This is the single most important shortcut in VS Code. Instead of clicking through the file tree, just type part of the filename. It uses fuzzy matching, so "ucl" finds "UserController.ts" instantly.

Pro tip: Type a colon after the filename to jump to a specific line -- UserController.ts:45 takes you directly to line 45.

Inside a file, this lets you jump to any function, class, or variable definition. In a 500-line file, this is the difference between scrolling for 10 seconds and getting there in 1.

Type : first to group symbols by category (functions, variables, classes).

Hover over a function call and press F12. You are now at the function definition. Press Alt + Left Arrow to jump back to where you were. This back-and-forth is how fast developers trace code.

Like Go to Definition, but it opens an inline preview instead of navigating away. Perfect when you just want to quickly check a function signature without losing your place.

Error on line 247? Press Ctrl + G, type 247, done. Never scroll to find a line number.

Creates additional cursors on the lines above or below your current position. Perfect for editing multiple lines at once -- adding commas, changing variable names, aligning code.

Place your cursor on a word, then press Cmd+D repeatedly. Each press selects the next occurrence of that word, adding a new cursor. Now you can rename all instances simultaneously.

This is the shortcut that changes everything. Once you internalize Cmd+D, you will never use find-and-replace for simple renames again.

Like Cmd+D but selects every occurrence in the file at once. Use this when you know you want to change all of them.

Click anywhere while holding Alt to add a cursor at that exact position. Useful for editing non-adjacent lines that do not follow a pattern.

Reorder lines without cut-and-paste. Select a line (or multiple lines) and press Alt+Up or Alt+Down to move them. This is how you rearrange code, reorder imports, reorganize lists.

Duplicate the current line above or below. Faster than copy-paste for duplicating similar lines of code and then modifying them.

Delete the entire current line. No selecting, no backspacing. One shortcut.

Comment or uncomment the current line or selection. Works with any language VS Code understands.

Indent or outdent the current line or selection. Faster than Tab/Shift+Tab when you need to adjust indentation of specific blocks.

Basic search. But most people miss the powerful options:

• •Regex mode (the .* button) -- search with regular expressions
• •Match case -- case-sensitive search
• •Match whole word -- avoid partial matches

Search the entire project. This is your grep replacement. Use the file filter options to narrow down to specific folders or file types.

Find and replace with preview. You can see every change before applying it, and replace one at a time or all at once.

Open/close the integrated terminal without leaving VS Code. No more switching between windows.

Open a new terminal instance. Useful when you need one terminal for running the dev server and another for running commands.

Hide the sidebar to get more editing space. Especially useful on smaller screens.

Show/hide the bottom panel (terminal, output, problems). Maximize your code view when you do not need the terminal.

This is criminally underused. When VS Code shows a lightbulb icon or underlines something, press Cmd+. to see suggested fixes. It can auto-import modules, add missing types, fix linting errors, and extract variables -- all automatically.

Right-click renaming is for amateurs. Press F2 on any variable, function, or class name, type the new name, and it renames every reference across your entire project. This is not find-and-replace -- it understands scope and only renames actual references.

Formats the entire document according to your formatter settings (Prettier, ESLint, etc.). No more manually fixing indentation.

Collapse or expand code blocks. When you are working with a long file and need to focus on one section, fold everything else.

Full-screen, distraction-free editing. Hides everything except the code. Press Escape twice to exit.