completion when pressing :, as they’re typically not useful to run by hand.

For command arguments, there are also some variables you can use:

• {url} expands to the URL of the current page

• {url:pretty} expands to the URL in decoded format

• {url:host}, {url:domain}, {url:auth}, {url:scheme}, {url:username}, {url:password}, {url:host}, {url:port}, {url:path} and {url:query} expand to the respective parts of the current URL

• {title} expands to the current page’s title

• {clipboard} expands to the clipboard contents

• {primary} expands to the primary selection contents

Those variables can be escaped by doubling the braces, e.g. {{url}}. It is possible to run or bind multiple commands by separating them with ;;.

Normal commands

Table 1. Quick reference

Command	Description
adblock-update	Update the adblock block lists.
back	Go back in the history of the current tab.
bind	Bind a key to a command.
bookmark-add	Save the current page as a bookmark, or a specific url.
bookmark-del	Delete a bookmark.
bookmark-load	Load a bookmark.
buffer	Select tab by index or url/title best match.
clear-keychain	Clear the currently entered key chain.
clear-messages	Clear all message notifications.
click-element	Click the element matching the given filter.
close	Close the current window.
config-clear	Set all settings back to their default.
config-cycle	Cycle an option between multiple values.
config-dict-add	Add a key/value pair to a dictionary option.
config-dict-remove	Remove a key from a dict.
config-diff	Show all customized options.
config-edit	Open the config.py file in the editor.
config-list-add	Append a value to a config option that is a list.
config-list-remove	Remove a value from a list.
config-source	Read a config.py file.
config-unset	Unset an option.
config-write-py	Write the current configuration to a config.py file.
devtools	Toggle the developer tools (web inspector).
download	Download a given URL, or current page if no URL given.
download-cancel	Cancel the last/[count]th download.
download-clear	Remove all finished downloads from the list.
download-delete	Delete the last/[count]th download from disk.
download-open	Open the last/[count]th download.
download-remove	Remove the last/[count]th download from the list.
download-retry	Retry the first failed/[count]th download.
edit-command	Open an editor to modify the current command.
edit-url	Navigate to a url formed in an external editor.
enter-mode	Enter a key mode.
fake-key	Send a fake keypress or key string to the website or qutebrowser.
follow-selected	Follow the selected text.
forward	Go forward in the history of the current tab.
fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode.
greasemonkey-reload	Re-read Greasemonkey scripts from disk.
help	Show help about a command or setting.
hint	Start hinting.
history	Show browsing history.
history-clear	Clear all browsing history.
home	Open main startpage in current tab.
insert-text	Insert text at cursor position.
jseval	Evaluate a JavaScript string.
jump-mark	Jump to the mark named by key.
later	Execute a command after some time.
message-error	Show an error message in the statusbar.
message-info	Show an info message in the statusbar.
message-warning	Show a warning message in the statusbar.
messages	Show a log of past messages.
navigate	Open typical prev/next links or navigate using the URL path.
nop	Do nothing.
open	Open a URL in the current/[count]th tab.
open-editor	Open an external editor with the currently selected form field.
print	Print the current/[count]th tab.
quickmark-add	Add a new quickmark.
quickmark-del	Delete a quickmark.
quickmark-load	Load a quickmark.
quickmark-save	Save the current page as a quickmark.
quit	Quit qutebrowser.
record-macro	Start or stop recording a macro.
reload	Reload the current/[count]th tab.
repeat	Repeat a given command.
repeat-command	Repeat the last executed command.
report	Report a bug in qutebrowser.
restart	Restart qutebrowser while keeping existing tabs open.
run-macro	Run a recorded macro.
run-with-count	Run a command with the given count.
save	Save configs and state.
scroll	Scroll the current tab in the given direction.
scroll-page	Scroll the frame page-wise.
scroll-px	Scroll the current tab by 'count * dx/dy' pixels.
scroll-to-anchor	Scroll to the given anchor in the document.
scroll-to-perc	Scroll to a specific percentage of the page.
search	Search for a text on the current page. With no text, clear results.
search-next	Continue the search to the ([count]th) next term.
search-prev	Continue the search to the ([count]th) previous term.
session-delete	Delete a session.
session-load	Load a session.
session-save	Save a session.
set	Set an option.
set-cmd-text	Preset the statusbar to some text.
set-mark	Set a mark at the current scroll position in the current tab.
spawn	Spawn an external command.
stop	Stop loading in the current/[count]th tab.
tab-clone	Duplicate the current tab.
tab-close	Close the current/[count]th tab.
tab-focus	Select the tab given as argument/[count].
tab-give	Give the current tab to a new or existing window if win_id given.
tab-move	Move the current tab according to the argument and [count].
tab-mute	Mute/Unmute the current/[count]th tab.
tab-next	Switch to the next tab, or switch [count] tabs forward.
tab-only	Close all tabs except for the current one.
tab-pin	Pin/Unpin the current/[count]th tab.
tab-prev	Switch to the previous tab, or switch [count] tabs back.
tab-take	Take a tab from another window.
unbind	Unbind a keychain.
undo	Re-open the last closed tab or tabs.
version	Show version information.
view-source	Show the source of the current page in a new tab.
window-only	Close all windows except for the current one.
yank	Yank (copy) something to the clipboard or primary selection.
zoom	Set the zoom level for the current tab.
zoom-in	Increase the zoom level for the current tab.
zoom-out	Decrease the zoom level for the current tab.

adblock-update

Update the adblock block lists.

