Cheatsheets: VS Code Shortcut PDF — Complete Keyboard Reference

Q: How do I open the VS Code Command Palette?

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS). This opens the Command Palette where you can run any VS Code command by typing its name. It’s the fastest way to access features you haven’t memorized shortcuts for yet.

Q: How do I search and replace across multiple files in VS Code?

Press Ctrl+Shift+F to open the Search view, type your search term, then click the arrow next to the search input to expand the replace field. You can use regex with the .* toggle. Double-click a result to open that file at the match location.

Cheatsheets & Quick References

VS Code Shortcut PDF — Complete Keyboard Reference

DodaTech Updated Jun 20, 2026 4 min read

📄 Printable PDF: Use your browser’s Print (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P) → “Save as PDF” to get a printer-friendly PDF of this VS Code shortcut cheatsheet.

VS Code keyboard shortcuts, editing features, IntelliSense, debugging, extensions, settings, terminal, and Git integration — a productivity reference for daily use.

Command Palette & Quick Open

Shortcut (Windows/Linux)	Shortcut (macOS)	What it does
`Ctrl+Shift+P`	`Cmd+Shift+P`	Command Palette
`Ctrl+P`	`Cmd+P`	Quick Open (file)
`Ctrl+Tab`	`Ctrl+Tab`	Switch tabs
`Ctrl+W`	`Cmd+W`	Close tab
`Ctrl+Shift+N`	`Cmd+Shift+N`	New window
`Ctrl+B`	`Cmd+B`	Toggle sidebar
`Ctrl+``	`Ctrl+``	Toggle terminal
`Ctrl+J`	`Cmd+J`	Toggle panel

Multi-Cursor & Selection

Shortcut	What it does
`Alt+Click`	Add cursor at click position
`Ctrl+Alt+↑/↓`	Add cursor above / below
`Ctrl+D`	Select next match of selection
`Ctrl+Shift+L`	Select all matches
`Shift+Alt+→`	Expand selection
`Shift+Alt+←`	Shrink selection
`Alt+↑/↓`	Move line up / down
`Shift+Alt+↑/↓`	Duplicate line up / down
`Ctrl+Shift+K`	Delete line
`Ctrl+Enter`	Insert line below
`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	Insert line above

Find & Replace

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl+F`	Find in file
`Ctrl+H`	Find and replace
`Ctrl+Shift+F`	Find in all files
`Ctrl+Shift+H`	Replace in all files
`F3`	Next match
`Shift+F3`	Previous match
`Alt+Enter`	Select all matches of find
`Ctrl+Shift+O`	Go to symbol in file

Editor & Formatting

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl+/`	Toggle line comment
`Shift+Alt+F`	Format document
`Ctrl+Shift+I`	Format selection
`Ctrl+]` / `Ctrl+[`	Indent / outdent
`F2`	Rename symbol
`Ctrl+G`	Go to line
`Ctrl+Shift+\`	Go to matching bracket
`Ctrl+-` / `Ctrl+=`	Zoom out / in
`Ctrl+Shift+[`	Fold (collapse) region
`Ctrl+Shift+]`	Unfold (expand) region
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+F`	Close other tabs in group

IntelliSense & Code Navigation

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl+Space`	Trigger suggestion
`Ctrl+.`	Quick Fix (lightbulb)
`Ctrl+Shift+Space`	Trigger parameter hints
`F12`	Go to definition
`Alt+F12`	Peek definition
`Shift+F12`	Go to references
`Ctrl+Click`	Go to definition (mouse)
`Ctrl+Shift+F12`	Peek references
`Ctrl+T`	Show all symbols
`Ctrl+Shift+O`	Go to symbol in file
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+I`	Show hover info

