This is a "wishlist" bug with an example code to solve the issue. The default key bindings for outline-mode and outline-minor-mode are difficult to remember and slow to use. I think the main reason is that there are way too many different key-bindings to operate with outlining. I suggest that you make keys like M- and M- to act modally so that they open and close one outline level at the time depending on which levels and bodies are currently visible. In addition to that, and to make outline navigating easy, M- and M- could move the cursor to previous and next visible outline header. I'll attach a code that I use. It works as I explained above. The code is partly written by me but it's based on a code on Emacs wiki page: http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/OutlineMinorMode In the Emacs wiki the original code is titled "Explorer like Key-Bindings" and my modified version is "Variation of Explorer-like bindings". The latter is attached to this message). The code is licensed with the usual Emacs wiki license (see the bottom of the web page): This work is licensed to you under version 2 of the GNU General Public License. Alternatively, you may choose to receive this work under any other license that grants the right to use, copy, modify, and/or distribute the work, as long as that license imposes the restriction that derivative works have to grant the same rights and impose the same restriction. For example, you may choose to receive this work under the GNU Free Documentation License, the CreativeCommons ShareAlike License, the XEmacs manual license, or similar licenses.