This updates ~/.local/share/qutebrowser/blocked-hosts with downloaded host lists and re-reads ~/.config/qutebrowser/blocked-hosts.

back

Syntax: :back [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*]

Go back in the history of the current tab.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Go back in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Go back in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Go back in a new window.

count

How many pages to go back.

bind

Syntax: :bind [*--mode* 'mode'] [*--default*] ['key'] ['command']

Bind a key to a command.

If no command is given, show the current binding for the given key. Using :bind without any arguments opens a page showing all keybindings.

positional arguments

• 'key': The keychain to bind. Examples of valid keychains are gC, <Ctrl-X> or <Ctrl-C>a.

• 'command': The command to execute, with optional args.

optional arguments

• *-m*, *--mode*: The mode to bind the key in (default: normal). See :help bindings.commands for the available modes.

• *-d*, *--default*: If given, restore a default binding.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

• This command does not replace variables like \{url\}.

bookmark-add

Syntax: :bookmark-add [*--toggle*] ['url'] ['title']

Save the current page as a bookmark, or a specific url.

If no url and title are provided, then save the current page as a bookmark. If a url and title have been provided, then save the given url as a bookmark with the provided title. You can view all saved bookmarks on the bookmarks page.

positional arguments

• 'url': url to save as a bookmark. If not given, use url of current page.

• 'title': title of the new bookmark.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--toggle*: remove the bookmark instead of raising an error if it already exists.

bookmark-del

Syntax: :bookmark-del ['url']

Delete a bookmark.

positional arguments

• 'url': The url of the bookmark to delete. If not given, use the current page’s url.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

bookmark-load

Syntax: :bookmark-load [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*] [*--delete*] 'url'

Load a bookmark.

positional arguments

• 'url': The url of the bookmark to load.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Load the bookmark in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Load the bookmark in a new background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Load the bookmark in a new window.

• *-d*, *--delete*: Whether to delete the bookmark afterwards.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

buffer

Syntax: :buffer ['index']

Select tab by index or url/title best match.

Focuses window if necessary when index is given. If both index and count are given, use count. With neither index nor count given, open the qute://tabs page.

positional arguments

• 'index': The [win_id/]index of the tab to focus. Or a substring in which case the closest match will be focused.

count

The tab index to focus, starting with 1.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

clear-keychain

Clear the currently entered key chain.

clear-messages

Clear all message notifications.

click-element

Syntax: :click-element [*--target* 'target'] [*--force-event*] 'filter' 'value'

Click the element matching the given filter.

The given filter needs to result in exactly one element, otherwise, an error is shown.

positional arguments

• 'filter': How to filter the elements. id: Get an element based on its ID.

• 'value': The value to filter for.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--target*: How to open the clicked element (normal/tab/tab-bg/window).

• *-f*, *--force-event*: Force generating a fake click event.

close

Close the current window.

config-clear

Syntax: :config-clear [*--save*]

Set all settings back to their default.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--save*: If given, all configuration in autoconfig.yml is also removed.

config-cycle

Syntax: :config-cycle [*--pattern* 'pattern'] [*--temp*] [*--print*] 'option' ['values' ['values' ...]]

Cycle an option between multiple values.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'values': The values to cycle through.

optional arguments

• *-u*, *--pattern*: The URL pattern to use.

• *-t*, *--temp*: Set value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

• *-p*, *--print*: Print the value after setting.

config-dict-add

Syntax: :config-dict-add [*--temp*] [*--replace*] 'option' 'key' 'value'

Add a key/value pair to a dictionary option.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'key': The key to use.

• 'value': The value to place in the dictionary.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Add value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

• *-r*, *--replace*: Replace existing values. By default, existing values are not overwritten.

config-dict-remove

Syntax: :config-dict-remove [*--temp*] 'option' 'key'

Remove a key from a dict.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'key': The key to remove from the dict.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Remove value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

config-diff

Syntax: :config-diff [*--old*]

Show all customized options.

optional arguments

• *-o*, *--old*: Show difference for the pre-v1.0 files (qutebrowser.conf/keys.conf).

config-edit

Syntax: :config-edit [*--no-source*]

Open the config.py file in the editor.

optional arguments

• *-n*, *--no-source*: Don’t re-source the config file after editing.

config-list-add

Syntax: :config-list-add [*--temp*] 'option' 'value'

Append a value to a config option that is a list.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'value': The value to append to the end of the list.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Add value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

config-list-remove

Syntax: :config-list-remove [*--temp*] 'option' 'value'

Remove a value from a list.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'value': The value to remove from the list.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Remove value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

config-source

Syntax: :config-source [*--clear*] ['filename']

Read a config.py file.

positional arguments

• 'filename': The file to load. If not given, loads the default config.py.

optional arguments

• *-c*, *--clear*: Clear current settings first.

config-unset

Syntax: :config-unset [*--temp*] 'option'

Unset an option.

This sets an option back to its default and removes it from autoconfig.yml.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Set value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

config-write-py

Syntax: :config-write-py [*--force*] [*--defaults*] ['filename']

Write the current configuration to a config.py file.

positional arguments

• 'filename': The file to write to, or not given for the default config.py.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--force*: Force overwriting existing files.

• *-d*, *--defaults*: Write the defaults instead of values configured via :set.

devtools

Syntax: :devtools ['position']

Toggle the developer tools (web inspector).

positional arguments

• 'position': Where to open the devtools (right/left/top/bottom/window).

download

Syntax: :download [*--mhtml*] [*--dest* 'dest'] ['url']

Download a given URL, or current page if no URL given.

positional arguments

• 'url': The URL to download. If not given, download the current page.

optional arguments

• *-m*, *--mhtml*: Download the current page and all assets as mhtml file.

• *-d*, *--dest*: The file path to write the download to, or not given to ask.

download-cancel

Syntax: :download-cancel [*--all*]

Cancel the last/[count]th download.

optional arguments

• *-a*, *--all*: Cancel all running downloads

count

The index of the download to cancel.

download-clear

Remove all finished downloads from the list.

download-delete

Delete the last/[count]th download from disk.

count

The index of the download to delete.

download-open

Syntax: :download-open ['cmdline']

Open the last/[count]th download.

If no specific command is given, this will use the system’s default application to open the file.

positional arguments

• 'cmdline': The command which should be used to open the file. A {} is expanded to the temporary file name. If no {} is present, the filename is automatically appended to the cmdline.

count

The index of the download to open.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

download-remove

Syntax: :download-remove [*--all*]

Remove the last/[count]th download from the list.

optional arguments

• *-a*, *--all*: Remove all finished downloads.

count

The index of the download to remove.

download-retry

Retry the first failed/[count]th download.

count

The index of the download to retry.

edit-command

Syntax: :edit-command [*--run*]

Open an editor to modify the current command.

optional arguments

• *-r*, *--run*: Run the command if the editor exits successfully.

edit-url

Syntax: :edit-url [*--bg*] [*--tab*] [*--window*] [*--private*] [*--related*] ['url']

Navigate to a url formed in an external editor.

The editor which should be launched can be configured via the editor.command config option.

positional arguments

• 'url': URL to edit; defaults to the current page url.

optional arguments

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a new background tab.

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

• *-p*, *--private*: Open a new window in private browsing mode.

• *-r*, *--related*: If opening a new tab, position the tab as related to the current one (like clicking on a link).

enter-mode

Syntax: :enter-mode 'mode'

Enter a key mode.

positional arguments

• 'mode': The mode to enter. See :help bindings.commands for the available modes, but note that hint/command/yesno/prompt mode can’t be entered manually.

fake-key

Syntax: :fake-key [*--global*] 'keystring'

Send a fake keypress or key string to the website or qutebrowser.

:fake-key xy - sends the keychain 'xy' :fake-key <Ctrl-x> - sends Ctrl-x :fake-key <Escape> - sends the escape key

positional arguments

• 'keystring': The keystring to send.

optional arguments

• *-g*, *--global*: If given, the keys are sent to the qutebrowser UI.

follow-selected

Syntax: :follow-selected [*--tab*]

Follow the selected text.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Load the selected link in a new tab.

forward

Syntax: :forward [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*]

Go forward in the history of the current tab.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Go forward in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Go forward in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Go forward in a new window.

count

How many pages to go forward.

fullscreen

Syntax: :fullscreen [*--leave*] [*--enter*]

Toggle fullscreen mode.

optional arguments

• *-l*, *--leave*: Only leave fullscreen if it was entered by the page.

• *-e*, *--enter*: Activate fullscreen and do not toggle if it is already active.

greasemonkey-reload

Syntax: :greasemonkey-reload [*--force*]

Re-read Greasemonkey scripts from disk.

The scripts are read from a 'greasemonkey' subdirectory in qutebrowser’s data directory (see :version).

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--force*: For any scripts that have required dependencies, re-download them.

help

Syntax: :help [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*] ['topic']

Show help about a command or setting.

positional arguments

• 'topic': The topic to show help for.

  • :command for commands.

  • section.option for settings.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

hint

Syntax: :hint [*--mode* 'mode'] [*--add-history*] [*--rapid*] [*--first*] ['group'] ['target'] ['args' ['args' ...]]

Start hinting.

positional arguments

• 'group': The element types to hint.

  • all: All clickable elements.

  • links: Only links.

  • images: Only images.

  • inputs: Only input fields.

    Custom groups can be added via the `hints.selectors` setting
    and also used here.

• 'target': What to do with the selected element.

  • normal: Open the link.

  • current: Open the link in the current tab.

  • tab: Open the link in a new tab (honoring the tabs.background setting).

  • tab-fg: Open the link in a new foreground tab.

  • tab-bg: Open the link in a new background tab.

  • window: Open the link in a new window.

  • hover : Hover over the link.

  • right-click: Right-click the element.

  • yank: Yank the link to the clipboard.

  • yank-primary: Yank the link to the primary selection.

  • run: Run the argument as command.

  • fill: Fill the commandline with the command given as argument.

  • download: Download the link.

  • userscript: Call a userscript with $QUTE_URL set to the link.

  • spawn: Spawn a command.

  • delete: Delete the selected element.

• 'args': Arguments for spawn/userscript/run/fill.

  • With spawn: The executable and arguments to spawn. {hint-url} will get replaced by the selected URL.

  • With userscript: The userscript to execute. Either store the userscript in ~/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts (or $XDG_DATA_HOME), or use an absolute path.

  • With fill: The command to fill the statusbar with. {hint-url} will get replaced by the selected URL.

  • With run: Same as fill.

optional arguments

• *-m*, *--mode*: The hinting mode to use.

  • number: Use numeric hints.

  • letter: Use the chars in the hints.chars setting.

  • word: Use hint words based on the html elements and the extra words.

• *-a*, *--add-history*: Whether to add the spawned or yanked link to the browsing history.

• *-r*, *--rapid*: Whether to do rapid hinting. With rapid hinting, the hint mode isn’t left after a hint is followed, so you can easily open multiple links. This is only possible with targets tab (with tabs.background=true), tab-bg, window, run, hover, userscript and spawn.

• *-f*, *--first*: Click the first hinted element without prompting.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

history

Syntax: :history [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*]

Show browsing history.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

history-clear

Syntax: :history-clear [*--force*]

Clear all browsing history.

Note this only clears the global history (e.g. ~/.local/share/qutebrowser/history on Linux) but not cookies, the back/forward history of a tab, cache or other persistent data.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--force*: Don’t ask for confirmation.

home

Open main startpage in current tab.

insert-text

Syntax: :insert-text 'text'

Insert text at cursor position.

positional arguments

• 'text': The text to insert.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

jseval

Syntax: :jseval [*--file*] [*--quiet*] [*--world* 'world'] 'js-code'

Evaluate a JavaScript string.

positional arguments

• 'js-code': The string/file to evaluate.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--file*: Interpret js-code as a path to a file. If the path is relative, the file is searched in a js/ subdir in qutebrowser’s data dir, e.g. ~/.local/share/qutebrowser/js.

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show resulting JS object.

• *-w*, *--world*: Ignored on QtWebKit. On QtWebEngine, a world ID or name to run the snippet in.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

jump-mark

Syntax: :jump-mark 'key'

Jump to the mark named by key.

positional arguments

• 'key': mark identifier; capital indicates a global mark

later

Syntax: :later 'ms' 'command'

Execute a command after some time.

positional arguments

• 'ms': How many milliseconds to wait.

• 'command': The command to run, with optional args.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

• This command does not replace variables like \{url\}.

message-error

Syntax: :message-error 'text'

Show an error message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

• 'text': The text to show.

message-info

Syntax: :message-info 'text'

Show an info message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

• 'text': The text to show.

count

How many times to show the message

message-warning

Syntax: :message-warning 'text'

Show a warning message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

• 'text': The text to show.

messages

Syntax: :messages [*--plain*] [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*] [*--logfilter* 'logfilter'] ['level']

Show a log of past messages.

positional arguments

• 'level': Include messages with level or higher severity. Valid values: vdebug, debug, info, warning, error, critical.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--plain*: Whether to show plaintext (as opposed to html).

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

• *-f*, *--logfilter*: A comma-separated filter string of logging categories. If the filter string starts with an exclamation mark, it is negated.

navigate

Syntax: :navigate [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*] 'where'

Open typical prev/next links or navigate using the URL path.

This tries to automatically click on typical Previous Page or Next Page links using some heuristics. Alternatively it can navigate by changing the current URL.

positional arguments

• 'where': What to open.

  • prev: Open a previous link.

  • next: Open a next link.

  • up: Go up a level in the current URL.

  • increment: Increment the last number in the URL. Uses the url.incdec_segments config option.

  • decrement: Decrement the last number in the URL. Uses the url.incdec_segments config option.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

count

For increment and decrement, the number to change the URL by. For up, the number of levels to go up in the URL.

nop

Do nothing.

open

Syntax: :open [*--related*] [*--bg*] [*--tab*] [*--window*] [*--secure*] [*--private*] ['url']

Open a URL in the current/[count]th tab.

If the URL contains newlines, each line gets opened in its own tab.

positional arguments

• 'url': The URL to open.

optional arguments

• *-r*, *--related*: If opening a new tab, position the tab as related to the current one (like clicking on a link).

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a new background tab.

• *-t*, *--tab*: Open in a new tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

• *-s*, *--secure*: Force HTTPS.

• *-p*, *--private*: Open a new window in private browsing mode.

count

The tab index to open the URL in.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

open-editor

Open an external editor with the currently selected form field.

The editor which should be launched can be configured via the editor.command config option.

print

Syntax: :print [*--preview*] [*--pdf* 'file']

Print the current/[count]th tab.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--preview*: Show preview instead of printing.

• *-f*, *--pdf*: The file path to write the PDF to.

count

The tab index to print.

quickmark-add

Syntax: :quickmark-add 'url' 'name'

Add a new quickmark.

You can view all saved quickmarks on the bookmarks page.

positional arguments

• 'url': The url to add as quickmark.

• 'name': The name for the new quickmark.

quickmark-del

Syntax: :quickmark-del ['name']

Delete a quickmark.

positional arguments

• 'name': The name of the quickmark to delete. If not given, delete the quickmark for the current page (choosing one arbitrarily if there are more than one).

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

quickmark-load

Syntax: :quickmark-load [*--tab*] [*--bg*] [*--window*] 'name'

Load a quickmark.

positional arguments

• 'name': The name of the quickmark to load.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--tab*: Load the quickmark in a new tab.

• *-b*, *--bg*: Load the quickmark in a new background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Load the quickmark in a new window.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

quickmark-save

Save the current page as a quickmark.

quit

Syntax: :quit [*--save*] ['session']

Quit qutebrowser.

positional arguments

• 'session': The name of the session to save.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--save*: When given, save the open windows even if auto_save.session is turned off.

record-macro

Syntax: :record-macro ['register']

Start or stop recording a macro.

positional arguments

• 'register': Which register to store the macro in.

reload

Syntax: :reload [*--force*]

Reload the current/[count]th tab.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--force*: Bypass the page cache.

count

The tab index to reload.

repeat

Syntax: :repeat 'times' 'command'

Repeat a given command.

positional arguments

• 'times': How many times to repeat.

• 'command': The command to run, with optional args.

count

Multiplies with 'times' when given.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

• This command does not replace variables like \{url\}.

repeat-command

Repeat the last executed command.

count

Which count to pass the command.

report

Syntax: :report ['info'] ['contact']

Report a bug in qutebrowser.

positional arguments

• 'info': Information about the bug report. If given, no report dialog shows up.

• 'contact': Contact information for the report.

restart

Restart qutebrowser while keeping existing tabs open.

run-macro

Syntax: :run-macro ['register']

Run a recorded macro.

positional arguments

• 'register': Which macro to run.

count

How many times to run the macro.

run-with-count

Syntax: :run-with-count 'count-arg' 'command'

Run a command with the given count.

If run_with_count itself is run with a count, it multiplies count_arg.

positional arguments

• 'count-arg': The count to pass to the command.

• 'command': The command to run, with optional args.

count

The count that run_with_count itself received.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

• This command does not replace variables like \{url\}.

save

Syntax: :save ['what' ['what' ...]]

Save configs and state.

positional arguments

• 'what': What to save (config/key-config/cookies/…​). If not given, everything is saved.

scroll

Syntax: :scroll 'direction'

Scroll the current tab in the given direction.

Note you can use :run-with-count to have a keybinding with a bigger scroll increment.

positional arguments

• 'direction': In which direction to scroll (up/down/left/right/top/bottom).

count

multiplier

scroll-page

Syntax: :scroll-page [*--top-navigate* 'ACTION'] [*--bottom-navigate* 'ACTION'] 'x' 'y'

Scroll the frame page-wise.

positional arguments

• 'x': How many pages to scroll to the right.

• 'y': How many pages to scroll down.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--top-navigate*: :navigate action (prev, decrement) to run when scrolling up at the top of the page.

• *-b*, *--bottom-navigate*: :navigate action (next, increment) to run when scrolling down at the bottom of the page.

count

multiplier

scroll-px

Syntax: :scroll-px 'dx' 'dy'

Scroll the current tab by 'count * dx/dy' pixels.

positional arguments

• 'dx': How much to scroll in x-direction.

• 'dy': How much to scroll in y-direction.

count

multiplier

scroll-to-anchor

Syntax: :scroll-to-anchor 'name'

Scroll to the given anchor in the document.

positional arguments

• 'name': The anchor to scroll to.

scroll-to-perc

Syntax: :scroll-to-perc [*--horizontal*] ['perc']

Scroll to a specific percentage of the page.

The percentage can be given either as argument or as count. If no percentage is given, the page is scrolled to the end.

positional arguments

• 'perc': Percentage to scroll.

optional arguments

• *-x*, *--horizontal*: Scroll horizontally instead of vertically.

count

Percentage to scroll.

search

Syntax: :search [*--reverse*] ['text']

Search for a text on the current page. With no text, clear results.

positional arguments

• 'text': The text to search for.

optional arguments

• *-r*, *--reverse*: Reverse search direction.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

search-next

Continue the search to the ([count]th) next term.

count

How many elements to ignore.

search-prev

Continue the search to the ([count]th) previous term.

count

How many elements to ignore.

session-delete

Syntax: :session-delete [*--force*] 'name'

Delete a session.

positional arguments

• 'name': The name of the session.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--force*: Force deleting internal sessions (starting with an underline).

session-load

Syntax: :session-load [*--clear*] [*--temp*] [*--force*] [*--delete*] 'name'

Load a session.

positional arguments

• 'name': The name of the session.

optional arguments

• *-c*, *--clear*: Close all existing windows.

• *-t*, *--temp*: Don’t set the current session for :session-save.

• *-f*, *--force*: Force loading internal sessions (starting with an underline).

• *-d*, *--delete*: Delete the saved session once it has loaded.

session-save

Syntax: :session-save [*--current*] [*--quiet*] [*--force*] [*--only-active-window*] [*--with-private*] ['name']

Save a session.

positional arguments

• 'name': The name of the session. If not given, the session configured in session.default_name is saved.

optional arguments

• *-c*, *--current*: Save the current session instead of the default.

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show confirmation message.

• *-f*, *--force*: Force saving internal sessions (starting with an underline).

• *-o*, *--only-active-window*: Saves only tabs of the currently active window.

• *-p*, *--with-private*: Include private windows.

set

Syntax: :set [*--temp*] [*--print*] [*--pattern* 'pattern'] ['option'] ['value']

Set an option.

If the option name ends with '?' or no value is provided, the value of the option is shown instead. Using :set without any arguments opens a page where settings can be changed interactively.

positional arguments

• 'option': The name of the option.

• 'value': The value to set.

optional arguments

• *-t*, *--temp*: Set value temporarily until qutebrowser is closed.

• *-p*, *--print*: Print the value after setting.

• *-u*, *--pattern*: The URL pattern to use.

set-cmd-text

Syntax: :set-cmd-text [*--space*] [*--append*] [*--run-on-count*] 'text'

Preset the statusbar to some text.

positional arguments

• 'text': The commandline to set.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--space*: If given, a space is added to the end.

• *-a*, *--append*: If given, the text is appended to the current text.

• *-r*, *--run-on-count*: If given with a count, the command is run with the given count rather than setting the command text.

count

The count if given.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

set-mark

Syntax: :set-mark 'key'

Set a mark at the current scroll position in the current tab.

positional arguments

• 'key': mark identifier; capital indicates a global mark

spawn

Syntax: :spawn [*--userscript*] [*--verbose*] [*--output*] [*--output-messages*] [*--detach*] 'cmdline'

Spawn an external command.

Note that the command is not run in a shell, so things like $VAR or > output won’t have the desired effect.

positional arguments

• 'cmdline': The commandline to execute.

optional arguments

• *-u*, *--userscript*: Run the command as a userscript. You can use an absolute path, or store the userscript in one of those locations:

  • ~/.local/share/qutebrowser/userscripts (or $XDG_DATA_HOME)

  • /usr/share/qutebrowser/userscripts

• *-v*, *--verbose*: Show notifications when the command started/exited.

• *-o*, *--output*: Show the output in a new tab.

• *-m*, *--output-messages*: Show the output as messages.

• *-d*, *--detach*: Whether the command should be detached from qutebrowser.

count

Given to userscripts as $QUTE_COUNT.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

stop

Stop loading in the current/[count]th tab.

count

The tab index to stop.

tab-clone

Syntax: :tab-clone [*--bg*] [*--window*]

Duplicate the current tab.

optional arguments

• *-b*, *--bg*: Open in a background tab.

• *-w*, *--window*: Open in a new window.

tab-close

Syntax: :tab-close [*--prev*] [*--next*] [*--opposite*] [*--force*]

Close the current/[count]th tab.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--prev*: Force selecting the tab before the current tab.

• *-n*, *--next*: Force selecting the tab after the current tab.

• *-o*, *--opposite*: Force selecting the tab in the opposite direction of what’s configured in 'tabs.select_on_remove'.

• *-f*, *--force*: Avoid confirmation for pinned tabs.

count

The tab index to close

tab-focus

Syntax: :tab-focus [*--no-last*] ['index']

Select the tab given as argument/[count].

If neither count nor index are given, it behaves like tab-next. If both are given, use count.

positional arguments

• 'index': The tab index to focus, starting with 1. The special value last focuses the last focused tab (regardless of count), and stack-prev/stack-next traverse a stack of visited tabs. Negative indices count from the end, such that -1 is the last tab.

optional arguments

• *-n*, *--no-last*: Whether to avoid focusing last tab if already focused.

count

The tab index to focus, starting with 1.

tab-give

Syntax: :tab-give [*--keep*] [*--private*] ['win-id']

Give the current tab to a new or existing window if win_id given.

If no win_id is given, the tab will get detached into a new window.

positional arguments

• 'win-id': The window ID of the window to give the current tab to.

optional arguments

• *-k*, *--keep*: If given, keep the old tab around.

• *-p*, *--private*: If the tab should be detached into a private instance.

count

Overrides win_id (index starts at 1 for win_id=0).

tab-move

Syntax: :tab-move ['index']

Move the current tab according to the argument and [count].

If neither is given, move it to the first position.

positional arguments

• 'index': + or - to move relative to the current tab by count, or a default of 1 space. A tab index to move to that index.

count

If moving relatively: Offset. If moving absolutely: New position (default: 0). This overrides the index argument, if given.

tab-mute

Mute/Unmute the current/[count]th tab.

count

The tab index to mute or unmute

tab-next

Switch to the next tab, or switch [count] tabs forward.

count

How many tabs to switch forward.

tab-only

Syntax: :tab-only [*--prev*] [*--next*] [*--force*]

Close all tabs except for the current one.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--prev*: Keep tabs before the current.

• *-n*, *--next*: Keep tabs after the current.

• *-f*, *--force*: Avoid confirmation for pinned tabs.

tab-pin

Pin/Unpin the current/[count]th tab.

Pinning a tab shrinks it to the size of its title text. Attempting to close a pinned tab will cause a confirmation, unless --force is passed.

count

The tab index to pin or unpin

tab-prev

Switch to the previous tab, or switch [count] tabs back.

count

How many tabs to switch back.

tab-take

Syntax: :tab-take [*--keep*] 'index'

Take a tab from another window.

positional arguments

• 'index': The [win_id/]index of the tab to take. Or a substring in which case the closest match will be taken.

optional arguments

• *-k*, *--keep*: If given, keep the old tab around.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

unbind

Syntax: :unbind [*--mode* 'mode'] 'key'

Unbind a keychain.

positional arguments

• 'key': The keychain to unbind. See the help for :bind for the correct syntax for keychains.

optional arguments

• *-m*, *--mode*: The mode to unbind the key in (default: normal). See :help bindings.commands for the available modes.

undo

Re-open the last closed tab or tabs.

version

Syntax: :version [*--paste*]

Show version information.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--paste*: Paste to pastebin.

view-source

Syntax: :view-source [*--edit*] [*--pygments*]

Show the source of the current page in a new tab.

optional arguments

• *-e*, *--edit*: Edit the source in the editor instead of opening a tab.

• *-p*, *--pygments*: Use pygments to generate the view. This is always the case for QtWebKit. For QtWebEngine it may display slightly different source. Some JavaScript processing may be applied.

window-only

Close all windows except for the current one.

yank

Syntax: :yank [*--sel*] [*--keep*] [*--quiet*] ['what'] ['inline']

Yank (copy) something to the clipboard or primary selection.

positional arguments

• 'what': What to yank.

  • url: The current URL.

  • pretty-url: The URL in pretty decoded form.

  • title: The current page’s title.

  • domain: The current scheme, domain, and port number.

  • selection: The selection under the cursor.

  • inline: Yank the text contained in the 'inline' argument.

• 'inline': A block of text, to be yanked if 'what' is inline and ignored otherwise.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--sel*: Use the primary selection instead of the clipboard.

• *-k*, *--keep*: Stay in visual mode after yanking the selection.

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show an information message.

zoom

Syntax: :zoom [*--quiet*] ['level']

Set the zoom level for the current tab.

The zoom can be given as argument or as [count]. If neither is given, the zoom is set to the default zoom. If both are given, use [count].

positional arguments

• 'level': The zoom percentage to set.

optional arguments

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show a zoom level message.

count

The zoom percentage to set.

zoom-in

Syntax: :zoom-in [*--quiet*]

Increase the zoom level for the current tab.

optional arguments

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show a zoom level message.

count

How many steps to zoom in.

zoom-out

Syntax: :zoom-out [*--quiet*]

Decrease the zoom level for the current tab.

optional arguments

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show a zoom level message.

count

How many steps to zoom out.

