Mastering Efficiency:Top 15 Useful VSCode Shortcuts

This article will discuss the top 15 useful shortcuts in VSCode that can help you increase your productivity and efficiency while coding. VSCode is a popular code editor among developers because of its versatility and user-friendly interface. Although it offers a wide range of features, keyboard shortcuts are one of the quickest ways to enhance your coding productivity. This post will explore the top 15 VSCode shortcuts that can help you code faster and more efficiently.

1. Ctrl + Shift + P or Cmd + Shift + P (Command Palette)

The Command Palette is the central hub for all the functions and shortcuts available in VS Code. It provides you with quick access to all the operations you need to work productively. To open the Command Palette, simply press Ctrl + ⇧ + P or Cmd + ⇧ + P.

2. Ctrl + P or Cmd + P (Quick Open)

When working on a large project, use Ctrl + P to quickly open files by name and save time.

3. Ctrl + (Backtick) (Toggle Integrated Terminal)

Toggle the output panel to view terminal without leaving your code by using the keyboard shortcut Ctr + `.

4. Ctrl + / or Cmd + / (Toggle Line Comment)

Use Ctrl + / or Cmd + / to toggle comments for selected code or current line for easier debugging.

5. Alt + Up/Down (Move Line Up/Down)

Rearrange lines of code by using Alt + ↑ to move them up or Alt + ↓ to move them down in your document effortlessly.

6. Shift + Alt + Up/Down or Shift + Option + Up/down (Copy Line)

Copying a line in VS Code is made easy with this shortcut. Simply navigate to the line you want to duplicate and use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Alt + Up/Down on Windows or Shift+ Option + Up/down on Mac to create a copy of the current line either above or below it. This is a quick and convenient way to repeat code or text without having to manually retype it.

7. Ctrl + D or Cmd + D (Multi-Cursor Selection)

The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + D or Cmd + D provides a quick and efficient way of selecting and editing multiple instances of a word or phrase at the same time. This is particularly useful when dealing with multiple instances of a particular element and saves you the time and effort of editing each instance separately.

8. Ctrl + Shift + L or Cmd + Shift + L (Select All Occurrences)

To select all occurrences of a word or phrase for simultaneous editing, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + L or Cmd + Shift + L.

9. Ctrl + B or Cmd + B (Toggle Sidebar)

Maximize your coding workspace by showing/hiding the sidebar with the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + B or Cmd + B.

10. Ctrl + F or Cmd + F (Find)

Quickly search for text within your document using Ctrl + F or Cmd + F and navigate to the next occurrence with F3 or Cmd + G on Mac. And use Ctrl + shift + F or Cmd + shift + F to search in all files.

11. Ctrl + J or Cmd + J (Toggle Panel)

Use the Ctrl + J or Cmd + J to execute commands and scripts without leaving the editor by opening and closing the integrated terminal window.

12. Ctrl + T or Cmd + T (Go to Symbol)

Navigate quickly to a specific function, variable, or symbol in your codebase with the Ctrl + T or Cmd + T keyboard shortcut.

13. Ctrl + \ or Cmd + \ (Split Editor)

By splitting the editor window horizontally using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + \ or Cmd + \ , you can edit and view different parts of the same file simultaneously.

14. Ctrl + Alt + Up/Down or Cmd + Option + Up/Down (Multiple Cursors)

Multiple cursors enable simultaneous editing of multiple lines, which is useful for making similar changes across lines. To create multiple cursors, use the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Up/Down or Cmd + Option + Up/Down.

15. Ctrl + Shift + K or Cmd + Shift + K (Delete a line)

To avoid deleting a line letter by letter or word by word, you can use the Delete the Line feature. In VS Code, you can easily delete an entire line by pressing Ctrl + Shift + K on Windows or by Cmd + Shift + K on Mac when your cursor is on the line you want to delete. You can also press Cmd + Delete button to delete a line.

In this blog post, we discuss some of the most useful and common VSCode shortcuts that can 10x your productivity. If you would like a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for VSCode, you can download it below based on your operating system.

Keyboard shortcuts for MacOS

Keyboard shortcuts for Windows

Keyboard shortcuts for Linux

Thank you for reading. Happy Coding! 😊👨‍💻👩‍💻