VS Code Power User Shortcuts - Ultimate Cheat Sheet
05/29/2025 • By Waqas Khan
VS Code Power User Shortcuts
Master your coding workflow with this comprehensive cheat sheet of Visual Studio Code keyboard shortcuts for Windows, macOS, and Linux
General
Show Command Palette - Access all available commands without using menus or keyboard shortcuts
Windows:
Ctrl+Shift+P, F1
macOS:
⌘+Shift+P, F1
Linux:
Ctrl+Shift+P, F1
Quick Open, Go to File - Quickly navigate to any file in your workspace
Windows:
Ctrl+P
macOS:
⌘P
Linux:
Ctrl+P
New window/instance - Open a new VS Code window
Windows:
Ctrl+Shift+N
macOS:
⌘N
Linux:
Ctrl+Shift+N
Close window/instance - Close the current window
Windows:
Ctrl+W
macOS:
⌘W
Linux:
Ctrl+W
User Settings - Open settings where you can customize VS Code
Windows:
Ctrl+,
macOS:
⌘,
Linux:
Ctrl+,
Keyboard Shortcuts - View and customize keyboard shortcuts
Windows:
Ctrl+K Ctrl+S
macOS:
⌘K ⌘S
Linux:
Ctrl+K Ctrl+S
Editing
Cut line (when no text is selected) - Remove the current line and copy it to clipboard
Windows:
Ctrl+X
macOS:
⌘X
Linux:
Ctrl+X
Copy line (when no text is selected) - Copy the current line to clipboard
Windows:
Ctrl+C
macOS:
⌘C
Linux:
Ctrl+C
Move line up/down - Shift the current line or selection up or down
Windows:
Alt+↑ / Alt+↓
macOS:
⌥↑ / ⌥↓
Linux:
Alt+↑ / Alt+↓
Copy line up/down - Duplicate the current line or selection above or below
Windows:
Shift+Alt+↓ / Shift+Alt+↑
macOS:
⇧⌥↓ / ⇧⌥↑
Linux:
Shift+Alt+↓ / Shift+Alt+↑
Delete line - Remove the current line entirely
Windows:
Ctrl+Shift+K
macOS:
⇧⌘K
Linux:
Ctrl+Shift+K
Search & Replace
Find - Search for text in the current file
Windows:
Ctrl+F
macOS:
⌘F
Linux:
Ctrl+F
Replace - Search and replace text in the current file
Windows:
Ctrl+H
macOS:
⌘⌥F
Linux:
Ctrl+H
Find next/previous - Navigate to the next or previous search match
Windows:
F3 / Shift+F3
macOS:
⌘G / ⇧⌘G
Linux:
F3 / Shift+F3
Multi-Cursor & Selection
Insert cursor - Add a new cursor at the clicked position
Windows:
Alt+Click
macOS:
⌥+click
Linux:
Alt+Click
Insert cursor above/below - Add a new cursor above or below the current position
Windows:
Ctrl+Alt+↑ / Ctrl+Alt+↓
macOS:
⌘⌥↑ / ⌘⌥↓
Linux:
Ctrl+Alt+↑ / Ctrl+Alt+↓
Select current line - Select the entire line where the cursor is positioned
Windows:
Ctrl+L
macOS:
⌘L
Linux:
Ctrl+L
Display & View
Toggle full screen - Switch between full screen and windowed mode
Windows:
F11
macOS:
⌃⌘F
Linux:
F11
Zoom in/out - Increase or decrease the editor font size
Windows:
Ctrl+= / Ctrl+-
macOS:
⌘= / ⌘-
Linux:
Ctrl+= / Ctrl+-
Toggle Sidebar visibility - Show or hide the sidebar
Windows:
Ctrl+B
macOS:
⌘B
Linux:
Ctrl+B
File Management
New File - Create a new file
Windows:
Ctrl+N
macOS:
⌘N
Linux:
Ctrl+N
Open File... - Open an existing file
Windows:
Ctrl+O
macOS:
⌘O
Linux:
Ctrl+O
Save - Save the current file
Windows:
Ctrl+S
macOS:
⌘S
Linux:
Ctrl+S
Debugging
Toggle breakpoint - Add or remove a debugging breakpoint at the current line
Windows:
F9
macOS:
F9
Linux:
F9
Start/Continue - Begin debugging or continue execution
Windows:
F5
macOS:
F5
Linux:
F5
Integrated Terminal
Show integrated terminal - Open or focus the built-in terminal
Windows:
Ctrl+`
macOS:
⌃`
Linux:
Ctrl+`
Create new terminal - Open a new terminal instance
Windows:
Ctrl+Shift+`
macOS:
⌃⇧`
Linux:
Ctrl+Shift+`