Key Bindings for Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code lets you perform most tasks directly from the keyboard. This page lists out the default bindings and describes how you can update them.

Note: If you visit this page on a Mac, you will see the key bindings for the Mac. If you visit using Windows or Linux, you will see the keys for that OS. If you need the key binding for another OS, hover your mouse over the key you are interested in.

Note: The following keys are rendered assuming a standard US keyboard layout. If you use a different keyboard layout, please read below.

Basic Editing

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+X	Cut line (empty selection)	editor.action.clipboardCutAction
Ctrl+C	Copy line (empty selection)	editor.action.clipboardCopyAction
Ctrl+Shift+K	Delete Line	editor.action.deleteLines
Ctrl+Enter	Insert Line Below	editor.action.insertLineAfter
Ctrl+Shift+Enter	Insert Line Above	editor.action.insertLineBefore
Alt+Down	Move Line Down	editor.action.moveLinesDownAction
Alt+Up	Move Line Up	editor.action.moveLinesUpAction
Shift+Alt+Down	Copy Line Down	editor.action.copyLinesDownAction
Shift+Alt+Up	Copy Line Up	editor.action.copyLinesUpAction
Ctrl+D	Add Selection To Next Find Match	editor.action.addSelectionToNextFindMatch
Ctrl+K Ctrl+D	Move Last Selection To Next Find Match	editor.action.moveSelectionToNextFindMatch
Ctrl+U	Undo last cursor operation	cursorUndo
Shift+Alt+I	Insert cursor at end of each line selected	editor.action.insertCursorAtEndOfEachLineSelected
Ctrl+Shift+L	Select all occurrences of current selection	editor.action.selectHighlights
Ctrl+F2	Select all occurrences of current word	editor.action.changeAll
Ctrl+I	Select current line	expandLineSelection
Ctrl+Alt+Down	Insert Cursor Below	editor.action.insertCursorBelow
Ctrl+Alt+Up	Insert Cursor Above	editor.action.insertCursorAbove
Ctrl+Shift+\	Jump to matching bracket	editor.action.jumpToBracket
Ctrl+]	Indent Line	editor.action.indentLines
Ctrl+[	Outdent Line	editor.action.outdentLines
Home	Go to Beginning of Line	cursorHome
End	Go to End of Line	cursorEnd
Ctrl+End	Go to End of File	cursorBottom
Ctrl+Home	Go to Beginning of File	cursorTop
Ctrl+Down	Scroll Line Down	scrollLineDown
Ctrl+Up	Scroll Line Up	scrollLineUp
Ctrl+PageDown	Scroll Page Down	scrollPageDown
Ctrl+PageUp	Scroll Page Up	scrollPageUp
Ctrl+Shift+[	Fold (collapse) region	editor.fold
Ctrl+Shift+]	Unfold (uncollapse) region	editor.unfold
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+[	Fold (collapse) all regions	editor.foldAll
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+]	Unfold (uncollapse) all regions	editor.unfoldAll
Ctrl+K Ctrl+C	Add Line Comment	editor.action.addCommentLine
Ctrl+K Ctrl+U	Remove Line Comment	editor.action.removeCommentLine
Ctrl+/	Toggle Line Comment	editor.action.commentLine
Shift+Alt+A	Toggle Block Comment	editor.action.blockComment
Ctrl+F	Find	actions.find
Ctrl+H	Replace	editor.action.startFindReplaceAction
F3	Find Next	editor.action.nextMatchFindAction
Shift+F3	Find Previous	editor.action.previousMatchFindAction
Alt+C	Toggle Find Case Sensitive	toggleFindCaseSensitive
Alt+R	Toggle Find Regex	toggleFindRegex
Alt+W	Toggle Find Whole Word	toggleFindWholeWord
Ctrl+M	Toggle Use of Tab Key for Setting Focus	editor.action.toggleTabFocusMode
unassigned	Toggle Render Whitespace	toggleRenderWhitespace

