VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts
Code faster — the VS Code shortcuts worth memorising, Mac and Windows side by side.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command Palette | ⌘⇧P | Ctrl+Shift+P | |
| Quick Open file | ⌘P | Ctrl+P | |
| New file | ⌘N | Ctrl+N | |
| Save | ⌘S | Ctrl+S | |
| Save all | ⌥⌘S | Ctrl+K S | |
| Close editor | ⌘W | Ctrl+W | |
| Reopen closed editor | ⌘⇧T | Ctrl+Shift+T | |
| Toggle sidebar | ⌘B | Ctrl+B | |
| Toggle integrated terminal | ⌃` | Ctrl+` | |
| Toggle panel | ⌘J | Ctrl+J | |
| Split editor | ⌘\ | Ctrl+\ | |
| Find | ⌘F | Ctrl+F | |
| Replace | ⌥⌘F | Ctrl+H | |
| Find in files | ⌘⇧F | Ctrl+Shift+F | |
| Go to line | ⌃G | Ctrl+G | |
| Go to symbol | ⌘⇧O | Ctrl+Shift+O | |
| Go to definition | F12 | F12 | |
| Peek definition | ⌥F12 | Alt+F12 | |
| Rename symbol | F2 | F2 | |
| Format document | ⇧⌥F | Shift+Alt+F | |
| Comment line | ⌘/ | Ctrl+/ | |
| Block comment | ⇧⌥A | Shift+Alt+A | |
| Copy line up/down | ⇧⌥↑/↓ | Shift+Alt+Up/Down | |
| Move line up/down | ⌥↑/↓ | Alt+Up/Down | |
| Delete line | ⇧⌘K | Ctrl+Shift+K | |
| Insert line below | ⌘Return | Ctrl+Enter | |
| Insert line above | ⌘⇧Return | Ctrl+Shift+Enter | |
| Add cursor above/below | ⌥⌘↑/↓ | Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down | |
| Select next occurrence | ⌘D | Ctrl+D | |
| Select all occurrences | ⇧⌘L | Ctrl+Shift+L | |
| Indent / outdent | ⌘] / ⌘[ | Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[ | |
| Fold region | ⌥⌘[ | Ctrl+Shift+[ | |
| Unfold region | ⌥⌘] | Ctrl+Shift+] | |
| Trigger suggestion | ⌃Space | Ctrl+Space | |
| Quick fix | ⌘. | Ctrl+. | |
| Open settings | ⌘, | Ctrl+, | |
| Toggle word wrap | ⌥Z | Alt+Z | |
| Zen mode | ⌘K Z | Ctrl+K Z | |
| Navigate back | ⌃- | Alt+Left | |
| Navigate forward | ⌃⇧- | Alt+Right |
Two shortcuts do most of the work
If you learn only two VS Code shortcuts, make them the Command Palette — Ctrl+Shift+P (Win) / ⌘⇧P (Mac) — which runs any command by name, and Quick Open — Ctrl+P / ⌘P — which jumps to any file by typing part of its name. Everything else is a convenience on top of these two.
Multi-cursor editing
Select a word and press Ctrl+D / ⌘D repeatedly to add the next matching occurrence to your selection, then type once to change them all. Ctrl+Shift+L / ⇧⌘L selects every occurrence at once. Add stacked cursors with Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down (Win) / ⌥⌘Up/Down (Mac). Move a line with Alt+Up/Down / ⌥Up/Down and duplicate it with the Shift variant — no cut-and-paste needed.
Terminal and navigation
Toggle the integrated terminal with Ctrl+` on both platforms, jump to a definition with F12, and rename a symbol everywhere with F2. Alt+Left / ⌃- navigates back to where your cursor just was.
FAQ
What is the Command Palette shortcut in VS Code?
Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux and ⌘⇧P on a Mac. It runs any command by name; press ⌘P / Ctrl+P (no Shift) to open files instead.
How do I select all occurrences of a word in VS Code?
Press Ctrl+D (⌘D on Mac) to add the next occurrence to your selection one at a time, or Ctrl+Shift+L (⇧⌘L) to select all occurrences at once.
How do I open the integrated terminal?
Press Ctrl+` (Control plus backtick) on both Windows and Mac to toggle the integrated terminal.
How do I comment out a line in VS Code?
Ctrl+/ on Windows/Linux and ⌘/ on a Mac toggles a line comment. Shift+Alt+A / ⇧⌥A wraps a block comment.
How do I move or duplicate a line in VS Code?
Alt+Up/Down (⌥Up/Down on Mac) moves the current line; add Shift (Shift+Alt+Up/Down or ⇧⌥Up/Down) to duplicate it.