In this article I want to share some of my favorite and most used VS Code shortcuts that help me save time, make my life a little easier and, as a heavy keyboard user, also allow me to stay in my developer flow.
You may be familiar with some of them already but hopefully you will discover a new shortcut that you can introduce into your workflow starting right now. 🤞🏻
I jotted down the key combinations for Mac users. If you’re a Windows or Linux user, you can find the key bindings for your OS here.
Alright then, so without needing to select the entire line first...
-
⌘X- cut a line -
⌘C- copy a line -
⇧⌘K- delete a line -
⌘L- select the line
And while your cursor is on a specific line..
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⌘Enter- insert a new line below it -
⇧⌘Enter- insert a new line above it -
⌥↑and⌥↓- move the line up/down -
⇧⌥↑and⇧⌥↓- duplicate line on the line above/below it -
⌘]and⌘[- indent and outdent the line -
⌘/- (un)comment out the line
Or within a specific file..
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⌘D- find other instances of selected code -
⌥Z- toggle word wrap
Lastly, for some editor/window management..
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⌘P- find and go to file (quick open) -
⌘N- new editor -
⌘W- close editor -
⌘B- toggle visibility of the side panel -
⌃` - toggle visibility of the integrated terminal -
⌘2- split screen into two editor groups -
⇧⌘T- reopen recently closed editor -
⌥⌘←and⌥⌘→- view editor tab on the left/right
Happy coding!
If you enjoyed reading this post or if it was helpful to you, you can support me by buying me a coffee — I'd really appreciate it! 🙏
Top comments (31)
I personally dont use "delete line" - just cut it and never paste it. ;)
On the other hand shortcuts i often use.
I might have some customs, so double check before using
toggle terminal (ctrl+`)
multicursor to the next line (shift+ctrl+down / or shift+ctrl+up)
duplicate line above/below (shift+alt+down)
move line up / down (alt+down / alt+up)
I would also recommend folding shortcuts to navigate bigger files, but since im not working on long files (js + includes in other languages) i dont need it - but if you are dealing with files 200+ lines long, i would highly recommend mastering folding + go to line + go to method
I second the ctrl+...
Hey there windows users!!! To use these shortcuts in windows on VsCode, replace
⌘ - ctrl
⌥ - alt
⇧ - shift
I personally use
Ctrl+K➡️Enteras it keeps the newly-opened tab sticky and non-replacable by other files when you open them too!And of course — how could I forget —
Ctrl+Tabto switch tabs!I didn't know about
ctlr + tab, thanks for sharing!No probs! It also works with many web browsers too. Just about anything with tabs!
I'm not sure it applies to VSCode (tho I bet it does) but you can also do
Ctrl+1toCtrl+8to select tabs 1 to 8, andCtrl+9to select the last tab.Another one I use a lot is command shift P to open the command prompt.
One more, command K W to close all the windows
I didn't know about these, thank you for sharing!
⇧⌘D- duplicate the selected code.No love for other platforms?
Oh no absolutely, this is just the setup I personally use and can write about confidently. I highly encourage devs who do not use VS Code/work on Macbooks to discover the key bindings that have the same or similar functionality as the shortcuts I shared!
I use VS Code too just not on a mac, thanks for the tips!
I use both Ubuntu and macos, for most of them just swap command with control and you'll be fine
I am so grateful that you shared these, can't thank you enough for how much you just increased my productivity.
This is a great reference sheet! Bookmarked 🔖
Here are two that I use quite often:
Command (ctrl) + K M- Switch file languageCommand (ctrl) + Shift + L- Select all occurrences of a term on the current fileAlso,
Command + Option + Fon Mac to auto format the current fileI'm not sure about the equivalent for other platforms as I reckon it's completely different
Another one is to open second terminal
Ctrl+shift+5(let's say you have a gulp/grunt/webpack watcher that you want to see if it compiles)
Tip:
Terminal toggle is Ctr+ `
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