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VS Code on macOS uses Command (⌘) as its primary modifier. The full shortcut set, command palette, file navigation, editor operations, terminal, debugger, and source control, follows this pattern throughout. A small number of shortcuts also use the Option (⌥) key, which handles word-by-word navigation and some multi-cursor operations that use Alt on Windows.
Command Palette. Cmd+Shift+P opens the command palette, or F1 as an alternative. Every VS Code command is accessible from here. On Mac this follows the same Cmd+Shift pattern used across many Mac applications.
Word-by-word cursor movement. On macOS, Option+Left and Option+Right move the cursor one word at a time. This matches the standard macOS text navigation behavior used in every other Mac application. On Windows, the same operation uses Ctrl+Left and Ctrl+Right, so this is one of the more noticeable differences when switching between platforms.
Multi-cursor on Mac. Adding a cursor at an arbitrary position uses Option+Click. Adding cursors above or below the current line uses the Cmd+Option combination. The multi-cursor shortcuts use Option where Windows uses Alt.
Integrated terminal. The terminal toggle in VS Code on Mac uses Ctrl+` (backtick), note this is Ctrl, not Command, even on Mac. This is intentional in VS Code's design to keep terminal access consistent across platforms.
System shortcut conflicts. A small number of macOS system shortcuts share keys with VS Code defaults. Cmd+H hides the active application in macOS, pressing it in VS Code hides the window. The table above notes these cases. VS Code's keyboard settings panel can reassign any conflicting shortcuts.
Quick open. Cmd+P opens the quick file finder, type any part of a filename to jump to it. This is one of the most-used navigation shortcuts in VS Code on Mac.
The VS Code macOS shortcut list is available as a printable PDF. The multi-cursor and debugger sections are good candidates for printing, these have enough distinct shortcuts that passive memorization from the table alone takes time.
VS Code uses Ctrl+ for the integrated terminal on all platforms, including Mac, to keep the shortcut consistent across Mac, Windows, and Linux. This is a deliberate design choice. Cmd+ on Mac is used by macOS itself to cycle between windows of the same application, which VS Code doesn't override.
A few can. Cmd+H hides the window at the OS level before VS Code can intercept it. These are uncommon in typical editing workflows but worth knowing. VS Code's keyboard shortcuts editor (accessible from the command palette) lets you reassign any shortcut that conflicts with your setup.
Yes. VS Code extensions work across all platforms. Any keyboard shortcuts added by extensions follow the same Command vs. Ctrl modifier pattern as the built-in shortcuts.
Need more than shortcuts?
Visit the Visual Studio Code app page for an overview and helpful links.
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