Debugging

Shortcut	What it does
`F5`	Start / continue
`Shift+F5`	Stop
`Ctrl+F5`	Start without debugging
`Ctrl+Shift+F5`	Restart
`F9`	Toggle breakpoint
`F10`	Step over
`F11`	Step into
`Shift+F11`	Step out
`Ctrl+Shift+B`	Build task
`Ctrl+Shift+D`	Debug view
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+I`	Inspect value on hover

Integrated Terminal

Shortcut	What it does
Ctrl+`	Toggle terminal
`Ctrl+Shift+``	New terminal
`Ctrl+Shift+5`	Split terminal
`Ctrl+W`	Close terminal (when focused)
`Ctrl+C`	Cancel / copy in terminal
`Ctrl+V`	Paste in terminal
`Ctrl+Shift+↑/↓`	Scroll terminal up / down
`F12`	Open in editor (path)

Git Integration

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl+Shift+G`	Source Control view
`Ctrl+Enter`	Commit (in commit input)
`Ctrl+Shift+``	Open terminal
`Alt+G G`	GitLens: toggle file blame
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+Shift+C`	View commit details
`F1` → `Git: Pull`	Pull from remote
`F1` → `Git: Push`	Push to remote

Split Editor & Layout

Shortcut	What it does
`Ctrl+\`	Split editor
`Ctrl+1 / 2 / 3`	Focus editor group
`Ctrl+Shift+5`	Split into two groups
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+→`	Focus next group
`Ctrl+K Ctrl+←`	Focus previous group
`Ctrl+W`	Close editor group

Refactoring

Shortcut	What it does
`F2`	Rename symbol
`Ctrl+.`	Quick Fix / refactor menu
`Ctrl+Shift+R`	Refactor (with submenu)
`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	Insert line before
`Alt+↑/↓`	Move line
`Shift+Alt+←/→`	Shrink / expand selection

Extension Shortcuts (Common)

Extension	Shortcut	What it does
GitLens	`Alt+G G`	Toggle file blame
Bracket Pair Colorizer	—	Auto-colors brackets
Prettier	`Shift+Alt+F`	Format with Prettier
ESLint	`Ctrl+.`	Fix lint issues
Live Server	`Alt+L Alt+O`	Open with Live Server

Useful settings.json

{
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.tabSize": 2,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "editor.wordWrap": "on",
  "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange",
  "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 13,
  "workbench.colorTheme": "One Dark Pro",
  "workbench.startupEditor": "none",
  "editor.rulers": [80, 100],
  "editor.renderWhitespace": "selection"
}

Snippets

// File > Preferences > Configure User Snippets
{
  "Log to console": {
    "prefix": "log",
    "body": ["console.log('$1', $1);$2"],
    "description": "Log variable to console"
  },
  "Arrow function": {
    "prefix": "af",
    "body": ["const $1 = ($2) => {", "  $3", "};"],
    "description": "Arrow function"
  }
}

Useful Extensions

Extension	Purpose
Prettier	Code formatter
ESLint	JS/TS linting
GitLens	Git blame annotations
Live Server	Local dev server with reload
Thunder Client	API testing
Docker	Dockerfile / Compose support
Path Intellisense	Auto-complete file paths
Tailwind CSS IntelliSense	Tailwind class completion
Error Lens	Inline error display
GitHub Copilot	AI-powered code completion

How do I open the VS Code Command Palette?

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS). This opens the Command Palette where you can run any VS Code command by typing its name. It’s the fastest way to access features you haven’t memorized shortcuts for yet.

How do I search and replace across multiple files in VS Code?

Press Ctrl+Shift+F to open the Search view, type your search term, then click the arrow next to the search input to expand the replace field. You can use regex with the .* toggle. Double-click a result to open that file at the match location.

How do I create custom snippets in VS Code?

Go to File > Preferences > Configure User Snippets, select a language (or “New Global Snippets file”), then define snippets in JSON format. Each snippet has a prefix (trigger text), body (the output), and description. Type the prefix then press Tab to expand.

See the full VS Code guide for advanced configuration.

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