VS Code Cheat Sheet

Posted on Aug 3, 2018 (last modified Nov 2, 2021)

VS Code Icon This is my personal cheat sheet for Microsoft Visual Studio Code (VS Code).

Contents

Keyboard shortcuts for Windows

General

ActionKey(s)
Show Command PaletteCTRL + SHIFT + P, F1
Quick Open, Go to File…CTRL + P
New window/instanceCTRL + SHIFT + N
Close window/instanceCTRL + SHIFT + W
User SettingsCTRL + ,
Keyboard ShortcutsCTRL + K CTRL + S

Basic editing

ActionKey(s)
Cut line (empty selection)Ctrl + X
Copy line (empty selection)Ctrl + C
Move line up/downAlt + /
Copy line up/downShift + Alt + /
Delete lineCtrl + Shift + K
Insert line belowCtrl + Enter
Insert line aboveCtrl + Shift + Enter
Jump to matching bracketCtrl + Shift + \
Indent/outdent lineCtrl + ] / [
Go to beginning/end of lineHome / End
Go to beginning of fileCtrl + Home
Go to end of fileCtrl + End
Scroll line up/downCtrl + /
Scroll page up/downAlt + PgUp / PgDn
Fold (collapse) regionCtrl + Shift + [
Unfold (uncollapse) regionCtrl + Shift + ]
Fold (collapse) all subregionsCtrl + K Ctrl + [
Unfold (uncollapse) all subregionsCtrl + K Ctrl + ]
Fold (collapse) all regionsCtrl + K Ctrl + 0
Unfold (uncollapse) all regionsCtrl + K Ctrl + J
Add line commentCtrl + K Ctrl + C
Remove line commentCtrl + K Ctrl + U
Toggle line commentCtrl + /
Toggle block commentShift + Alt + A
Toggle word wrapAlt + Z

Navigation

ActionKey(s)
Show all SymbolsCTRL + T
Go to Line...CTRL + G
Go to File...CTRL + P
Go to Symbol...CTRL + SHIFT + O
Show Problems panelCTRL + SHIFT + M
Go to next error or warningF8
Go to previous error or warningSHIFT + F8
Navigate editor group historyCTRL + SHIFT + TAB
Go back / forwardALT + /
Toggle Tab moves focusCTRL + M

Search and replace

ActionKey(s)
FindCTRL + F
ReplaceCTRL + H
Find next/previousF3 / SHIFT + F3
Select all occurences of Find matchALT + ENTER
Add selection to next Find matchCTRL + D
Move last selection to next Find matchCTRL + K CTRL + D
Toggle case-sensitive / regex / whole wordALT + C / R / W

Multi-cursor and selection

ActionKey(s)
Insert cursorALT + Click
Insert cursor above / belowCTRL + ALT + /
Undo last cursor operationCTRL + U
Insert cursor at end of each line selectedSHIFT + ALT + I
Select current lineCTRL + L
Select all occurrences of current selectionCTRL + SHIFT + L
Select all occurrences of current wordCTRL + F2
Expand selectionSHIFT + ALT +
Shrink selectionSHIFT + ALT +
Column (box) selectionSHIFT + ALT + (drag mouse)
Column (box) selectionCTRL + SHIFT + ALT + (arrow key)
Column (box) selection page up/downCTRL + SHIFT + ALT + PgUp / PgDn

Rich languages editing

ActionKey(s)
Trigger suggestionCTRL + SPACE
Trigger parameter hintsCTRL + SHIFT + SPACE
Format documentSHIFT + ALT + F
Format selectionCTRL + K CTRL + F
Go to DefinitionF12
Peek DefinitionALT + F12
Open Definition to the sideCTRL + K F12
Quick FixCTRL + .
Show ReferencesSHIFT + F12
Rename SymbolF2
Trim trailing whitespaceCTRL + K CTRL + X
Change file languageCTRL + K M

Editor management

ActionKey(s)
Close editorCTRL + F4, CTRL +
Close folderCTRL + K F
Split editorCTRL +
Focus into 1st, 2nd or 3rd editor groupCTRL + 1 / 2 / 3
Focus into previous/next editor groupCTRL + K CTRL + /
Move editor left/rightCTRL + SHIFT + PgUp / PgDn
Move active editor groupCTRL + K /

File management

ActionKey(s)
New FileCTRL + N
Open File...CTRL + O
SaveCTRL + S
Save As...CTRL + SHIFT + S
Save AllCTRL + K S
CloseCTRL + F4
Close AllCTRL + K CTRL + W
Reopen closed editorCTRL + SHIFT + T
Enter Keep preview mode editor openCTRL + K
Open nextCTRL + Tab
Open previousCTRL + SHIFT + Tab
Copy path of active fileCTRL + K P
Reveal active file in ExplorerCTRL + K R
Show active file in new window/instanceCTRL + K O

Display

ActionKey(s)
Toggle full screenF11
Toggle editor layout (horizontal/vertical)SHIFT + ALT + 0
Zoom in/outCTRL + = / -
Toggle Sidebar visibilityCTRL + B
Show Explorer / Toggle focusCTRL + SHIFT + E
Show SearchCTRL + SHIFT + F
Show Source ControlCTRL + SHIFT + G
Show DebugCTRL + SHIFT + D
Show ExtensionsCTRL + SHIFT + X
Replace in filesCTRL + SHIFT + H
Toggle Search detailsCTRL + SHIFT + J
Show Output panelCTRL + SHIFT + U
Open Markdown previewCTRL + SHIFT + V
Open Markdown preview to the sideCTRL + K V
Zen Mode (Esc Esc to exit)CTRL + K Z

Debug

ActionKey(s)
Toggle breakpointF9
Start/ContinueF5
StopSHIFT + F5
Step into/outF11 / SHIFT + F11
Step overF10
Show hoverCTRL + K CTRL + I

Integrated terminal

ActionKey(s)
Show integrated terminalCTRL + `
Create new terminalCTRL + SHIFT + ` \
Copy selectionCTRL + C
Paste into active terminalCTRL + V
Scroll up/downCTRL + ↑ / ↓
Scroll page up/downSHIFT + PgUp / PgDn
Scroll to top/bottomCTRL + Home / End

For other operating systems’ keyboard shortcuts and additional information, see Key Bindings for Visual Studio Code.

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Preference settings

Following is NOT an exhaustive list of all preference settings that are available. There are more, but these are just the ones I have so far found useful.

To access settings, go to File > Preferences > Settings, or press CTRL + ,

SettingDescription
editor.minimap.enabledControls whether the minimap is shown.
editor.renderControlCharactersControls whether the editor should render control characters.
editor.renderWhitespaceControls whether the editor should render whitespace characters.
explorer.compactFoldersControls whether the explorer should render folders in a compact form. In such a form, single child folders will be compressed in a combined tree element. Useful for Java package structures, for example.
html.autoClosingTagsEnable/disable autoclosing of HTML tags.
javascript.updateImportsOnFileMove.enabledEnable/disable automatic updating of import paths when you rename or move a file in VS Code. Requires using TypeScript 2.9 or newer in the workspace.
window.zoomLevelAdjust the zoom level of the window. The original size is 0 and each increment above (e.g. 1) or below (e.g. -1) represents zooming 20% larger or smaller. You can also enter decimals to adjust the zoom level with a finer granularity.
workbench.tree.indentControls tree indentation in pixels.
workbench.tree.renderIndentGuidesControls whether the tree should render indent guides.

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Extensions

  • Git History - View git log, file history, compare branches or commits.
  • HTML Tag Wrap - Wraps selected code with HTML tags. Select one or more blocks of text or strings of text that you wish to wrap with an HTML tag. Press Alt + W or Option + W for Mac and type the name of the tag.
  • MongoDB For VS Code - Connect to MongoDB and Atlas directly from your VS Code environment, navigate your databases and collections, inspect your schema and use playgrounds to prototype queries and aggregations.

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