Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Searchable shortcuts for VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, and Terminal. Click any shortcut to copy it.
| Shortcut | Description | Category |
|---|
How to Use the Shortcuts Reference
- Choose your IDE — select VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, or Terminal from the option chips.
- Toggle your OS — click Windows or macOS to see the correct modifier keys (Ctrl vs. Cmd).
- Filter by category — click a category badge to see only those shortcuts.
- Search — type in the search box to filter by shortcut key or description.
- Copy a shortcut — click any shortcut key string to copy it to your clipboard.
VS Code Power User Tips
VS Code's Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) is the single most valuable shortcut to learn — it gives you access to every command in the editor by name, including commands you've never used before. The second most useful shortcut is Multi-Cursor (Alt+Click / Option+Click) which lets you edit multiple locations simultaneously, eliminating repetitive find-and-replace tasks. The Go to Definition shortcut (F12) and Peek Definition (Alt+F12 / Option+F12) are essential for navigating large codebases without losing your place. Use Ctrl+P / Cmd+P to open any file by name, which is much faster than clicking through the file tree.
JetBrains IDE Efficiency
JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, etc.) share almost all of their shortcuts across products. The "Search Everywhere" dialog (double-tap Shift) is the starting point for navigation. Alt+Enter / Option+Enter triggers context-aware actions and quick fixes — this single shortcut can import missing classes, add null checks, refactor variable types, and more. The Refactor menu (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T / Ctrl+T on macOS) provides safe automated refactoring: rename, extract method, inline, move, and more. Enable "Distraction Free Mode" (View menu) and use Ctrl+E / Cmd+E for recent files navigation to maintain focus.
Learning Vim
Vim's modal editing model is what makes it uniquely powerful. In Normal mode, every key is a command. In Insert mode, keys produce text. The most important concept is that Vim commands compose: d (delete) + w (word) = dw (delete word), c (change) + $ (to end of line) = c$ (change to end of line). This composability means learning ~20 motions and ~10 operators gives you hundreds of combinations. Start with the absolute basics: hjkl for movement, i/a for insert, Esc for normal mode, :w to save, :q to quit. Run vimtutor in your terminal for an interactive 30-minute introduction that covers everything you need to get productive.
Terminal Productivity
Bash and Zsh share Readline keybindings that dramatically speed up command-line work. Ctrl+R opens reverse history search — start typing any part of a previous command to find it instantly. Ctrl+A / Ctrl+E jump to the start/end of the line, much faster than holding the arrow keys. Alt+Backspace (or Ctrl+W) deletes the previous word, useful for correcting typos in long commands. Ctrl+L clears the screen without losing your current command. The !! expression reruns the last command — sudo !! is the fastest way to re-run a command with elevated privileges. Learn these 10 Readline shortcuts and you'll save hours every week.
Customizing Your Shortcuts
All modern IDEs allow you to customize keyboard shortcuts. In VS Code, open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor with Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (or Cmd+K Cmd+S on macOS). You can override any default binding, add shortcuts to commands that don't have one, and share your keybindings.json via Settings Sync or dotfiles. JetBrains IDEs let you create and share keymap profiles — the Keymap settings page (Preferences → Keymap) shows all commands grouped by category with a built-in search. If you're transitioning from another editor, JetBrains offers VS Code, Emacs, and Vim keymap compatibility layers so you don't need to relearn your muscle memory.