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Cursor and VSCode Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Guide for Developers
Cursor and VSCode Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Guide for Developers
Mastering keyboard shortcuts is one of the fastest ways to increase your coding speed and efficiency. This comprehensive reference guide covers all essential shortcuts for Mac users in both Cursor IDE and VSCode. While Cursor is built on VSCode and shares many shortcuts, it has unique AI-powered features with their own key combinations. Whether you're writing code, refactoring, or navigating through files, these shortcuts will significantly boost your development workflow.
Why Learn Cursor and VSCode Shortcuts?
Professional developers can save up to 8 hours per week by efficiently using keyboard shortcuts. For Mac users, these shortcuts are particularly important as they're optimized for the macOS environment and follow Apple's keyboard conventions. Understanding the differences between Cursor IDE and VSCode shortcuts will help you seamlessly transition between both environments.
Multi-Cursor Editing
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Add cursor at mouse position | Option+Click | Option+Click |
| Add cursors above/below | Option+Cmd+Up/Down | Option+Cmd+Up/Down |
| Select next occurrence | Cmd+D | Cmd+D |
| Select all occurrences | Cmd+Shift+L | Cmd+Shift+L |
| Insert cursor at end of line | Option+Cmd+L | Shift+Option+I |
Line Manipulation
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Duplicate line | Shift+Option+Down | Shift+Option+Down |
| Move line up/down | Option+Up/Down | Option+Up/Down |
| Delete line | Cmd+Shift+K | Cmd+Shift+K |
| Insert line below | Cmd+Enter | Cmd+Enter |
| Insert line above | Cmd+Shift+Enter | Cmd+Shift+Enter |
| Join lines | Ctrl+J | Ctrl+J |
Code Folding
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Fold current block | Option+Cmd+[ | Option+Cmd+[ |
| Unfold current block | Option+Cmd+] | Option+Cmd+] |
| Fold all | Cmd+K Cmd+0 | Cmd+K Cmd+0 |
| Unfold all | Cmd+K Cmd+J | Cmd+K Cmd+J |
| Fold level 1-5 | Cmd+K Cmd+1 through Cmd+K Cmd+5 | Cmd+K Cmd+1 through Cmd+K Cmd+5 |
Terminal Controls
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle terminal | Cmd+` | Cmd+` |
| Navigate between terminals | Cmd+Shift+[/] | Cmd+Shift+[/] |
| Create new terminal | Ctrl+Shift+ `` | Ctrl+Shift+ `` |
| Kill active terminal | Cmd+Shift+P then "Terminal: Kill" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Terminal: Kill" |
| Clear terminal | Cmd+K (when terminal is focused) | Cmd+K (when terminal is focused) |
Quick Fixes and Refactoring
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show quick fixes | Cmd+. | Cmd+. |
| Organize imports | Shift+Option+O | Shift+Option+O |
| Rename symbol | F2 | F2 |
| Format document | Shift+Option+F | Shift+Option+F |
| Format selection | Cmd+K Cmd+F | Cmd+K Cmd+F |
| Extract method/variable | Cmd+Shift+P then "Refactor" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Refactor" |
| Smart format with AI | N/A | Cmd+Shift+I |
Managing Editor Splits
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Split editor | Cmd+\ | Cmd+\ |
| Close current editor | Cmd+W | Cmd+W |
| Close all editors | Cmd+K Cmd+W | Cmd+K Cmd+W |
| Navigate between splits | Cmd+1, Cmd+2, etc. | Cmd+1, Cmd+2, etc. |
| Move editor to next group | Cmd+Ctrl+Right | Cmd+Ctrl+Right |
| Move editor to previous group | Cmd+Ctrl+Left | Cmd+Ctrl+Left |
Bracket and Selection
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Jump to matching bracket | Cmd+Shift+\ | Cmd+Shift+\ |
| Select current line | Cmd+L | Cmd+I (AI chat in Cursor) |
| Expand selection | Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+Right | Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+Right |
| Shrink selection | Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+Left | Ctrl+Shift+Cmd+Left |
| Select all matches | Cmd+Shift+L | Cmd+Shift+L |
| Select between brackets | Cmd+Shift+M | Cmd+Shift+M |
Navigation History
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Go back | Ctrl+- | Ctrl+- |
| Go forward | Ctrl+Shift+- | Ctrl+Shift+- |
| Go to definition | F12 or Cmd+Click | F12 or Cmd+Click |
| Go to line | Ctrl+G | Ctrl+G |
| Go to symbol in file | Cmd+Shift+O | Cmd+Shift+O |
| Go to symbol in workspace | Cmd+T | Cmd+T |
Zen Mode and Focus
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Toggle Zen mode | Cmd+K Z | Cmd+K Z |
| Toggle sidebar | Cmd+B | Cmd+B |
| Toggle full screen | Ctrl+Cmd+F | Ctrl+Cmd+F |
| Toggle panel | Cmd+J | Cmd+J |
| Focus on editor | Cmd+1 | Cmd+1 |
| Focus on terminal | Ctrl+ `` | Ctrl+ `` |
Search and Replace
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Find | Cmd+F | Cmd+F |
| Replace | Cmd+Option+F | Cmd+Option+F |
| Find in files | Cmd+Shift+F | Cmd+Shift+F |
| Replace in files | Cmd+Shift+H | Cmd+Shift+H |
| Find next | Cmd+G | Cmd+G |
| Find previous | Cmd+Shift+G | Cmd+Shift+G |
File Management
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| New file | Cmd+N | Cmd+N |
| Open file | Cmd+O | Cmd+O |
| Save file | Cmd+S | Cmd+S |
| Save file as | Cmd+Shift+S | Cmd+Shift+S |
| Close file | Cmd+W | Cmd+W |
| Reopen closed editor | Cmd+Shift+T | Cmd+Shift+T |
Git Integration
| Command | VSCode Shortcut | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Show source control | Ctrl+Shift+G | Ctrl+Shift+G |
| Stage changes | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Stage" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Stage" |
| Commit staged | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Commit" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Commit" |
| Push | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Push" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Push" |
| Pull | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Pull" | Cmd+Shift+P then "Git: Pull" |
Cursor IDE AI-Specific Shortcuts
These shortcuts are unique to Cursor IDE and leverage its AI capabilities:
| Command | Cursor Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Generate code with AI | Cmd+K Cmd+G |
| Explain code selection | Cmd+K Cmd+E |
| AI chat in editor | Cmd+I |
| Smart format document with AI | Cmd+Shift+I |
| Edit code with AI | Cmd+K Cmd+M |
| Generate code in context | Cmd+K Cmd+A |
| Send code to AI chat | Cmd+K Cmd+S |
| View AI command palette | Cmd+K Cmd+P |
Productivity Tips for Mac Developers
Customize Your Shortcuts: Use the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (
Cmd+K Cmd+S) in both Cursor and VSCode to personalize shortcuts based on your workflow.Learn Incrementally: Master 2-3 new shortcuts each week rather than trying to memorize all at once.
Use Cheat Sheets: Keep a printed shortcuts reference near your workspace until they become muscle memory.
Watch Your Hands: Reduce the need to switch between keyboard and mouse/trackpad by using navigation shortcuts.
Install Keybinding Extensions: Consider extensions that bring keybindings from other editors you're familiar with (e.g., Vim, Sublime, IntelliJ).
Leverage Cursor's AI Features: Take advantage of Cursor's AI-powered shortcuts to speed up code generation, debugging, and refactoring.
Visualizing Keyboard Shortcuts
Understanding keyboard shortcuts visually can help with memorization. Consider using a keyboard visualizer to practice these combinations.
Conclusion
Investing time to learn these Cursor and VSCode shortcuts for Mac will dramatically increase your development speed and reduce the cognitive load of context-switching. The efficiency gains compound over time, making you a more productive developer while reducing strain from repetitive mouse movements.
Remember that muscle memory takes time to build. Be patient with yourself and focus on the shortcuts most relevant to your daily coding tasks first. Cursor's AI-enhanced features also provide powerful productivity boosts when used with their dedicated shortcuts.
Happy coding!