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Essential VS Code Shortcuts and Layout Basics

A handful of shortcuts is enough to make VS Code feel dramatically faster to move around in.

  1. Understand the layout

    VS Code is built around a sidebar (Explorer) on the left, the editor area in the middle, an integrated terminal at the bottom, and a status bar along the very bottom edge β€” learning this structure alone makes navigation much easier.

  2. Use the Command Palette

    Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) to open the Command Palette, where you can search for a command by name and run it instantly instead of hunting through menus.

  3. Open files quickly

    Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) and type part of a filename to jump straight to it, without clicking through folders.

  4. Edit multiple lines at once with multi-cursor

    Hold Alt (Option on Mac) and click anywhere to place additional cursors, letting you edit several lines simultaneously and cutting down on repetitive edits.

  5. Open the integrated terminal

    Press Ctrl+` (backtick) to open a terminal right inside the editor, so you can run commands without switching windows.

  6. Use Settings Sync across devices

    Sign in and turn on Settings Sync to carry your extensions, keybindings, and theme over to any other computer you use.

Command Palette: the fastest way to do almost anything

Beyond just running commands, the Command Palette can rename symbols, change the file’s language mode, toggle settings, and open any installed extension’s features β€” typing a keyword is usually faster than digging through nested menus once you get used to it.

Getting more out of multi-cursor editing

Beyond Alt+click, Ctrl+D (Cmd+D on Mac) selects the next occurrence of the word under your cursor each time you press it, which is a fast way to rename several matching variables at once without a full find-and-replace.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Settings Sync require a paid account?

No β€” signing in with a free Microsoft or GitHub account is enough to turn on Settings Sync; no paid subscription is needed.

Are the shortcuts the same on Windows, Mac, and Linux?

Mostly, except Ctrl is generally replaced with Cmd on macOS (for example, Cmd+Shift+P instead of Ctrl+Shift+P). Windows and Linux share the same Ctrl-based shortcuts in almost all cases.