VS Code vs Sublime Text Shortcuts
A side-by-side comparison of keyboard shortcuts between VS Code (72 shortcuts) and Sublime Text (63 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 | Sublime Text |
|---|---|---|
| ⇧ ⌘ P | Command Palette | — |
| ⌘ 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 Sublime Text
Editing (10)
| ⌘ X | Cut line |
| ⌘ ↩ | Insert line after |
| ⇧ ⌘ ↩ | Insert line before |
| ⌃ ⇧ ↑ | Extra cursor on the line above |
| ⌃ ⇧ ↓ | Extra cursor on the line below |
Navigation / Goto Anywhere (3)
| ⌘ P | Go to File |
| ⌘ R | Go to Symbol |
| ⌃ G | Go to Line |
Find / Replace (4)
| ⌘ F | Find |
| ⌥ ⌘ F | Replace |
| ⇧ ⌘ F | Find in Files |
| ⌘ I | Incremental Find |
Scrolling (2)
| ⌘ Down | Scroll to end of file |
| ⌘ Up | Scroll to start of file |
Tabs (2)
| ⌘ [NUM] | Jump to tab in current group where num is 1-9 |
| ⌘ 0 | Jump to 10th tab in current group |
Split window (3)
| ⌥ ⌘ 5 | Set view to grid (4 groups) |
| ⌃ [NUM] | Jump to group where num is 1-4 |
| ⌃ ⇧ [NUM] | Move file to specified group where num is 1-4 |
Bookmarks (4)
| ⌘ F2 | Toggle Bookmark |
| F2 | Next Bookmark |
| ⇧ F2 | Previous Bookmark |
| ⇧ ⌘ F2 | Clear Bookmarks |
Switching Between VS Code and Sublime Text
Both VS Code and Sublime Text 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: