VS Code Shortcuts Quick Reference
Everything you need to speed up your workflow – from basic editing to advanced navigation.
General
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Command Palette | ⌘ + Shift + P | Ctrl + Shift + P |
| Quick Open (File) | ⌘ + P | Ctrl + P |
| Open Settings | ⌘ + , | Ctrl + , |
| Toggle Full Screen | ⌘ + Ctrl + F | F11 |
| Zoom In / Out | ⌘ + = / ⌘ + - | Ctrl + = / Ctrl + - |
| Toggle Terminal | ⌘ + ` | Ctrl + ` |
| Open New Terminal | ⌘ + Shift + ` | Ctrl + Shift + ` |
| Kill Terminal | ⌘ + K | Ctrl + K (in terminal) |
| Toggle Sidebar | ⌘ + B | Ctrl + B |
| Toggle Panel | ⌘ + J | Ctrl + J |
| Open Keyboard Shortcuts | ⌘ + K ⌘ + S | Ctrl + K Ctrl + S |
Editing
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Cut line | ⌘ + X (no selection) | Ctrl + X (no selection) |
| Copy line | ⌘ + C (no selection) | Ctrl + C (no selection) |
| Move line up/down | ⌥ + ↑ / ↓ | Alt + ↑ / ↓ |
| Duplicate line | ⌘ + Shift + D | Ctrl + Shift + D |
| Delete line | ⌘ + Shift + K | Ctrl + Shift + K |
| Insert line above / below | ⌘ + Shift + Enter / ⌘ + Enter | Ctrl + Shift + Enter / Ctrl + Enter |
| Comment line / block | ⌘ + / / ⌘ + Shift + A | Ctrl + / / Ctrl + Shift + A |
| Toggle word wrap | ⌥ + Z | Alt + Z |
| Indent / outdent | ⌘ + ] / ⌘ + [ | Ctrl + ] / Ctrl + [ |
| Format document | ⌘ + Shift + I (or F) | Ctrl + Shift + I (or F) |
| Format selection | ⌘ + K ⌘ + F | Ctrl + K Ctrl + F |
Selection
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Select current line | ⌘ + L | Ctrl + L |
| Select all | ⌘ + A | Ctrl + A |
| Expand selection | ⌘ + Shift + → | Ctrl + Shift + → |
| Shrink selection | ⌘ + Shift + ← | Ctrl + Shift + ← |
| Find all references | ⌘ + Shift + R | Ctrl + Shift + R |
| Select all occurrences of word | ⌘ + Shift + L | Ctrl + Shift + L |
| Add cursor above / below | ⌘ + ⌥ + ↑ / ↓ | Ctrl + Alt + ↑ / ↓ |
| Add cursor to all matches | ⌘ + Shift + L (with selection) | Ctrl + Shift + L (with selection) |
| Add cursor at end of each line | ⌥ + Shift + I | Alt + Shift + I |
| Undo last cursor | ⌘ + U | Ctrl + U |
Navigation
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Go to file | ⌘ + P | Ctrl + P |
| Go to symbol in file | ⌘ + Shift + O | Ctrl + Shift + O |
| Go to line | ⌘ + G | Ctrl + G |
| Go to definition | ⌘ + F12 | Ctrl + F12 |
| Peek definition | ⌥ + F12 | Alt + F12 |
| Go to implementation | ⌘ + F12 (or) | Ctrl + F12 (or) |
| Go back / forward | ⌘ + - / ⌘ + Shift + - | Ctrl + - / Ctrl + Shift + - |
| Open file path | ⌘ + Shift + P → "Open File" | Ctrl + Shift + P → "Open File" |
| Switch between editors | ⌘ + 1 / 2 / 3 ... | Ctrl + 1 / 2 / 3 ... |
| Split editor | ⌘ + \ | Ctrl + \ |
| Focus next / previous editor | ⌘ + ` / ⌘ + Shift + ` | Ctrl + ` / Ctrl + Shift + ` |
Find & Replace
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Find | ⌘ + F | Ctrl + F |
| Replace | ⌘ + ⌥ + F | Ctrl + H |
| Find in files | ⌘ + Shift + F | Ctrl + Shift + F |
| Replace in files | ⌘ + Shift + H | Ctrl + Shift + H |
| Find next / previous | ⌘ + G / ⌘ + Shift + G | F3 / Shift + F3 |
| Toggle find in selection | ⌘ + ⌥ + L | Ctrl + Alt + L |
Multi‑Cursor & Selection
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Add cursor at next occurrence | ⌘ + D | Ctrl + D |
| Add cursor at previous occurrence | ⌘ + Shift + D | Ctrl + Shift + D |
| Select all occurrences | ⌘ + Shift + L | Ctrl + Shift + L |
| Skip occurrence | ⌘ + K ⌘ + D | Ctrl + K Ctrl + D |
| Add cursor to end of each line | ⌥ + Shift + I | Alt + Shift + I |
Debugging
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Start / Stop debugging | F5 / Shift + F5 | F5 / Shift + F5 |
| Step over | F10 | F10 |
| Step into | F11 | F11 |
| Step out | Shift + F11 | Shift + F11 |
| Toggle breakpoint | F9 | F9 |
| Continue | F5 | F5 |
Terminal
| Action | macOS | Windows / Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Open terminal | ⌘ + ` | Ctrl + ` |
| New terminal | ⌘ + Shift + ` | Ctrl + Shift + ` |
| Switch between terminals | ⌘ + Page Up / Page Down | Ctrl + Page Up / Page Down |
| Kill terminal | ⌘ + K | Ctrl + K (in terminal) |
Productivity Extensions
- GitLens – Git blame, history, and more
- Prettier – code formatting
- ESLint – JavaScript linting
- Live Server – local development server
- Bracket Pair Colorizer – color‑coded brackets
- Material Icon Theme – file icons
- Thunder Client – API testing
- Docker – container management
- REST Client – HTTP requests
- Error Lens – inline error display
📌 Quick Reference
Command Palette: ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + P
Quick Open: ⌘/Ctrl + P
Terminal: ⌘/Ctrl + `
Toggle Sidebar: ⌘/Ctrl + B
Format document: ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + F (or I)
Find: ⌘/Ctrl + F
Replace: ⌘/Ctrl + ⌥/H or Ctrl + H
Debug: F5 (start), F9 (breakpoint), F10 (step over)
Multi‑cursor: ⌘/Ctrl + D (next occurrence)
Quick Open: ⌘/Ctrl + P
Terminal: ⌘/Ctrl + `
Toggle Sidebar: ⌘/Ctrl + B
Format document: ⌘/Ctrl + Shift + F (or I)
Find: ⌘/Ctrl + F
Replace: ⌘/Ctrl + ⌥/H or Ctrl + H
Debug: F5 (start), F9 (breakpoint), F10 (step over)
Multi‑cursor: ⌘/Ctrl + D (next occurrence)