Useful Hotkeys in VS Code for Mac & Windows

A cheat sheet for beginners or to help transition between Mac & Windows when using VS Code.

I’m transitioning back to a Windows computer after nearly a year of using a Mac. The transition back is not as tough as I thought it would be since I grew up using Windows. However, after going through a coding boot camp with a Mac, I’ve become a big fan of Macs and was doing my best to learn many keyboard commands for efficiency. The Mac keyboard commands, or hotkeys, have some similar patterns to a Windows, but there are still plenty of differences.

I use VS Code to write my programs. Learning hotkeys on the Mac for VS Code has helped me keep focus. Being able to type in a command or two allows me to keep my concentration flow fluid, whereas using a mouse can sometimes just be seconds long enough to ask “what was I looking for?” and I have to refocus myself. Of course losing a second to think about what you need isn’t that much time, but I like to cut out any opportunities of concentration breaks.

Now that I’m back on Windows, I searched for a basic cheat sheet comparing hotkeys for Mac and Windows. I didn’t find one, so I’ve made my own. I believe learning through association is more affective than learning by memorization. This is why I believe having a cheat sheet with both Windows and Mac hotkeys can be useful and hope that it will serve a purposed to those who need to switch to either platform. If you’re new to hotkeys, then you’ll have to use the classic method of memorization…sorry!

Below is a list of some commands that I find incredibly helpful while coding.

Note that for * you press the K button, then the T button while continuously holding down the ctrl button. I know the color theme isn’t incredibly important to coding, but I find the quick access to the color theme incredibly helpful to switch between dark and light themes in my poorly lit apartment.

Feel free to copy the Google Doc I put together and add more commands that you find useful.

Good luck and happy coding!