Ctrl as primary modifier. The shortcut set is identical to Windows: Ctrl+Shift+P for the command palette, Ctrl+P for quick file open, Ctrl+` for the integrated terminal, and so on throughout.
Desktop environment conflicts. Some DEs bind keyboard shortcuts at the system level that overlap with VS Code defaults. Common sources of conflict:
- GNOME: Super key shortcuts (for Activities and app switching) don't conflict with VS Code, but some Alt-based window management shortcuts might. GNOME's keyboard settings (Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts) is where to check and disable conflicting bindings.
- KDE: KDE's global shortcut system can capture a wider range of Ctrl and Alt combinations. Checking System Settings → Shortcuts → Global Shortcuts before assuming VS Code is the problem is worth doing.
- Tiling WMs (i3, Sway, etc.): Window manager shortcuts use a configurable mod key (often Super or Alt). Most tiling WM users configure their mod key specifically to avoid application shortcut conflicts. If you use a tiling WM, your configuration likely already handles this.
VS Code keyboard customization on Linux. VS Code's built-in keyboard shortcut editor (accessible from the command palette: search "Open Keyboard Shortcuts") is where to reassign any conflicting shortcut. Linux users tend to use this more than Mac or Windows users because of DE conflicts, it's worth knowing it exists and is easy to use.
Wayland note. VS Code on Wayland (as opposed to X11) handles some keyboard input differently. A small number of shortcut combinations may behave unexpectedly on Wayland. If a shortcut works on X11 but not Wayland, checking VS Code's GitHub issues for the specific combination is the fastest path to a fix.