Rich Languages Editing

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+Space	Trigger Suggest	editor.action.triggerSuggest
Ctrl+Shift+Space	Trigger Parameter Hints	editor.action.triggerParameterHints
Shift+Alt+F	Format Code	editor.action.format
F12	Go to Definition	editor.action.goToDeclaration
Alt+F12	Peek Definition	editor.action.previewDeclaration
Ctrl+K F12	Open Definition to the Side	editor.action.openDeclarationToTheSide
Ctrl+.	Quick Fix	editor.action.quickFix
Shift+F12	Show References	editor.action.referenceSearch.trigger
F2	Rename Symbol	editor.action.rename
Ctrl+Shift+.	Replace with Next Value	editor.action.inPlaceReplace.down
Ctrl+Shift+,	Replace with Previous Value	editor.action.inPlaceReplace.up
Shift+Alt+Right	Expand AST Select	editor.action.smartSelect.grow
Shift+Alt+Left	Shrink AST Select	editor.action.smartSelect.shrink
Ctrl+Shift+X	Trim Trailing Whitespace	editor.action.trimTrailingWhitespace
Ctrl+K M	Change Language Mode	workbench.action.editor.changeLanguageMode

Navigation

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+T	Show All Symbols	workbench.action.showAllSymbols
Ctrl+G	Go to Line…	workbench.action.gotoLine
Ctrl+P	Go to File…, Quick Open	workbench.action.quickOpen
Ctrl+Shift+O	Go to Symbol…	workbench.action.gotoSymbol
Ctrl+Shift+M	Show Errors and Warnings	workbench.action.showErrorsWarnings
F8	Go to Next Error or Warning	editor.action.marker.next
Shift+F8	Go to Previous Error or Warning	editor.action.marker.prev
F1	Show All Commands	workbench.action.showCommands
Ctrl+Tab	Navigate History	workbench.action.openPreviousEditor
Alt+Left	Go Back	workbench.action.navigateBack
Alt+Right	Go Forward	workbench.action.navigateForward

Editor/Window Management

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+Shift+N	New Window	workbench.action.newWindow
Ctrl+Shift+W	Close Window	workbench.action.closeWindow
Ctrl+F4	Close Editor	workbench.action.closeActiveEditor
Ctrl+K F	Close Folder	workbench.action.closeFolder
Ctrl+`	Cycle Between Opened Editors	workbench.action.cycleEditor
Ctrl+\	Split Editor	workbench.action.splitEditor
Ctrl+1	Focus into Left Hand Editor	workbench.action.focusFirstEditor
Ctrl+2	Focus into Side Editor	workbench.action.focusSecondEditor
Ctrl+3	Focus into Right Hand Editor	workbench.action.focusThirdEditor
Ctrl+Alt+Left	Focus into Next Editor on the Left	workbench.action.focusLeftEditor
Ctrl+Alt+Right	Focus into Next Editor on the Right	workbench.action.focusRightEditor
Ctrl+K Left	Move Active Editor Left	workbench.action.moveActiveEditorLeft
Ctrl+K Right	Move Active Editor Right	workbench.action.moveActiveEditorRight

File Management

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+N	New File	workbench.action.files.newUntitledFile
Ctrl+O	Open File…	workbench.action.files.openFile
Ctrl+S	Save	workbench.action.files.save
unassigned	Save All	workbench.action.files.saveAll
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save As…	workbench.action.files.saveAs
Ctrl+K W	Close File	workbench.files.action.closeFile
Ctrl+K Ctrl+W	Close All Files	workbench.files.action.closeAllFiles
Ctrl+K Ctrl+Shift+W	Close Other Files	workbench.files.action.closeOtherFiles
Ctrl+K Enter	Add to Working Files	workbench.files.action.addToWorkingFiles
Ctrl+K Down	Open Next Working File	workbench.files.action.openNextWorkingFile
Ctrl+K Up	Open Previous Working File	workbench.files.action.openPreviousWorkingFile
Ctrl+K P	Copy Path of Active File	workbench.action.files.copyPathOfActiveFile
Ctrl+K R	Reveal Active File in Windows	workbench.action.files.revealActiveFileInWindows
Ctrl+K O	Show Opened File in New Window	workbench.action.files.showOpenedFileInNewWindow
unassigned	Compare Opened File With	workbench.files.action.compareFileWith

Display

Key	Command	Command id
F11	Toggle Full Screen	workbench.action.toggleFullScreen
Ctrl+=	Zoom in	workbench.action.zoomIn
Ctrl+-	Zoom out	workbench.action.zoomOut
Ctrl+B	Toggle Sidebar Visibility	workbench.action.toggleSidebarVisibility
Ctrl+Shift+D	Show Debug	workbench.view.debug
Ctrl+Shift+E	Show Explorer	workbench.view.explorer
Ctrl+Shift+G	Show Git	workbench.view.git
Ctrl+Shift+F	Show Search	workbench.view.search
Ctrl+Shift+J	Toggle Search Details	workbench.action.search.toggleQueryDetails
Ctrl+Shift+C	Open New Command Prompt	workbench.action.terminal.openNativeConsole
Ctrl+Shift+U	Show Output	workbench.action.output.toggleOutput
Ctrl+Shift+V	Toggle Markdown Preview	workbench.action.markdown.togglePreview
Ctrl+K V	Open Preview to the Side	workbench.action.markdown.openPreviewSideBySide

