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.

Cursor IDE Keyboard Shortcuts

Cursor IDE Docs Keyboard Shortcuts

VSCode Keyboard Shortcuts

VSCode Keyboard Shortcuts PDF

VSCode Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

General

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Show Command Palette	`⇧⌘P`, `F1`	`⌘⇧P`
Quick Open, Go to File	`⌘P`	`⌘P`
New window/instance	`⇧⌘N`	`⇧⌘N`
Close window/instance	`⌘W`	`⌘W`
User Settings	`⌘,`	`⌘⇧J`
Keyboard Shortcuts	`⌘K ⌘S`	`⌘K ⌘S`
Open Chat	N/A	`⌘L`
Open Composer	N/A	`⌘I`
Toggle Agent in Composer	N/A	`⌘.`
Toggle between AI models	N/A	`⌘/`

Basic Editing

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Cut line (empty selection)	`⌘X`	`⌘X`
Copy line (empty selection)	`⌘C`	`⌘C`
Move line down/up	`⌥↓` / `⌥↑`	`⌥↓` / `⌥↑`
Copy line down/up	`⇧⌥↓` / `⇧⌥↑`	`⇧⌥↓` / `⇧⌥↑`
Delete line	`⇧⌘K`	`⇧⌘K`
Insert line below/above	`⌘Enter` / `⇧⌘Enter`	`⌘Enter` / `⇧⌘Enter`
Jump to matching bracket	`⇧⌘\`	`⇧⌘\`
Indent/outdent line	`⌘]` / `⌘[`	`⌘]` / `⌘[`
Go to beginning/end of line	`Home` / `End`	`Home` / `End`
Go to beginning/end of file	`⌘↑` / `⌘↓`	`⌘↑` / `⌘↓`
Scroll line up/down	`⌃PgUp` / `⌃PgDn`	`⌃PgUp` / `⌃PgDn`
Scroll page up/down	`⌘PgUp` / `⌘PgDn`	`⌘PgUp` / `⌘PgDn`
Fold/unfold region	`⌥⌘[` / `⌥⌘]`	`⌥⌘[` / `⌥⌘]`
Fold/unfold all subregions	`⌘K ⌘[` / `⌘K ⌘]`	`⌘K ⌘[` / `⌘K ⌘]`
Fold/unfold all regions	`⌘K ⌘0` / `⌘K ⌘J`	`⌘K ⌘0` / `⌘K ⌘J`
Add line comment	`⌘K ⌘C`	`⌘K ⌘C`
Remove line comment	`⌘K ⌘U`	`⌘K ⌘U`
Toggle line comment	`⌘/`	`⌘/`
Toggle block comment	`⇧⌥A`	`⇧⌥A`
Toggle word wrap	`⌥Z`	`⌥Z`

Multi-Cursor and Selection

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Insert cursor	`⌥` + click	`⌥` + click
Insert cursor above	`⌥⌘↑`	`⌥⌘↑`
Insert cursor below	`⌥⌘↓`	`⌥⌘↓`
Undo last cursor operation	`⌘U`	`⌘U`
Insert cursor at end of each line	`⇧⌥I`	`⇧⌥I`
Select current line	`⌘L`	`⌘L` (also opens Chat)
Select all occurrences of current selection	`⇧⌘L`	`⇧⌘L`
Select all occurrences of current word	`⌘F2`	`⌘F2`
Expand / shrink selection	`⌃⇧⌘→` / `⌃⇧⌘←`	`⌃⇧⌘→` / `⌃⇧⌘←`
Column (box) selection	`⇧⌥` + drag mouse	`⇧⌥` + drag mouse
Column (box) selection up/down	`⇧⌥⌘↑` / `⇧⌥⌘↓`	`⇧⌥⌘↑` / `⇧⌥⌘↓`
Column (box) selection left/right	`⇧⌥⌘←` / `⇧⌥⌘→`	`⇧⌥⌘←` / `⇧⌥⌘→`
Column (box) selection page up	`⇧⌥⌘PgUp`	`⇧⌥⌘PgUp`
Column (box) selection page down	`⇧⌥⌘PgDn`	`⇧⌥⌘PgDn`
Add selection to Chat	N/A	`⌘⇧L`
Add selection to Edit	N/A	`⌘⇧K`
Add selection to new chat	N/A	`⌘L`

Search and Replace

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Find	`⌘F`	`⌘F`
Replace	`⌥⌘F`	`⌥⌘F`
Find next/previous	`⌘G` / `⇧⌘G`	`⌘G` / `⇧⌘G`
Select all occurrences of Find match	`⌥Enter`	`⌥Enter`
Add selection to next Find match	`⌘D`	`⌘D`
Move last selection to next Find match	`⌘K ⌘D`	`⌘K ⌘D`
Search codebase in chat	N/A	`⌘Enter` (in chat)

Rich Languages Editing

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Trigger suggestion	`⌃Space`, `⌘I`	`⌃Space`
Trigger parameter hints	`⇧⌘Space`	`⇧⌘Space`
Format document	`⇧⌥F`	`⇧⌥F`
Format selection	`⌘K ⌘F`	`⌘K ⌘F`
Go to Definition	`F12`	`F12`
Peek Definition	`⌥F12`	`⌥F12`
Open Definition to the side	`⌘K F12`	`⌘K F12`
Quick Fix	`⌘.`	`⌘.`
Show References	`⇧F12`	`⇧F12`
Rename Symbol	`F2`	`F2`
Trim trailing whitespace	`⌘K ⌘X`	`⌘K ⌘X`
Change file language	`⌘K M`	`⌘K M`
Accept suggestion	N/A	`Tab`
Accept next word	N/A	`⌘→`

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Show all Symbols	`⌘T`	`⌘T`
Go to Line...	`⌃G`	`⌃G`
Go to File...	`⌘P`	`⌘P`
Go to Symbol...	`⇧⌘O`	`⇧⌘O`
Show Problems panel	`⇧⌘M`	`⇧⌘M`
Go to next/previous error or warning	`F8` / `⇧F8`	`F8` / `⇧F8`
Navigate editor group history	`⌃⇧Tab`	`⌃⇧Tab`
Go back/forward	`⌃-` / `⌃⇧-`	`⌃-` / `⌃⇧-`
Toggle Tab moves focus	`⌃⇧M`	`⌃⇧M`
Previous composer	N/A	`⌘[`
Next composer	N/A	`⌘]`

Editor Management

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Close editor	`⌘W`	`⌘W`
Close folder	`⌘K F`	`⌘K F`
Split editor	`⌘\`	`⌘\`
Focus into 1st, 2nd, 3rd editor	`⌘1` / `⌘2` / `⌘3`	`⌘1` / `⌘2` / `⌘3`
Focus into previous/next editor	`⌘K ⌘←` / `⌘K ⌘→`	`⌘K ⌘←` / `⌘K ⌘→`
Move editor left/right	`⌘K ⇧⌘←` / `⌘K ⇧⌘→`	`⌘K ⇧⌘←` / `⌘K ⇧⌘→`
Move active editor group	`⌘K ←` / `⌘K →`	`⌘K ←` / `⌘K →`
Create new composer	N/A	`⌘N` or `⌘R`
Close composer	N/A	`⌘W`

File Management

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
New File	`⌘N`	`⌘N`
Open File...	`⌘O`	`⌘O`
Save	`⌘S`	`⌘S`
Save As...	`⇧⌘S`	`⇧⌘S`
Save All	`⌥⌘S`	`⌥⌘S`
Close	`⌘W`	`⌘W`
Close All	`⌘K ⌘W`	`⌘K ⌘W`
Reopen closed editor	`⇧⌘T`	`⇧⌘T`
Keep preview mode editor open	`⌘K Enter`	`⌘K Enter`
Copy path of active file	`⌘K P`	`⌘K P`
Reveal active file in Finder	`⌘K R`	`⌘K R`
Show active file in new window	`⌘K O`	`⌘K O`

Display

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Toggle full screen	`⌃⌘F`	`⌃⌘F`
Toggle editor layout	`⌥⌘0`	`⌥⌘0`
Zoom in/out	`⌘=` / `⇧⌘-`	`⌘=` / `⇧⌘-`
Toggle Sidebar visibility	`⌘B`	`⌘B`
Show Explorer / Toggle focus	`⇧⌘E`	`⇧⌘E`
Show Search	`⇧⌘F`	`⇧⌘F`
Show Source Control	`⌃⇧G`	`⌃⇧G`
Show Debug	`⇧⌘D`	`⇧⌘D`
Show Extensions	`⇧⌘X`	`⇧⌘X`
Replace in files	`⇧⌘H`	`⇧⌘H`
Toggle Search details	`⇧⌘J`	`⇧⌘J`
Show Output panel	`⇧⌘U`	`⇧⌘U`
Open Markdown preview	`⇧⌘V`	`⇧⌘V`
Open Markdown preview to the side	`⌘K V`	`⌘K V`
Zen Mode (Esc Esc to exit)	`⌘K Z`	`⌘K Z`

Debug

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Toggle breakpoint	`F9`	`F9`
Start/Continue	`F5`	`F5`
Step into/out	`F11` / `⇧F11`	`F11` / `⇧F11`
Step over	`F10`	`F10`
Stop	`⇧F5`	`⇧F5`
Show hover	`⌘K ⌘I`	`⌘K ⌘I`

Integrated Terminal

Command	VSCode Shortcut	Cursor Shortcut
Show integrated terminal	`⌃``	`⌃``
Create new terminal	`⌃⇧``	`⌃⇧``
Copy selection	`⌘C`	`⌘C`
Scroll up/down	`⌘↑` / `⌘↓`	`⌘↑` / `⌘↓`
Scroll page up/down	`PgUp` / `PgDn`	`PgUp` / `PgDn`
Scroll to top/bottom	`⌘Home` / `⌘End`	`⌘Home` / `⌘End`
Open terminal prompt bar	N/A	`⌘K`
Run generated command	N/A	`⌘Enter`
Accept command	N/A	`Esc`

Cursor-Specific AI Features

These shortcuts are unique to Cursor IDE and leverage its AI capabilities:

Command	Cursor Shortcut
Open Chat	`⌘L`
Open Composer	`⌘I`
Toggle Agent in Composer	`⌘.`
Toggle between AI models	`⌘/`
Open Chat & Composer history	`⌘⌥L`
Submit with codebase (in Chat)	`⌘Enter`
Add selected code as context	`Select code, ⌘L`
Add code as context (to Chat)	`Select code, ⌘⇧L`
Cancel generation (in Composer)	`⌘Backspace`
Accept all changes (in Composer)	`⌘Enter`
Reject all changes (in Composer)	`⌘Backspace`
Create new composer	`⌘N` or `⌘R`
Open composer as bar	`⌘⇧K`
Open Cmd+K menu	`⌘K`
Toggle input focus	`⌘⇧K`
Ask quick question	`⌥Enter`
Toggle file reading strategies	`⌘M`

Productivity Tips for Mac Developers

Customize Your Shortcuts: Use the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (⌘K ⌘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.
See All Shortcuts: In Cursor, press ⌘R then ⌘S to see all available keyboard shortcuts.

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!