VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts
Search 20 common default VS Code keyboard shortcuts with separate Windows, Linux, and macOS mappings.
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How to use
- 1.Choose Windows, Linux, or macOS to display the matching default modifiers.
- 2.Search by a command such as Format document, a category, or a key string such as Ctrl+P.
- 3.Use the displayed shortcut in VS Code and inspect the built-in Keyboard Shortcuts editor if customization or layout changes it.
About VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts
VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts is a focused searchable reference for 20 common default commands. Choose Windows, Linux, or macOS, then filter by command name, category, or key combination. The table covers Command Palette access, Quick Open, settings, keyboard settings, line editing, comments, search, formatting, symbol actions, the integrated terminal, and basic file operations.
The reference is intentionally bounded and auditable. Each row stores one command, one category, and explicit mappings for all three displayed platforms. Eight golden mappings cover Command Palette, Quick Open, Delete Line, Insert Line Below, Toggle Line Comment, Toggle Block Comment, Format Document, and Toggle Integrated Terminal. Tests also enforce exactly 20 unique command names and exercise search by words and key labels.
Microsoft's current Windows, Linux, and macOS shortcut PDFs independently supply the platform mappings. This separation matters: Format Document and Toggle Block Comment differ on Linux instead of matching Windows. The VS Code keyboard customization documentation supplies the scope rules: displayed keys assume a standard US layout, shortcuts can be chords made of two sequential presses, and rules can include context conditions.
A chord such as Ctrl+K Ctrl+S means press the first combination, release it, then press the second combination. It is not one simultaneous four-key press. The table writes modifiers as Ctrl, Shift, Alt, Cmd, Option, or Control for readable text search rather than relying only on platform glyphs. F1, F2, and F12 style function keys can still be intercepted by laptop hardware settings.
Defaults are not guarantees for every installation. VS Code renders keys according to the active keyboard layout. User keybindings, keymap extensions, other extensions, operating-system shortcuts, accessibility tools, remote environments, and context-specific when clauses can change what happens. Linux window managers can also reserve combinations that VS Code normally uses.
Search runs only against the fixed in-browser table. The page does not install an extension, read VS Code settings, monitor global keyboard input, change keybindings.json, or detect conflicts on the user's machine. It therefore cannot prove that a listed default is currently active in a customized profile.
The platform selector is part of the truth boundary, not just presentation. Windows and Linux share many Ctrl shortcuts, but the table does not assume they are identical. For example, the official Linux reference uses Ctrl+Shift+I for Format Document and Ctrl+Shift+A for Toggle Block Comment, while Windows uses Shift+Alt+F and Shift+Alt+A. macOS uses Shift+Option+F and Shift+Option+A for those commands.
If a shortcut behaves differently, open VS Code's Keyboard Shortcuts editor with the platform's listed command, search the command name, and inspect its current binding and when clause. The built-in command Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting can show which key VS Code receives and which command is dispatched.
This desk reference does not claim to include every built-in or extension-contributed command. It omits debugging sequences beyond common symbol actions, task bindings, notebook-specific commands, accessibility-specific alternatives, Vim or Emacs keymaps, and localized layout variants. Use the built-in editor or Microsoft's full platform PDF when the required command is not in these 20 rows.
Methodology & sources
Maintain a bounded 20-row table with command, category, and distinct Windows, Linux, and macOS defaults. Source-check eight representative golden mappings against Microsoft's current platform PDFs, assert exact table size and unique commands, normalize a local query, filter command/category/key text case-insensitively, and disclose US-layout, chord, context, extension, operating-system, and customization limits.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this list every VS Code shortcut?
- No. It intentionally covers 20 common, source-checked default commands.
- What does a shortcut chord mean?
- A chord such as Ctrl+K Ctrl+S uses two sequential key combinations, not one simultaneous press.
- Why might a listed shortcut not work?
- Keyboard layout, operating-system bindings, extensions, context rules, or user customization can override a default.
- Does this page read my VS Code configuration?
- No. It filters a fixed local reference and never accesses your editor settings or global keystrokes.
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