In development, speed and efficiency are paramount. While powerful tools and frameworks are essential, one of the most significant productivity boosts comes from mastering your keyboard. Moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse is a context switch that, over hundreds of repetitions a day, adds up to a lot of wasted time.
This guide focuses on essential shortcuts for VS Code, one of the most popular editors, as well as some universal OS-level commands that benefit every developer.
Essential VS Code Shortcuts
These commands are the bread and butter of daily coding in Visual Studio Code. (Note: Use Cmd on macOS, Ctrl on Windows/Linux).
Shortcut (Win/Linux)Shortcut (macOS)Action
| Shortcut (Win/Linux) | Shortcut (macOS) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Cmd + P | Go to File: Quickly open any file by name. |
| Ctrl + Shift + P | Cmd + Shift + P | Command Palette: Access all available commands. |
| Ctrl + Shift + F | Cmd + Shift + F | Global Search: Search across all files. |
| Ctrl + B | Cmd + B | Toggle Sidebar Visibility |
| Ctrl + ` | Cmd + ` | Toggle Integrated Terminal |
| Ctrl + D | Cmd + D | Multi-Cursor Selection: Select next occurrence of the current word. |
| Alt + Up/Down | Option + Up/Down | Move current line up or down. |
| Shift + Alt + Up/Down | Shift + Option + Up/Down | Duplicate current line up or down. |
| F2 | F2 | Symbol Rename: Rename a variable or function across the entire project. |
| Ctrl + / | Cmd + / | Toggle line comment. |
OS-Level Shortcuts for Developers
Efficiency isn’t just about your code editor. Mastering your operating system is just as crucial for managing Windows, terminals, and files.
Window Management
- Windows: Win + Left/Right Arrow to snap a window to one half of the screen. Perfect for viewing code and a browser side by side.
- macOS: Use a window manager like Rectangle (free) or Magnet (paid) to get powerful keyboard-driven window snapping.
- All OS: Alt + Tab (Cmd + Tab on macOS) to quickly switch between open applications.
Terminal Commands
- Ctrl + R: (Bash/Zsh) Search through your command history.
- Ctrl + A: Move the cursor to the beginning of the line.
- Ctrl + E: Move the cursor to the end of the line.
- !!: Re-run the last command (handy for re-running a command with sudo).
Committing these shortcuts to muscle memory is an investment that will pay dividends for your entire career. Start by picking one or two new shortcuts a week and consciously using them until they become second nature.
For a complete list, check out the official cheat sheet for your operating system: