VS Code keyboard shortcuts
VS Code is designed to be driven from the keyboard. Two shortcuts unlock everything else: the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) finds any command by name and shows its key binding, and Quick Open (Ctrl+P) jumps to any file. Multi-cursor editing is where the real speed gains live.
Most-used VS Code shortcuts
- Command PaletteCtrlShiftP
- Quick Open fileCtrlP
- Toggle line commentCtrl/
- Toggle block commentShiftAltA
- Add next match to selectionCtrlD
- Select all matchesCtrlShiftL
- Go to lineCtrlG
- Go to symbol in fileCtrlShiftO
- FindCtrlF
- ReplaceCtrlH
Practise VS Code shortcuts
Read the action, press the real keys. Combos your browser reserves switch to multiple choice. Misses come back sooner in your daily review.
VS Code shortcut cheat sheet
42 shortcutsTap an action to copy its keys
General
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Command Palette | CtrlShiftP | ⌘cmd⇧shiftP |
| Quick Open file | CtrlP | ⌘cmdP |
| Open settings | Ctrl, | ⌘cmd, |
| Keyboard Shortcuts editor | CtrlKCtrlS | ⌘cmdK⌘cmdS |
| Toggle sidebar | CtrlB | ⌘cmdB |
| Toggle integrated terminal | Ctrl` | ⌃control` |
| Zen mode | CtrlKZ | ⌘cmdKZ |
Editing
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle line comment | Ctrl/ | ⌘cmd/ |
| Toggle block comment | ShiftAltA | ⇧shift⌥optionA |
| Format documentCtrl+Shift+I on Linux | ShiftAltF | ⇧shift⌥optionF |
| Move line up or down | Alt↑ | ⌥option↑ |
| Copy line down | ShiftAlt↓ | ⇧shift⌥option↓ |
| Delete line | CtrlShiftK | ⌘cmd⇧shiftK |
| Insert line below | CtrlEnter | ⌘cmd↩return |
| Indent or outdent lineCtrl+[ outdents | Ctrl] | ⌘cmd] |
Multi-cursor
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Add next match to selection | CtrlD | ⌘cmdD |
| Select all matches | CtrlShiftL | ⌘cmd⇧shiftL |
| Add cursor above or below | CtrlAlt↓ | ⌥option⌘cmd↓ |
| Add cursor at click | AltClick | ⌥optionClick |
| Cursor at end of each selected line | ShiftAltI | ⇧shift⌥optionI |
| Expand selection | ShiftAlt→ | ⌃control⇧shift⌘cmd→ |
Navigation
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Go to line | CtrlG | ⌃controlG |
| Go to symbol in file | CtrlShiftO | ⌘cmd⇧shiftO |
| Go to definition | F12 | F12 |
| Peek definition | AltF12 | ⌥optionF12 |
| Go back | Alt← | ⌃control- |
| Jump to matching bracket | CtrlShift\ | ⇧shift⌘cmd\ |
| Show problems panel | CtrlShiftM | ⌘cmd⇧shiftM |
Search & refactor
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Find | CtrlF | ⌘cmdF |
| Replace | CtrlH | ⌥option⌘cmdF |
| Search across files | CtrlShiftF | ⌘cmd⇧shiftF |
| Rename symbol | F2 | F2 |
| Quick Fix | Ctrl. | ⌘cmd. |
| Trigger suggestion | CtrlSpace | ⌃controlSpace |
Editor groups
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Split editor | Ctrl\ | ⌘cmd\ |
| Close editor | CtrlW | ⌘cmdW |
| Reopen closed editor | CtrlShiftT | ⌘cmd⇧shiftT |
| Toggle word wrap | AltZ | ⌥optionZ |
Debug
| Action | Windows | Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Start or continue debugging | F5 | F5 |
| Toggle breakpoint | F9 | F9 |
| Step over | F10 | F10 |
| Step into | F11 | F11 |
Source: VS Code Docs: Default keyboard shortcuts; VS Code keyboard shortcut reference PDFs (Windows, macOS, Linux). Defaults for the current version as documented by Microsoft; custom keymaps and non-US keyboard layouts can differ.
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Quick answers
VS Code shortcut questions
How do I comment out multiple lines in VS Code?
Select the lines and press Ctrl+/ on Windows and Linux or Cmd+/ on a Mac to toggle line comments. Shift+Alt+A (Shift+Option+A) toggles a block comment.
What is the VS Code format shortcut?
Shift+Alt+F on Windows, Shift+Option+F on a Mac and Ctrl+Shift+I on Linux format the whole document using the configured formatter.
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