VS Code Shortcuts

Comprehensive Visual Studio Code shortcuts and workflows for enhanced productivity across all platforms.

General Shortcuts

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+Shift+P	Cmd+Shift+P	Show Command Palette
Ctrl+P	Cmd+P	Quick Open (Go to File)
Ctrl+Shift+N	Cmd+Shift+N	New Window
Ctrl+Shift+W	Cmd+Shift+W	Close Window
Ctrl+N	Cmd+N	New File
Ctrl+O	Cmd+O	Open File
Ctrl+S	Cmd+S	Save
Ctrl+Shift+S	Cmd+Shift+S	Save As
Ctrl+K S	Cmd+K S	Save All
Ctrl+W	Cmd+W	Close File
Ctrl+K Ctrl+W	Cmd+K Cmd+W	Close All
Ctrl+Z	Cmd+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Cmd+Shift+Z	Redo

Navigation

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+G	Cmd+G	Go to Line
Ctrl+Shift+O	Cmd+Shift+O	Go to Symbol
Ctrl+T	Cmd+T	Show All Symbols
F12	F12	Go to Definition
Alt+F12	Option+F12	Peek Definition
Shift+F12	Shift+F12	Show References
Ctrl+K F12	Cmd+K F12	Open Definition to Side
Ctrl+Alt+-	Ctrl+Cmd+-	Go Back
Ctrl+Shift+-	Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+-	Go Forward
Ctrl+M	Cmd+M	Toggle Tab Moves Focus

Editing

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+X	Cmd+X	Cut Line (empty selection)
Ctrl+C	Cmd+C	Copy Line (empty selection)
Alt+↑/↓	Option+↑/↓	Move Line Up/Down
Shift+Alt+↓/↑	Shift+Option+↓/↑	Copy Line Up/Down
Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K	Delete Line
Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter	Insert Line Below
Ctrl+Shift+Enter	Cmd+Shift+Enter	Insert Line Above
Ctrl+Shift+\	Cmd+Shift+\	Jump to Matching Bracket
Ctrl+]	Cmd+]	Indent Line
Ctrl+[	Cmd+[	Outdent Line
Home/End	Home/End	Go to Beginning/End of Line
Ctrl+Home	Cmd+↑	Go to Beginning of File
Ctrl+End	Cmd+↓	Go to End of File

Multi-Cursor and Selection

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Alt+Click	Option+Click	Insert Cursor
Ctrl+Alt+↑/↓	Cmd+Option+↑/↓	Insert Cursor Above/Below
Ctrl+U	Cmd+U	Undo Last Cursor Operation
Shift+Alt+I	Shift+Option+I	Insert Cursor at End of Each Line Selected
Ctrl+L	Cmd+L	Select Current Line
Ctrl+Shift+L	Cmd+Shift+L	Select All Occurrences of Current Selection
Ctrl+F2	Cmd+F2	Select All Occurrences of Current Word
Shift+Alt+→	Shift+Option+→	Expand Selection
Shift+Alt+←	Shift+Option+←	Shrink Selection
Shift+Alt+(drag mouse)	Shift+Option+(drag mouse)	Column (box) Selection

Search and Replace

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+F	Cmd+F	Find
Ctrl+H	Cmd+Option+F	Replace
F3	Cmd+G	Find Next
Shift+F3	Cmd+Shift+G	Find Previous
Alt+Enter	Option+Enter	Select All Occurrences of Find Match
Ctrl+D	Cmd+D	Add Selection to Next Find Match
Ctrl+K Ctrl+D	Cmd+K Cmd+D	Move Last Selection to Next Find Match
Alt+C/R/W	Option+C/R/W	Toggle Case-Sensitive/Regex/Whole Word

Rich Languages Editing

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+Space	Cmd+Space	Trigger Suggestion
Ctrl+Shift+Space	Cmd+Shift+Space	Trigger Parameter Hints
Shift+Alt+F	Shift+Option+F	Format Document
Ctrl+K Ctrl+F	Cmd+K Cmd+F	Format Selection
F12	F12	Go to Definition
Alt+F12	Option+F12	Peek Definition
Ctrl+K F12	Cmd+K F12	Open Definition to the Side
Ctrl+.	Cmd+.	Quick Fix
Shift+F12	Shift+F12	Show References
F2	F2	Rename Symbol
Ctrl+K Ctrl+X	Cmd+K Cmd+X	Trim Trailing Whitespace
Ctrl+K M	Cmd+K M	Change File Language

File Management

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Ctrl+Tab	Cmd+Tab	Open Next
Ctrl+Shift+Tab	Cmd+Shift+Tab	Open Previous
Ctrl+K P	Cmd+K P	Copy Path of Active File
Ctrl+K R	Cmd+K R	Reveal Active File in Explorer
Ctrl+K O	Cmd+K O	Show Active File in New Window

Display

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
F11	Cmd+Ctrl+F	Toggle Full Screen
Shift+Alt+0	Shift+Option+0	Toggle Editor Layout (horizontal/vertical)
Ctrl+=	Cmd+=	Zoom In
Ctrl+-	Cmd+-	Zoom Out
Ctrl+0	Cmd+0	Reset Zoom
Ctrl+B	Cmd+B	Toggle Sidebar Visibility
Ctrl+Shift+E	Cmd+Shift+E	Show Explorer / Toggle Focus
Ctrl+Shift+F	Cmd+Shift+F	Show Search
Ctrl+Shift+G	Cmd+Shift+G	Show Source Control
Ctrl+Shift+D	Cmd+Shift+D	Show Debug
Ctrl+Shift+X	Cmd+Shift+X	Show Extensions
Ctrl+Shift+H	Cmd+Shift+H	Replace in Files
Ctrl+Shift+J	Cmd+Shift+J	Toggle Search Details
Ctrl+Shift+U	Cmd+Shift+U	Show Output Panel
Ctrl+Shift+V	Cmd+Shift+V	Open Markdown Preview
Ctrl+K V	Cmd+K V	Open Markdown Preview to the Side

Debug

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
F9	F9	Toggle Breakpoint
F5	F5	Start/Continue
Shift+F5	Shift+F5	Stop
F11	F11	Step Into
Shift+F11	Shift+F11	Step Out
F10	F10	Step Over
Ctrl+K Ctrl+I	Cmd+K Cmd+I	Show Hover

Integrated Terminal

Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
`Ctrl+``	`Cmd+``	Show Integrated Terminal
`Ctrl+Shift+``	`Cmd+Shift+``	Create New Terminal
Ctrl+C	Cmd+C	Copy Selection
Ctrl+V	Cmd+V	Paste into Active Terminal
Ctrl+↑/↓	Cmd+↑/↓	Scroll Up/Down
Shift+PgUp/PgDn	Shift+PgUp/PgDn	Scroll Page Up/Down
Ctrl+Home/End	Cmd+Home/End	Scroll to Top/Bottom

Common Workflows

Project Setup

# Open project in VS Code
code .
code /path/to/project

# Open specific file
code filename.js

# Open with specific settings
code --user-data-dir /path/to/settings

Extension Management

# Install extension
code --install-extension ms-python.python

# List installed extensions
code --list-extensions

# Disable all extensions
code --disable-extensions

Workspace Configuration

// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.tabSize": 2,
  "files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
  "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Windows\\System32\\bash.exe"
}

Best Practices

Productivity Tips

• Use Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) for quick access to all commands
• Master multi-cursor editing for bulk changes
• Utilize IntelliSense for faster coding
• Set up custom keybindings for frequently used actions
• Use workspace settings for project-specific configurations

Code Organization

• Use file explorer (Ctrl+Shift+E) for quick navigation
• Organize files with proper folder structure
• Use search (Ctrl+Shift+F) for finding across files
• Leverage Git integration for version control
• Use extensions for language-specific features

Debugging Workflow

• Set breakpoints strategically
• Use debug console for runtime evaluation
• Configure launch.json for custom debug scenarios
• Utilize conditional breakpoints for complex debugging
• Use integrated terminal for command-line debugging

Performance Optimization

• Disable unused extensions
• Use workspace-specific settings
• Configure file exclusions for large projects
• Use remote development for resource-intensive projects
• Optimize settings for your specific workflow