Visual Studio Code (VSCode) Cheat Sheet for Windows

Introduction

Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a powerful and popular code editor developed by Microsoft. It supports various programming languages and offers a plethora of features to enhance coding productivity. Mastering VSCode keyboard shortcuts can significantly improve your workflow. This cheat sheet provides a quick reference to some of the most commonly used VSCode keyboard shortcuts for Windows.

VSCode Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

General

Action Windows
Show Command Palette Ctrl + Shift + P, F1
Quick Open, Go to File… Ctrl + P
New window/instance Ctrl + Shift + N
Close window/instance Ctrl + Shift + W
User Settings Ctrl + ,
Keyboard Shortcuts Ctrl + K Ctrl + S

Basic Editing

Action Windows
Cut line (empty selection) Ctrl + X
Copy line (empty selection) Ctrl + C
Move line up/down Alt + ↑ / ↓
Copy line up/down Shift + Alt + ↑ / ↓
Delete line Ctrl + Shift + K
Insert line below Ctrl + Enter
Insert line above Ctrl + Shift + Enter
Jump to matching bracket Ctrl + Shift + \
Indent/outdent line Ctrl + ] / [
Go to beginning/end of line Home / End
Go to beginning of file Ctrl + Home
Go to end of file Ctrl + End
Scroll line up/down Ctrl + ↑ / ↓
Scroll page up/down Alt + PgUp / PgDn
Fold (collapse) region Ctrl + Shift + [
Unfold (uncollapse) region Ctrl + Shift + ]
Fold (collapse) all subregions Ctrl + K Ctrl + [
Unfold (uncollapse) all subregions Ctrl + K Ctrl + ]
Fold (collapse) all regions Ctrl + K Ctrl + 0
Unfold (uncollapse) all regions Ctrl + K Ctrl + J
Add line comment Ctrl + K Ctrl + C
Remove line comment Ctrl + K Ctrl + U
Toggle line comment Ctrl + /
Toggle block comment Shift + Alt + A
Toggle word wrap Alt + Z
Action Windows
Show all Symbols Ctrl + T
Go to Line... Ctrl + G
Go to File... Ctrl + P
Go to Symbol... Ctrl + Shift + O
Show Problems panel Ctrl + Shift + M
Go to next error or warning F8
Go to previous error or warning Shift + F8
Navigate editor group history Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Go back / forward Alt + ← / →
Toggle Tab moves focus Ctrl + M

Search and Replace

Action Windows
Find Ctrl + F
Replace Ctrl + H
Find next/previous F3 / Shift + F3
Select all occurrences of Find match Alt + Enter
Add selection to next Find match Ctrl + D
Move last selection to next Find match Ctrl + K Ctrl + D
Toggle case-sensitive / regex / whole word Alt + C / R / W

Multi-cursor and Selection

Action Windows
Insert cursor Alt + Click
Insert cursor above/below Ctrl + Alt + ↑ / ↓
Undo last cursor operation Ctrl + U
Insert cursor at end of each line selected Shift + Alt + I
Select current line Ctrl + L
Select all occurrences of current selection Ctrl + Shift + L
Select all occurrences of current word Ctrl + F2
Expand selection Shift + Alt + →
Shrink selection Shift + Alt + ←
Column (box) selection Ctrl + Shift + Alt + (arrow key)
Column (box) selection page up/down Ctrl + Shift + Alt + PgUp/PgDn

Rich Languages Editing

Action Windows
Trigger suggestion Ctrl + Space, Ctrl + I
Trigger parameter hints Ctrl + Shift + Space
Format document Shift + Alt + F
Format selection Ctrl + K Ctrl + F
Go to Definition F12
Peek Definition Alt + F12
Open Definition to the side Ctrl + K F12
Quick Fix Ctrl + .
Show References Shift + F12
Rename Symbol F2
Trim trailing whitespace Ctrl + K Ctrl + X
Change file language Ctrl + K M

Editor Management

Action Windows
Close editor Ctrl + F4, Ctrl + W
Close folder Ctrl + K F
Split editor Ctrl + \
Focus into 1st, 2nd or 3rd editor group Ctrl + 1 / 2 / 3
Focus into previous/next editor group Ctrl + K Ctrl + ←/→
Move editor left/right Ctrl + Shift + PgUp / PgDn
Move active editor group Ctrl + K ← / →

File Management

Action Windows
New File Ctrl + N
Open File... Ctrl + O
Save Ctrl + S
Save As... Ctrl + Shift + S
Save All Ctrl + K S
Close Ctrl + F4
Close All Ctrl + K Ctrl + W
Reopen closed editor Ctrl + Shift + T
Keep preview mode editor open Ctrl + K Enter
Open next Ctrl + Tab
Open previous Ctrl + Shift + Tab
Copy path of active file Ctrl + K P
Reveal active file in Explorer Ctrl + K R
Show active file in new window/instance Ctrl + K O

Display

Action Windows
Toggle full screen F11
Toggle editor layout (horizontal/vertical) Shift + Alt + 0
Zoom in/out Ctrl + = / -
Toggle Sidebar visibility Ctrl + B
Show Explorer / Toggle focus Ctrl + Shift + E
Show Search Ctrl + Shift + F
Show Source Control Ctrl + Shift + G
Show Debug Ctrl + Shift + D
Show Extensions Ctrl + Shift + X
Replace in files Ctrl + Shift + H
Toggle Search details Ctrl + Shift + J
Show Output panel Ctrl + Shift + U
Open Markdown preview Ctrl + Shift + V
Open Markdown preview to the side Ctrl + K V
Zen Mode Ctrl + K Z

Debug

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

Integrated Terminal

Action Windows
Show integrated terminal Ctrl +
Create new terminal Ctrl + Shift +
Copy selection Ctrl + C
Paste into active terminal Ctrl + V
Scroll up/down Ctrl + ↑ / ↓
Scroll page up/down Shift + PgUp / PgDn
Scroll to top/bottom Ctrl + Home / End

Conclusion

This cheat sheet provides a quick reference to the most commonly used keyboard shortcuts in VSCode for Windows, helping you navigate and operate your development environment more efficiently. Keep this guide handy to enhance your productivity and streamline your coding workflow. Happy coding!

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