| qutebrowser

qutebrowser A keyboard-driven browser.

qutebrowser's primary maintainer, The-Compiler, is currently working part-time on qutebrowser, funded by donations.

To sustain this for a long time, your help is needed! See the GitHub Sponsors page or alternative donation methods for more information. Depending on your sign-up date and how long you keep a certain level, you can get qutebrowser t-shirts, stickers and more!

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:port}, {url:path} and {url:query} expand to the respective parts of the current URL
{url:yank} expands to the URL of the current page but strips all the query parameters in the url.yank_ignored_parameters setting.
{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 block lists for both the host- and the Brave ad blocker.
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-list	Show all bookmarks/quickmarks.
bookmark-load	Load a bookmark.
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.
cmd-edit	Open an editor to modify the current command.
cmd-later	Execute a command after some time.
cmd-repeat	Repeat a given command.
cmd-repeat-last	Repeat the last executed command.
cmd-run-with-count	Run a command with the given count.
cmd-set-text	Preset the statusbar to some text.
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).
devtools-focus	Toggle focus between the devtools/tab.
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-text	Open an external editor with the currently selected form field.
edit-url	Navigate to a url formed in an external editor.
fake-key	Send a fake keypress or key string to the website or qutebrowser.
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`.
macro-record	Start or stop recording a macro.
macro-run	Run a recorded macro.
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.
mode-enter	Enter a key mode.
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.
print	Print the current/[count]th tab.
process	Manage processes spawned by qutebrowser.
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.
reload	Reload the current/[count]th tab.
report	Report a bug in qutebrowser.
restart	Restart qutebrowser while keeping existing tabs open.
save	Save configs and state.
screenshot	Take a screenshot of the currently shown part of the page.
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.
selection-follow	Follow the selected text.
session-delete	Delete a session.
session-load	Load a session.
session-save	Save a session.
set	Set an option.
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-select	Select tab by index or url/title best match.
tab-take	Take a tab from another window.
unbind	Unbind a keychain.
undo	Re-open the last closed tab(s) or window.
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 block lists for both the host- and the Brave ad blocker.

back

Syntax: :back [--tab] [--bg] [--window] [--quiet] [index]

Go back in the history of the current tab.

positional arguments

index: Which page to go back to, count takes precedence.

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.
-q, --quiet: Don’t show an error if already at the beginning of history.

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 [--all] [url]

Delete a bookmark.

positional arguments

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

optional arguments

-a, --all: If given, delete all bookmarks.

note

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

bookmark-list

Syntax: :bookmark-list [--jump] [--tab] [--bg] [--window]

Show all bookmarks/quickmarks.

optional arguments

-j, --jump: Jump to the "bookmarks" header.
-t, --tab: Open in a new tab.
-b, --bg: Open in a background tab.
-w, --window: Open in a new window.

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.

clear-keychain

Clear the currently entered key chain.

clear-messages

Clear all message notifications.

click-element

Syntax: :click-element [--target target] [--force-event] [--select-first] 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.
- css: Filter by a CSS selector.
- position: Click the element at specified position. Specify value as x,y.
- focused: Click the currently focused element.
value: The value to filter for. Optional for focused filter.

optional arguments

-t, --target: How to open the clicked element (normal/tab/tab-bg/window).
-f, --force-event: Force generating a fake click event.
-s, --select-first: Select first matching element if there are multiple.

close

Close the current window.

cmd-edit

Syntax: :cmd-edit [--run]

Open an editor to modify the current command.

optional arguments

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

cmd-later

Syntax: :cmd-later duration command

Execute a command after some time.

positional arguments

duration: Duration to wait in format XhYmZs or a number for milliseconds.
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}.

cmd-repeat

Syntax: :cmd-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}.

cmd-repeat-last

Repeat the last executed command.

count

Which count to pass the command.

cmd-run-with-count

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

Run a command with the given count.

If cmd_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}.

cmd-set-text

Syntax: :cmd-set-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.

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 …]

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 [--include-hidden]

Show all customized options.

optional arguments

-i, --include-hidden: Also include internal qutebrowser settings.

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 [--pattern pattern] [--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

-u, --pattern: The URL pattern to use.
-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).

devtools-focus

Toggle focus between the devtools/tab.

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 [--dir] [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.

optional arguments

-d, --dir: Whether to open the file’s directory instead.

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-text

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.

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).

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.

forward

Syntax: :forward [--tab] [--bg] [--window] [--quiet] [index]

Go forward in the history of the current tab.

positional arguments

index: Which page to go forward to, count takes precedence.

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.
-q, --quiet: Don’t show an error if already at the end of history.

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] [--quiet]

Re-read Greasemonkey scripts from disk.

The scripts are read from a greasemonkey subdirectory in qutebrowser’s data or config directories (see :version).

optional arguments

-f, --force: For any scripts that have required dependencies, re-download them.
-q, --quiet: Suppress message after loading scripts.

