10 useful VS Code shortcuts you should know ()

This is a curated list of the shortcuts you should learn as soon as possible. I really wish I knew them when I started coding. It would have saved me hours of manual typing.

Default shortcuts for Linux. Mac and Windows shortcuts are displayed below if different.

1. Ctrl+P : Displays the search bar to search for files

(Mac: Cmd + P)
You will navigate between files all the time. You can type the file name and open it by pressing enter.

2. Ctrl + Shift + P: Displays the command pallete

(Mac: Cmd + Shift + P)
Displays the command pallete where you can search for an action.

3. Crtl + B : Toggle the sidebar

(Mac: Cmd + B)
Show or hide the side bar where you can navigate through the explorer.

4. Ctrl+Shift+E : Move to Explorer window

(Mac: Cmd + Shift + E)
Move to Explorer window where you have your file tree and can navigate using the arrow keys.

5. Ctrl + Shift + M : Quickly shows errors and warnings

(Mac: Cmd + Shift + M)
Everybody likes bug-free code. This command shows the problems panel where you can see identified errors and warnings.

6. Ctrl + Shift + L: Multi cursor selection

(Mac: Cmd + Shift + L)
Add additional cursors to edit all occurrences of the current selection. Usually less error-prone than doing search and replace all.

7. Ctrl + D : One by one selection

(Mac: Cmd+D)
Similar to the previous one, but use Ctrl + D if you want to add the occurrences of the current selection one by one. Each time you press the key combination it adds a new occurrence to the selection.

8. Ctrl+/ : Toggle line comment

(Mac: Cmd+/)
Toggle between commented and uncommented line behavior.

9. Ctrl + Shift + I: Formats the entire file

(Mac: Shift + Option + F, Windows: Windows Shift + Alt + F)
Formats the entire active file or prompts you to install a Formatter extension. I use Prettier extension to format JS code

10. Alt + Up or Alt + Down: Move line

(Mac: Opt+Down or Opt+Up)
Pretty straightforward. Move line up and down.

Bonus: Wrap with Abbreviation.

Helps you add that missing div tag to an HTML block for example. It is not enabled by default, you need to do it in keyboard shortcuts preferences. Use shortcut 2 listed here (yeah \0/) -> type Preferences:Open Keyboard Shortcuts -> search for Emmet: Wrap with Abbreviation -> choose a key to bind it. I use Alt + M.

Honarable mention:

Ctrl + Space : Show Suggestions
Shows suggestions to quickly fill properties and other stuff.

 

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Comments

[Camilo Martinez]

Excellent recommendations! I would like to add this information:

• ctrl+i also does the same as ctrl+space it was introduced recently.
• When using ctrl+d and select more elements than expected, you can undo selections with ctrl+u

[Stan]

Thanks! I always wondered about undoing selections when I got too much.

[Mostafiz Rahman]

This is also useful:

cmd + j to toggle Terminal/Output/Debug Console view

[Mariana Simon]

Nice addition. Thanks, Mostafiz!

[Josef Wittmann]

Fold that stuff! 😄

Have a look at the folding/unfolding shortcuts (I can't post them here, because of my German keyboard). Especailly those which allow you to fold/unfold at your current position. That makes navigating new projects so much easier.

[kiranjd]

Fold everything: cmd/ctrl + k then 0

[Alex Ágreda]

Ctrl + Shift + [ to fold
Ctrl + Shift + ] to unfold

[Andrei Gatej]

Thanks for sharing! Didn't know about Wrap with Abbreviation, that's cool.

[laxcivo]

thanks. While not a shortcut, for errors, Error Lens is amazing! One of the best VS Code extensions.

[Mariana Simon]

True! I love it too

[Vincent Amstoutz]

Very interesting, I did not know them all, thanks ! 👍🙂

Also, I often use Ctrl + G to go to a particluar number of line.

[Mariana Simon]

Nice. I didn't know about this one 👍

[piotrnajda3000]

Ctrl + K then V for Markdown preview / edit in split view.

[qq449245884]

Dear Mariana Simon Paixao，may I translate your article into Chinese?I would like to share it with more developers in China. I will give the original author and original source.

[Mariana Simon]

Hi there! Sure, I don't see any problem if you include the original author and source. Can you send me a link when you do so? I have Chinese friends and would like to share with them :)

[qq449245884]

no problem!

[Cody Tilkins]

I swapped ctrl + d and ctrl + shift + d to delete line and duplicate line. I don't make that much use of selecting one by one. I use ctrl + shift + L which selects all alike more.

[Mariana Simon]

Nice tip! Thanks, Cody

[Lokesh Senthilkumar]

shift+alt+down to copy the current line

[Mariana Simon]

Good one 👍