iwantcoding.com
🔥 Daily 👥 Rooms 🏆 Top Log in Sign up

Essential Shortcuts

By · Reviewed & last updated · Part of VS Code Tutorial

A handful of shortcuts dominate the productivity curve. Memorise palette + file + line + symbol navigation; everything else you can search through the palette as needed.

The shortcuts that actually matter

EXAMPLE
# Commands — the door to everything
  Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + P     Command Palette
  Cmd / Ctrl + P              Quick Open file by name
  Ctrl + `                    Toggle integrated terminal
  Ctrl + B                    Toggle sidebar
  Cmd / Ctrl + ,              Settings

# Navigation
  Cmd / Ctrl + P              File
  Ctrl + Shift + O             Symbol in file        (prefix: @)
  Ctrl + T                     Symbol in workspace   (prefix: #)
  Ctrl + G                     Go to line
  F12                          Go to definition
  Alt + F12                    Peek definition
  Shift + F12                  Show references
  Ctrl + - / Ctrl + Shift + -  Back / forward through cursor history

# Editing
  Alt + ↑ / ↓                  Move line up / down
  Shift + Alt + ↑ / ↓          Duplicate line
  Ctrl + /                      Toggle line comment
  Shift + Alt + A               Toggle block comment
  Ctrl + Shift + K              Delete line
  Ctrl + Enter                  Insert line below
  Ctrl + Shift + Enter           Insert line above
  Ctrl + L                      Select current line
  Ctrl + D                      Add next match to selection (multi-cursor)
  Ctrl + Shift + L              Select ALL matches
  Alt + click                  Add a cursor
  Ctrl + Alt + ↑ / ↓           Column cursors
  Tab / Shift + Tab            Indent / outdent
  F2                           Rename symbol (across files)

# Refactor
  Ctrl + .                      Quick fix / refactor menu
  Ctrl + Shift + R              Refactor menu
  Shift + Alt + F               Format file
  Ctrl + K, Ctrl + F            Format selection only
  Ctrl + Shift + O               Organise imports

# Find / replace
  Ctrl + F                      Find
  Ctrl + H                      Replace
  Ctrl + Shift + F              Find across workspace
  Ctrl + Shift + H              Replace across workspace
  Alt + Enter                   In Find: select all matches as multi-cursor
  Alt + R / Alt + C / Alt + W   Toggle regex / case / whole-word

# Editor management
  Ctrl + W                      Close editor
  Ctrl + K W                    Close all editors
  Ctrl + \\                     Split editor
  Ctrl + 1 / 2 / 3              Focus group 1 / 2 / 3
  Ctrl + Tab                    Cycle open editors

Why it matters

Customise ~/.config/Code/User/keybindings.json. Bind the 5-10 commands you use weekly — format, split, terminal, source-control commit — to two-key chords you can do without looking.

Tip: Tweak the snippet with Try it Yourself », then sit the quiz at the bottom of the page.

Example

Example
// Move line          Alt + ↑ / ↓
// Duplicate line     Shift + Alt + ↑ / ↓
// Multi-cursor       Ctrl + D (next match) / Alt + Click
// Comment            Ctrl + /
// Format file        Shift + Alt + F
// Go to file         Ctrl + P
// Go to symbol       Ctrl + Shift + O
Try it Yourself »

Exercise

Move the current line down.

Alt +

Discussion

Loading…