VS Code vs Cursor Shortcuts
A side-by-side comparison of keyboard shortcuts between VS Code (72 shortcuts) and Cursor (30 shortcuts) on macOS. See how common actions map across both apps.
Shared Categories
These shortcut categories exist in both apps. Compare how the same actions are mapped to different key combinations.
General
| VS Code | Action | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| ⇧ ⌘ P | Command Palette | ⇧ ⌘ P |
| ⌘ P | Quick Open File | — |
| ⇧ ⌘ N | New Window | — |
| ⌘ B | Toggle Sidebar | — |
| ⌘ J | shortcuts.vscode.togglePanel | — |
| ⇧ ⌘ E | Explorer | — |
| ⇧ ⌘ F | Search | — |
| ⇧ ⌘ G | Source Control | — |
Only in VS Code
Basic editing (5)
| ⌘ X | Cut line (empty selection) |
| ⌘ C | Copy line (empty selection) |
| ⇧ ⌘ \\ | Jump to matching bracket |
| ⌥ ⇧ A | Toggle block comment |
| ⌥ Z | Toggle Word Wrap |
Rich language editing (7)
| ⌃ Space | Trigger suggestion |
| ⇧ ⌘ Space | Trigger Parameter Hints |
| ⌥ ⇧ F | Format Document |
| ⌥ F12 | Peek Definition |
| ⌘ . | Quick Fix |
Navigation (4)
| ⌘ T | Show All Symbols |
| ⇧ ⌘ M | Show Problems panel |
| ⌃ ⇧ Tab | Navigate editor group history |
| ⌃ ⇧ M | Toggle Tab moves focus |
Editor management (1)
| ⌘ \\ | Split editor |
Search and replace (1)
| ⌥ ↩ | Select all occurrences of Find match |
Display (7)
| ⌃ ⌘ F | Toggle full screen |
| ⌥ ⌘ 0 | Toggle editor layout (horizontal/vertical) |
| ⌃ ⇧ G | Show Source Control |
| ⇧ ⌘ H | Replace in Files |
| ⇧ ⌘ J | Toggle Search Details |
File management (6)
| ⌘ N | New File |
| ⌘ O | Open File... |
| ⌘ S | Save |
| ⇧ ⌘ S | Save As |
| ⌥ ⌘ S | Save All |
Debug (4)
| F9 | Toggle Breakpoint |
| F5 | Start/Continue |
| F10 | Step Over |
| ⇧ F5 | Stop |
Integrated terminal (1)
| ⌃ ⇧ ` | Create new terminal |
Multi-cursor selection (9)
| ⌥ ⌘ ↑ | Insert Cursor Above |
| ⌥ ⌘ ↓ | Insert Cursor Below |
| ⌘ U | Undo last cursor operation |
| ⌥ ⇧ I | Insert cursor at end of each line selected |
| ⌘ I | Select current line |
Only in Cursor
Chat (13)
| ⌃ ↩ | Queue Message |
| ⇧ ⌘ Delete | Cancel Generation |
| ⇧ ⌘ L | Add Selected Code as Context |
| ⇧ ⌘ V | Add Clipboard to Input Box |
| ⌘ Delete | Reject All Changes |
Inline Edit (2)
| ⇧ ⌘ K | Toggle Edit Input Focus |
| ⌥ ↩ | Ask Quick Question |
Code & Context (4)
| ⇧ ⌘ K | Add Selection to Edit |
| ⌘ M | Toggle File Reading Strategies |
| ⌘ → | Accept Next Word |
| Tab | Accept Suggestion |
Terminal (3)
| ⌘ K | Open Terminal Prompt Bar |
| ⌘ ↩ | Run Generated Command |
| Esc | Accept Command |
Switching Between VS Code and Cursor
Both VS Code and Cursor are popular tools in the Development category. When switching between them, the biggest challenge is re-learning keyboard shortcuts — actions you perform automatically in one app require conscious effort in the other.
The comparison above highlights where shortcuts overlap (making the transition easier) and where they differ (requiring new muscle memory). Focus on learning the differences first, since the shared shortcuts will transfer naturally.
For a complete shortcut reference, visit the full shortcut pages: