---
name: "emacsclient"
section: "1emacs21"
platform: "linux"
package: "emacs21-common"
version: "21.4a+1-5.6"
release: "Debian 5.0 (Lenny)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/emacsclient/1emacs21"
---

# emacsclient(1emacs21)

tells a running Emacs to visit a file

## NAME

emacsclient - tells a running Emacs to visit a file

## SYNOPSIS

**emacsclient** *\[options\] files ...*

## DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the **emacsclient** command. This manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution because the original program does not have a manual page. Instead, it has documentation in the GNU Info format; see below.

**emacsclient** works in conjunction with the built-in server of Emacs.

You typically does not call  **emacsclient** directly. Instead, you set the environment variable EDITOR to  **emacsclient** and let programs like 'vipw' or 'bug' or anything run it for you, which will use an existing Emacs to visit the file.

For **emacsclient** to work, you need an already running Emacs with a server.  Within Emacs, call  the function \`server-start'.  (Your \`.emacs' file can do this automatically if you add the expression \`(server-start)' to it.)

When you've finished editing the buffer, type \`C-x #' (\`server-edit').  This saves the file and sends a message back to the \`emacsclient' program telling it to exit.  The programs that use \`EDITOR' wait for the "editor" (actually, \`emacsclient') to exit.  \`C-x #' also checks for other pending external requests to edit various files, and selects the next such file.

If you set the variable \`server-window' to a window or a frame, \`C-x #' displays the server buffer in that window or in that frame.

## OPTIONS

The programs follow the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (\`-').

- **-n, --no-wait**

  returns immediately without waiting for you to "finish" the buffer in Emacs.

## SEE ALSO

The program is documented fully in *Using Emacs as a Server* available via the Info system.

## BUGS

If there is no running Emacs server,  **emacsclient** cannot launch one. I use a small Perl script instead of raw  **emacsclient** to do it (it works only with systems which have BSD sockets, which is fine for Debian GNU/Linux).

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Stephane Bortzmeyer \<bortzmeyer@debian.org\>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).

## COPYING

This manual page is in the public domain.