Preferences

Key	Command	Command id
unassigned	Open User Settings	workbench.action.openGlobalSettings
unassigned	Open Workspace Settings	workbench.action.openWorkspaceSettings
unassigned	Open Keyboard Shortcuts	workbench.action.openGlobalKeybindings
unassigned	Open User Snippets	workbench.action.openSnippets
unassigned	Select Color Theme	workbench.action.selectTheme
unassigned	Configure Display Language	workbench.action.configureLocale

Debug

Key	Command	Command id
F9	Toggle Breakpoint	editor.debug.action.toggleBreakpoint
F5	Continue	workbench.action.debug.continue
F5	Pause	workbench.action.debug.start
F11	Step Into	workbench.action.debug.stepInto
Shift+F11	Step Out	workbench.action.debug.stepOut
F10	Step Over	workbench.action.debug.stepOver
Shift+F5	Stop	workbench.action.debug.stop
Ctrl+K Ctrl+I	Show Hover	editor.action.showHover

Tasks

Key	Command	Command id
Ctrl+Shift+B	Run Build Task	workbench.action.tasks.build
unassigned	Run Test Task	workbench.action.tasks.test

Extensions

Key	Command	Command id
unassigned	Install Extension	workbench.extensions.action.installExtension
unassigned	Show Installed Extensions	workbench.extensions.action.listExtensions
unassigned	Show Outdated Extensions	workbench.extensions.action.listOutdatedExtensions
unassigned	Show Extension Recommendations	workbench.extensions.action.listSuggestedExtensions

Customizing Shortcuts

All keyboard shortcuts in VS Code can be customized via the User/keybindings.json file.

• To configure keyboard shortcuts the way you want, go to the menu under File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts.
• This will open the Default Keyboard Shortcuts on the left and your User/keybindings.json file where you can overwrite the default bindings on the right.

Keyboard Rules

The keyboard shortcuts dispatching is done by analyzing a list of rules that are expressed in JSON. Here are some examples:

// Keybindings that are active when the focus is in the editor
{ "key": "home",       "when": "editorTextFocus", "command": "cursorHome" },
{ "key": "shift+home", "when": "editorTextFocus", "command": "cursorHomeSelect" },

// Keybindings that are complementary
{ "key": "f5",         "when": "inDebugMode",     "command": "workbench.action.debug.continue" },
{ "key": "f5",         "when": "!inDebugMode",    "command": "workbench.action.debug.start" }

// Global keybindings
{ "key": "ctrl+f",                                "command": "actions.find" },
{ "key": "alt+left",                              "command": "workbench.action.navigateBack" },
{ "key": "alt+right",                             "command": "workbench.action.navigateForward" },

// Global keybindings using chords
{ "key": "ctrl+k enter",                          "command": "workbench.files.action.addToWorkingFiles" },
{ "key": "ctrl+k ctrl+w",                         "command": "workbench.files.action.closeAllFiles" },

Each rule consists of:

• a required key that describes the pressed keys.
• an optional when containing a boolean expression that will be evaluated depending on the current context.
• an optional command containing the identifier of the command to execute.

When a key is pressed:

• the rules are evaluated from bottom to top.
• the first rule that matches, both the key and in terms of when, is accepted.
• no more rules are processed.
• if a rule is found and has a command set, the command is executed.

The additional User/keybindings.json rules are appended at runtime to the bottom of the default rules, thus allowing them to overwrite the default rules. The User/keybindings.json file is watched by VS Code so editing it while VS Code is running will update the rules at runtime.

Accepted keys

The key is made up of modifiers and the key itself.

