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How to reload your .emacs file while emacs is running

Date: July 27, 2007 | Tags: emacs | 4 Comments

M-x load-file ENTER
~/.emacs
ENTER

Colorized, interactive "git blame" in Emacs: vc-annotate — posted 2011-05-28
My Emacs Python environment — posted 2010-05-10
Emacs espresso-mode for jQuery — posted 2010-03-10
Notes on C++ development with Emacs on Ubuntu Linux — posted 2009-07-08
Creating remote server nicknames with .ssh/config — posted 2008-11-20
Emacs notes — posted 2008-11-03

4 Comments — Comments feed for this post

#1 Rusmor commented on 2011-02-16:

This does not reset any indentations, specified in the .emacs file, so it is not the full equivalent of a start up.

For example: ;; --- Automatic indentation must use only 1 unit (tab) (add-hook 'c-special-indent-hook '( lambda() (set-variable 'c-basic-offset '2)))

#2 Eliot commented on 2011-03-28:

Rusmor: yes, I often have to completely restart emacs instead of using this.

#3 Robbie commented on 2011-06-30:

The suggested strategy is not guaranteed to give you a totally revised configuration. It will parse your new configuration file and it will reload modified variable and function definitions. But it will not remove previously loaded definitions. For that to happen, you need to restart Emacs afresh.

#4 plgx commented on 2011-12-31:

It may not work for all your needs, but it's quite useful all the same.

I'll use it with M-x reload-dotemacs-file by adding to my .emacs file:

(defun reload-dotemacs-file ()

"reload your .emacs file without restarting Emacs"

(interactive)

(load-file "~/.emacs") )

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