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 …]

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. Note this won’t work with targets tab-fg, fill, delete and right-click.
-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] [--url] [--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.
-u, --url: Interpret js-code as a javascript:... URL.
-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. Predefined world names are:
- main (same world as the web page’s JavaScript and Greasemonkey, unless overridden via @qute-js-world)
- application (used for internal qutebrowser JS code, should not be used via :jseval unless you know what you’re doing)
- user (currently unused)
- jseval (used for this command by default)

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

macro-record

Syntax: :macro-record [register]

Start or stop recording a macro.

positional arguments

register: Which register to store the macro in.

macro-run

Syntax: :macro-run [register]

Run a recorded macro.

positional arguments

register: Which macro to run.

count

How many times to run the macro.

message-error

Syntax: :message-error [--rich] text

Show an error message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

text: The text to show.

optional arguments

-r, --rich: Render the given text as Qt Rich Text.

message-info

Syntax: :message-info [--rich] text

Show an info message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

text: The text to show.

optional arguments

-r, --rich: Render the given text as Qt Rich Text.

count

How many times to show the message.

message-warning

Syntax: :message-warning [--rich] text

Show a warning message in the statusbar.

positional arguments

text: The text to show.

optional arguments

-r, --rich: Render the given text as Qt Rich Text.

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.

mode-enter

Syntax: :mode-enter 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.

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 config option.
- decrement: Decrement the last number in the URL. Uses the config option.
- strip: Strip query and fragment from the current URL.

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.

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.

process

Syntax: :process [pid] [action]

Manage processes spawned by qutebrowser.

Note that processes with a successful exit get cleaned up after 1h.

positional arguments

pid: The process ID of the process to manage.
action: What to do with the given process:
- show: Show information about the process.
- terminate: Try to gracefully terminate the process (SIGTERM).
- kill: Kill the process forcefully (SIGKILL).

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 [--all] [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).

optional arguments

-a, --all: Delete all quickmarks.

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.

reload

Syntax: :reload [--force]

Reload the current/[count]th tab.

optional arguments

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

count

The tab index to reload.

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.

save

Syntax: :save [what …]

Save configs and state.

positional arguments

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

screenshot

Syntax: :screenshot [--rect rect] [--force] filename

Take a screenshot of the currently shown part of the page.

The file format is automatically determined based on the given file extension.

positional arguments

filename: The file to save the screenshot to (~ gets expanded).

optional arguments

-r, --rect: The rectangle to save, as a string like WxH+X+Y.
-f, --force: Overwrite existing files.

scroll

Syntax: :scroll direction

Scroll the current tab in the given direction.

Note you can use :cmd-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.

selection-follow

Syntax: :selection-follow [--tab]

Follow the selected text.

optional arguments

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

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] [--no-history] [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.
-n, --no-history: Don’t store tab history.

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-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: Detach the command from qutebrowser so that it continues running when qutebrowser quits.

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] [--private]

Duplicate the current tab.

optional arguments

-b, --bg: Open in a background tab.
-w, --window: Open in a new window.
-p, --private: Open in a new private 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. start and end to move to the start and the end.

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] [--pinned behavior] [--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.
-P, --pinned: What to do with pinned tabs. Valid values: prompt, close, keep.
-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-select

Syntax: :tab-select [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.

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

Syntax: :undo [--window] [depth]

Re-open the last closed tab(s) or window.

positional arguments

depth: Same as count but as argument for completion, count takes precedence.

optional arguments

-w, --window: Re-open the last closed window (and its tabs).

count

How deep in the undo stack to find the tab or tabs to re-open.

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. Needs the optional Pygments dependency for highlighting.

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.
hint-follow	Follow a hint.
mode-leave	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-fileselect-external	Choose a location using a configured external picker.
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.
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-filename-rubout	Delete backwards using the OS path separator as boundary.
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-rubout	Delete backwards using the given characters as boundaries.
rl-unix-line-discard	Remove chars backward from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
rl-yank	Paste the most recently deleted text.
selection-drop	Drop selection and keep selection mode enabled.
selection-reverse	Swap the stationary and moving end of the current selection.
selection-toggle	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, prev-category, next-page, or prev-page.

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.

hint-follow

Syntax: :hint-follow [--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.

mode-leave

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-fileselect-external

Choose a location using a configured external picker.

This spawns the external fileselector configured via fileselect.folder.command.

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.

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-filename-rubout

Delete backwards using the OS path separator as boundary.

For behavior that matches readline’s unix-filename-rubout exactly, use :rl-rubout "/ " instead. This command uses the OS path separator (i.e. \ on Windows) and ignores spaces.

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-rubout

Syntax: :rl-rubout delim

Delete backwards using the given characters as boundaries.

With " ", this acts like readline’s unix-word-rubout. With " /", this acts like readline’s unix-filename-rubout, but consider using :rl-filename-rubout instead: It uses the OS path separator (i.e. \ on Windows) and ignores spaces.

positional arguments

delim: A string of characters (or a single character) until which text will be deleted.

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-yank

Paste the most recently deleted text.

This acts like readline’s yank.

selection-drop

Drop selection and keep selection mode enabled.

selection-reverse

Swap the stationary and moving end of the current selection.

selection-toggle

Syntax: :selection-toggle [--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: https://doc.qt.io/archives/qt-5.5/qwebpage.html#WebAction-enum (WebKit) https://doc.qt.io/qt-6/qwebenginepage.html#WebAction-enum (WebEngine)

positional arguments

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

count

How many times to repeat the action.