The following modifiers are accepted:

OS	Modifiers
OS X	ctrl+, shift+, alt+, cmd+
Windows	ctrl+, shift+, alt+, win+
Linux	ctrl+, shift+, alt+, meta+

The following keys are accepted:

• f1-f19, a-z, 0-9
• `, –, =, [, ], \, ;, ‘, ,, ., /
• left, up, right, down, pageup, pagedown, end, home
• tab, enter, escape, space, backspace, delete
• pausebreak, capslock, insert
• numpad0-numpad9, numpad_multiply, numpad_add, numpad_separator
• numpad_subtract, numpad_decimal, numpad_divide

Chords are described by separating the two keypresses with a space. E.g.: ctrl+k ctrl+c.

Keyboard layouts

Note: This section relates only to key bindings, not to typing in the editor.

The keys above are string representations for virtual keys and do not necessarily relate to the produced character when they are pressed. More precisely:

• Reference: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dd375731(v=vs.85)
• tab for VK_TAB (0x09)
• ; for VK_OEM_1 (0xBA)
• = for VK_OEM_PLUS (0xBB)
• , for VK_OEM_COMMA (0xBC)
• – for VK_OEM_MINUS (0xBD)
• . for VK_OEM_PERIOD (0xBE)
• / for VK_OEM_2 (0xBF)
• ` for VK_OEM_3 (0xC0)
• [ for VK_OEM_4 (0xDB)
• \ for VK_OEM_5 (0xDC)
• ] for VK_OEM_6 (0xDD)
• ‘ for VK_OEM_7 (0xDE)
• etc.

Different keyboard layouts usually reposition the above virtual keys or change the characters produced when they are pressed. When using a different keyboard layout than the standard US, Visual Studio Code does the following:

All the key bindings are rendered in the UI using the current system’s keyboard layout. For example, Split Editor when using a French (France) keyboard layout is now rendered as Ctrl+*:

When editing keybindings.json, VS Code highlights misleading key bindings – those that are represented in the file with the character produced under the standard US keyboard layout, but which need pressing keys with different labels under the current system’s keyboard layout. For example, here is how the Default keybindings rules look like when using a French (France) keyboard layout:

There is also a widget that helps input the key binding rule when editing keybindings.json. To launch the Define Keybinding widget, press Ctrl+K Ctrl+K. The widget listens for key presses and renders the serialized JSON representation in the text box and below it, the keys that VS Code has detected under your current keyboard layout. Once you’ve typed the key combination you want, you can press Enter and a rule snippet will be inserted.

Note: Visual Studio Code detects your current keyboard layout on start-up and then caches this information. For a good experience, we recommend restarting VS Code if you change your keyboard layout.

Next Steps

Now that you know about our Key binding support, what’s next…

• Customization – Configure Code the way you want – Themes, Settings and more
• Language Support – Our Good, Better, Best language grid to see what you can expect
• Debugging – This is where VS Code really shines
• Node.js – End to end Node.js scenario with a sample app

Common Questions

Q: How to find out what command is bound to a specific key?

A: In the Default Keyboard Shortcuts, open Quick Outline by pressing Ctrl+Shift+O

Q: How to add a key binding to an action? E.g. Add Ctrl+D to Delete Lines

A: Find a rule that triggers the action in the Default Keyboard Shortcuts and write a modified version of it in your User/keybindings.json file:

// Original, in Default Keyboard Shortcuts
{ "key": "ctrl+shift+k",          "command": "editor.action.deleteLines",
                                     "when": "editorTextFocus" },
// Modified, in User/keybindings.json, Ctrl+D now will also trigger this action
{ "key": "ctrl+d",                "command": "editor.action.deleteLines",
                                     "when": "editorTextFocus" },

Q: How to remove a key binding from an action? E.g. Remove Ctrl+Shift+K from Delete Lines

A: Find a rule that triggers the action in the Default Keyboard Shortcuts and write a modified version of it in your User/keybindings.json file:

// Original, in Default Keyboard Shortcuts
{ "key": "ctrl+shift+k",          "command": "editor.action.deleteLines",
                                     "when": "editorTextFocus" },
// Modified, in User/keybindings.json, Ctrl+Shift+K won't do anything anymore since command is empty
{ "key": "ctrl+shift+k",             "when": "editorTextFocus" },

Q: How can I add a key binding for only certain file types?

A: Use the editorLangId context key in your when clause:

{ "key": "shift+alt+a",           "command": "editor.action.blockComment",
                                     "when": "editorTextFocus && editorLangId == 'csharp'" },

Q: I have modified my key bindings in User/keybindings.json, why don’t they work?

A: The most common problem is a syntax error in the file. Otherwise, try removing the when clause or picking a different key. Unfortunately, at this point, it is a trial and error process.