Commands not usable in normal mode

Table 2. Quick reference

Command	Description
command-accept	Execute the command currently in the commandline.
command-history-next	Go forward in the commandline history.
command-history-prev	Go back in the commandline history.
completion-item-del	Delete the current completion item.
completion-item-focus	Shift the focus of the completion menu to another item.
completion-item-yank	Yank the current completion item into the clipboard.
drop-selection	Drop selection and keep selection mode enabled.
follow-hint	Follow a hint.
leave-mode	Leave the mode we’re currently in.
move-to-end-of-document	Move the cursor or selection to the end of the document.
move-to-end-of-line	Move the cursor or selection to the end of line.
move-to-end-of-next-block	Move the cursor or selection to the end of next block.
move-to-end-of-prev-block	Move the cursor or selection to the end of previous block.
move-to-end-of-word	Move the cursor or selection to the end of the word.
move-to-next-char	Move the cursor or selection to the next char.
move-to-next-line	Move the cursor or selection to the next line.
move-to-next-word	Move the cursor or selection to the next word.
move-to-prev-char	Move the cursor or selection to the previous char.
move-to-prev-line	Move the cursor or selection to the prev line.
move-to-prev-word	Move the cursor or selection to the previous word.
move-to-start-of-document	Move the cursor or selection to the start of the document.
move-to-start-of-line	Move the cursor or selection to the start of the line.
move-to-start-of-next-block	Move the cursor or selection to the start of next block.
move-to-start-of-prev-block	Move the cursor or selection to the start of previous block.
prompt-accept	Accept the current prompt.
prompt-item-focus	Shift the focus of the prompt file completion menu to another item.
prompt-open-download	Immediately open a download.
prompt-yank	Yank URL to clipboard or primary selection.
reverse-selection	Swap the stationary and moving end of the current selection.
rl-backward-char	Move back a character.
rl-backward-delete-char	Delete the character before the cursor.
rl-backward-kill-word	Remove chars from the cursor to the beginning of the word.
rl-backward-word	Move back to the start of the current or previous word.
rl-beginning-of-line	Move to the start of the line.
rl-delete-char	Delete the character after the cursor.
rl-end-of-line	Move to the end of the line.
rl-forward-char	Move forward a character.
rl-forward-word	Move forward to the end of the next word.
rl-kill-line	Remove chars from the cursor to the end of the line.
rl-kill-word	Remove chars from the cursor to the end of the current word.
rl-unix-filename-rubout	Remove chars from the cursor to the previous path separator.
rl-unix-line-discard	Remove chars backward from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
rl-unix-word-rubout	Remove chars from the cursor to the beginning of the word.
rl-yank	Paste the most recently deleted text.
toggle-selection	Toggle caret selection mode.

command-accept

Syntax: :command-accept [*--rapid*]

Execute the command currently in the commandline.

optional arguments

• *-r*, *--rapid*: Run the command without closing or clearing the command bar.

command-history-next

Go forward in the commandline history.

command-history-prev

Go back in the commandline history.

completion-item-del

Delete the current completion item.

completion-item-focus

Syntax: :completion-item-focus [*--history*] 'which'

Shift the focus of the completion menu to another item.

positional arguments

• 'which': 'next', 'prev', 'next-category', or 'prev-category'.

optional arguments

• *-H*, *--history*: Navigate through command history if no text was typed.

completion-item-yank

Syntax: :completion-item-yank [*--sel*]

Yank the current completion item into the clipboard.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--sel*: Use the primary selection instead of the clipboard.

drop-selection

Drop selection and keep selection mode enabled.

follow-hint

Syntax: :follow-hint [*--select*] ['keystring']

Follow a hint.

positional arguments

• 'keystring': The hint to follow.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--select*: Only select the given hint, don’t necessarily follow it.

leave-mode

Leave the mode we’re currently in.

move-to-end-of-document

Move the cursor or selection to the end of the document.

move-to-end-of-line

Move the cursor or selection to the end of line.

move-to-end-of-next-block

Move the cursor or selection to the end of next block.

count

How many blocks to move.

move-to-end-of-prev-block

Move the cursor or selection to the end of previous block.

count

How many blocks to move.

move-to-end-of-word

Move the cursor or selection to the end of the word.

count

How many words to move.

move-to-next-char

Move the cursor or selection to the next char.

count

How many lines to move.

move-to-next-line

Move the cursor or selection to the next line.

count

How many lines to move.

move-to-next-word

Move the cursor or selection to the next word.

count

How many words to move.

move-to-prev-char

Move the cursor or selection to the previous char.

count

How many chars to move.

move-to-prev-line

Move the cursor or selection to the prev line.

count

How many lines to move.

move-to-prev-word

Move the cursor or selection to the previous word.

count

How many words to move.

move-to-start-of-document

Move the cursor or selection to the start of the document.

move-to-start-of-line

Move the cursor or selection to the start of the line.

move-to-start-of-next-block

Move the cursor or selection to the start of next block.

count

How many blocks to move.

move-to-start-of-prev-block

Move the cursor or selection to the start of previous block.

count

How many blocks to move.

prompt-accept

Syntax: :prompt-accept [*--save*] ['value']

Accept the current prompt.

positional arguments

• 'value': If given, uses this value instead of the entered one. For boolean prompts, "yes"/"no" are accepted as value.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--save*: Save the value to the config.

prompt-item-focus

Syntax: :prompt-item-focus 'which'

Shift the focus of the prompt file completion menu to another item.

positional arguments

• 'which': 'next', 'prev'

prompt-open-download

Syntax: :prompt-open-download [*--pdfjs*] ['cmdline']

Immediately open a download.

