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Dipak Ahirav
Dipak Ahirav

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Essential Visual Studio Code Shortcuts for Boosting Your Productivity

As developers, we spend a significant amount of time working in our code editors, and efficiency is key to maximizing productivity. Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a powerful, lightweight code editor with an extensive range of keyboard shortcuts designed to save you time and streamline your workflow. Here’s a comprehensive list of some of the most useful shortcuts in VS Code.

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General Shortcuts

  • Ctrl+P: Quick Open, Go to File
  • Ctrl+Shift+P / F1: Show Command Palette
  • Ctrl+Shift+N: New Window/Instance
  • Ctrl+Shift+W: Close Window/Instance
  • Ctrl+,: Open Settings

Basic Editing

  • Ctrl+X: Cut line (empty selection)
  • Ctrl+C: Copy line (empty selection)
  • Alt+↑ / Alt+↓: Move line up/down
  • Shift+Alt+↓ / Shift+Alt+↑: Copy line up/down
  • Ctrl+Shift+K: Delete line
  • Ctrl+Enter: Insert line below
  • Ctrl+Shift+Enter: Insert line above
  • Ctrl+Shift+: Jump to matching bracket
  • Ctrl+] / Ctrl+[: Indent/outdent line
  • Home / End: Go to beginning/end of line
  • Ctrl+Home: Go to beginning of file
  • Ctrl+End: Go to end of file
  • Ctrl+↑ / Ctrl+↓: Scroll line up/down

Multi-cursor and Selection

  • Alt+Click: Insert cursor
  • Ctrl+Alt+↑ / Ctrl+Alt+↓: Insert cursor above/below
  • Ctrl+U: Undo last cursor operation
  • Shift+Alt+I: Insert cursor at end of each line selected
  • Ctrl+L: Select current line
  • Ctrl+Shift+L: Select all occurrences of current selection
  • Ctrl+F2: Select all occurrences of current word
  • Shift+Alt+→: Expand selection
  • Shift+Alt+←: Shrink selection
  • Shift+Alt+(drag mouse): Column (box) selection
  • Ctrl+Shift+Alt+(arrow keys): Column (box) selection

Search and Replace

  • Ctrl+F: Find
  • Ctrl+H: Replace
  • F3 / Shift+F3: Find next/previous
  • Alt+Enter: Select all occurrences of Find match
  • Ctrl+D: Add selection to next Find match
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+D: Move last selection to next Find match

Navigation

  • Ctrl+T: Show all Symbols
  • Ctrl+G: Go to Line...
  • Ctrl+P: Go to File...
  • Ctrl+Shift+O: Go to Symbol...
  • Ctrl+Shift+M: Show Problems panel
  • F8: Go to next error or warning
  • Shift+F8: Go to previous error or warning
  • Ctrl+Shift+Tab: Navigate editor group history
  • Ctrl+- / Ctrl+Shift+-: Go back/forward
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+Q: Go to last editor in group

Editor Management

  • Ctrl+: Split editor
  • Ctrl+1 / Ctrl+2 / Ctrl+3: Focus into 1st, 2nd, 3rd editor group
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+← / Ctrl+K Ctrl+→: Focus into previous/next editor group
  • Ctrl+Shift+PgUp / Ctrl+Shift+PgDn: Move editor left/right
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+W: Close all editors

File Management

  • Ctrl+N: New File
  • Ctrl+O: Open File...
  • Ctrl+S: Save
  • Ctrl+Shift+S: Save As...
  • Ctrl+K S: Save All
  • Ctrl+F4 / Ctrl+W: Close Editor
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+F: Close folder

Display

  • F11: Toggle full screen
  • Shift+Alt+0: Toggle editor layout (horizontal/vertical)
  • Ctrl+Shift+F: Search across files
  • Ctrl+B: Toggle sidebar visibility
  • Ctrl+Shift+E: Show Explorer / Toggle focus
  • Ctrl+Shift+G: Show Source Control
  • Ctrl+Shift+D: Show Debug
  • Ctrl+Shift+X: Show Extensions
  • Ctrl+Shift+H: Replace in files
  • Ctrl+Shift+J: Toggle search details
  • Ctrl+Shift+U: Show Output panel
  • Ctrl+Shift+V: Open Markdown preview
  • Ctrl+K V: Open Markdown preview to the side

Integrated Terminal

  • Ctrl+`: Show integrated terminal
  • Ctrl+Shift+`: Create new terminal
  • Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V: Copy/Paste in terminal
  • Ctrl+↑ / Ctrl+↓: Scroll up/down in terminal
  • Shift+PgUp / Shift+PgDn: Scroll page up/down in terminal

Debugging

  • F9: Toggle breakpoint
  • F5: Start/Continue
  • Shift+F5: Stop
  • F11 / Shift+F11: Step into/out
  • F10: Step over
  • Ctrl+K Ctrl+I: Show hover

By integrating these shortcuts into your daily workflow, you can significantly speed up your development process and become a more efficient coder. Happy coding!

Feel free to leave comments or ask questions below. If you have more tips and tricks, share them with the community!


How to Use This List

  1. Learn Gradually: Try to learn a few shortcuts at a time instead of memorizing the entire list at once.
  2. Customize Shortcuts: If a default shortcut doesn’t fit your workflow, customize it. Go to File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts.
  3. Practice: Regular use will help cement these shortcuts in your memory.

Remember, the goal is to make coding more efficient and enjoyable. Keep experimenting with different shortcuts and find what works best for you.

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