If no specific command is given, this will use the system’s default application to open the file.

positional arguments

• 'cmdline': The command which should be used to open the file. A {} is expanded to the temporary file name. If no {} is present, the filename is automatically appended to the cmdline.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--pdfjs*: Open the download via PDF.js.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

prompt-yank

Syntax: :prompt-yank [*--sel*]

Yank URL to clipboard or primary selection.

optional arguments

• *-s*, *--sel*: Use the primary selection instead of the clipboard.

reverse-selection

Swap the stationary and moving end of the current selection.

rl-backward-char

Move back a character.

This acts like readline’s backward-char.

rl-backward-delete-char

Delete the character before the cursor.

This acts like readline’s backward-delete-char.

rl-backward-kill-word

Remove chars from the cursor to the beginning of the word.

This acts like readline’s backward-kill-word. Any non-alphanumeric character is considered a word delimiter.

rl-backward-word

Move back to the start of the current or previous word.

This acts like readline’s backward-word.

rl-beginning-of-line

Move to the start of the line.

This acts like readline’s beginning-of-line.

rl-delete-char

Delete the character after the cursor.

This acts like readline’s delete-char.

rl-end-of-line

Move to the end of the line.

This acts like readline’s end-of-line.

rl-forward-char

Move forward a character.

This acts like readline’s forward-char.

rl-forward-word

Move forward to the end of the next word.

This acts like readline’s forward-word.

rl-kill-line

Remove chars from the cursor to the end of the line.

This acts like readline’s kill-line.

rl-kill-word

Remove chars from the cursor to the end of the current word.

This acts like readline’s kill-word.

rl-unix-filename-rubout

Remove chars from the cursor to the previous path separator.

This acts like readline’s unix-filename-rubout.

rl-unix-line-discard

Remove chars backward from the cursor to the beginning of the line.

This acts like readline’s unix-line-discard.

rl-unix-word-rubout

Remove chars from the cursor to the beginning of the word.

This acts like readline’s unix-word-rubout. Whitespace is used as a word delimiter.

rl-yank

Paste the most recently deleted text.

This acts like readline’s yank.

toggle-selection

Syntax: :toggle-selection [*--line*]

Toggle caret selection mode.

optional arguments

• *-l*, *--line*: Enables line-selection.

Debugging commands

These commands are mainly intended for debugging. They are hidden if qutebrowser was started without the --debug-flag.

Table 3. Quick reference

Command	Description
debug-all-objects	Print a list of all objects to the debug log.
debug-cache-stats	Print LRU cache stats.
debug-clear-ssl-errors	Clear remembered SSL error answers.
debug-console	Show the debugging console.
debug-crash	Crash for debugging purposes.
debug-dump-history	Dump the history to a file in the old pre-SQL format.
debug-dump-page	Dump the current page’s content to a file.
debug-keytester	Show a keytester widget.
debug-log-capacity	Change the number of log lines to be stored in RAM.
debug-log-filter	Change the log filter for console logging.
debug-pyeval	Evaluate a python string and display the results as a web page.
debug-set-fake-clipboard	Put data into the fake clipboard and enable logging, used for tests.
debug-trace	Trace executed code via hunter.
debug-webaction	Execute a webaction.

debug-all-objects

Print a list of all objects to the debug log.

debug-cache-stats

Print LRU cache stats.

debug-clear-ssl-errors

Clear remembered SSL error answers.

debug-console

Show the debugging console.

debug-crash

Syntax: :debug-crash ['typ']

Crash for debugging purposes.

positional arguments

• 'typ': either 'exception' or 'segfault'.

debug-dump-history

Syntax: :debug-dump-history 'dest'

Dump the history to a file in the old pre-SQL format.

positional arguments

• 'dest': Where to write the file to.

debug-dump-page

Syntax: :debug-dump-page [*--plain*] 'dest'

Dump the current page’s content to a file.

positional arguments

• 'dest': Where to write the file to.

optional arguments

• *-p*, *--plain*: Write plain text instead of HTML.

debug-keytester

Show a keytester widget.

debug-log-capacity

Syntax: :debug-log-capacity 'capacity'

Change the number of log lines to be stored in RAM.

positional arguments

• 'capacity': Number of lines for the log.

debug-log-filter

Syntax: :debug-log-filter 'filters'

Change the log filter for console logging.

positional arguments

• 'filters': A comma separated list of logger names. Can also be "none" to clear any existing filters.

debug-pyeval

Syntax: :debug-pyeval [*--file*] [*--quiet*] 's'

Evaluate a python string and display the results as a web page.

positional arguments

• 's': The string to evaluate.

optional arguments

• *-f*, *--file*: Interpret s as a path to file, also implies --quiet.

• *-q*, *--quiet*: Don’t show the output in a new tab.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

debug-set-fake-clipboard

Syntax: :debug-set-fake-clipboard ['s']

Put data into the fake clipboard and enable logging, used for tests.

positional arguments

• 's': The text to put into the fake clipboard, or unset to enable logging.

debug-trace

Syntax: :debug-trace ['expr']

Trace executed code via hunter.

positional arguments

• 'expr': What to trace, passed to hunter.

note

• This command does not split arguments after the last argument and handles quotes literally.

• With this command, ;; is interpreted literally instead of splitting off a second command.

debug-webaction

Syntax: :debug-webaction 'action'

Execute a webaction.

Available actions: http://doc.qt.io/archives/qt-5.5/qwebpage.html#WebAction-enum (WebKit) http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qwebenginepage.html#WebAction-enum (WebEngine)

positional arguments

• 'action': The action to execute, e.g. MoveToNextChar.

count

How many times to repeat the action.