VS Code shortcuts for Python developers¶

Beginner-friendly · 10 min · Windows & macOS

You don't need to learn 100 shortcuts. The 25 below cover almost everything you do while writing Python — learn one group a week and you'll stop reaching for the mouse.

The only shortcut you must remember

Command Palette — Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows) / Cmd+Shift+P (macOS). Type what you want ("format", "select interpreter", "toggle word wrap") and VS Code finds it — and shows its shortcut next to it.

1. Move around fast¶

Action	Windows	macOS
Open any file by name	`Ctrl`+`P`	`Cmd`+`P`
Go to a function/class in this file	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`O`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`O`
Go to line number	`Ctrl`+`G`	`Ctrl`+`G`
Search in all files	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`F`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`F`
Show / hide the sidebar	`Ctrl`+`B`	`Cmd`+`B`
Reopen the tab you just closed	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`T`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`T`
Split the editor side by side	`Ctrl`+`\`	`Cmd`+`\`

2. Understand code you didn't write¶

These are the shortcuts that make reading a big codebase — or a library like openai — easy.

Action	Windows	macOS
Go to definition (jump to where it's written)	`F12` or `Ctrl`+click	`F12` or `Cmd`+click
Peek definition (without leaving the file)	`Alt`+`F12`	`Option`+`F12`
Go back to where you were	`Alt`+`←`	`Ctrl`+`-`
Find every place it's used	`Shift`+`F12`	`Shift`+`F12`
Show the function's parameters	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`Space`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`Space`
Jump to the next error	`F8`	`F8`

Hovering over any function also shows its docstring and type hints.

3. Edit many lines at once (multi-cursor)¶

Action	Windows	macOS
Select the next match of the selected word	`Ctrl`+`D` (repeat)	`Cmd`+`D` (repeat)
Select all matches	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`L`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`L`
Add a cursor where you click	`Alt`+click	`Option`+click
Add a cursor above / below	`Ctrl`+`Alt`+`↑`/`↓`	`Option`+`Cmd`+`↑`/`↓`
Undo the last cursor	`Ctrl`+`U`	`Cmd`+`U`

Try it: select "role" in a list of messages, press Ctrl/Cmd+D three times, and type — all four change together. Press Esc to go back to one cursor.

4. Move and change lines¶

Action	Windows	macOS
Move the line up / down	`Alt`+`↑`/`↓`	`Option`+`↑`/`↓`
Copy the line up / down	`Shift`+`Alt`+`↑`/`↓`	`Shift`+`Option`+`↑`/`↓`
Delete the line	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`K`	`Cmd`+`Shift`+`K`
Comment / uncomment	`Ctrl`+`/`	`Cmd`+`/`
Indent / un-indent	`Tab` / `Shift`+`Tab`	`Tab` / `Shift`+`Tab`

5. Let VS Code fix and refactor¶

Action	Windows	macOS
Rename everywhere (variable, function, class)	`F2`	`F2`
Quick fix (add missing import, etc.)	`Ctrl`+`.`	`Cmd`+`.`
Format the file	`Shift`+`Alt`+`F`	`Shift`+`Option`+`F`
Show suggestions	`Ctrl`+`Space`	`Ctrl`+`Space`

Rename with F2, not Find & Replace

F2 understands Python: renaming chunk won't touch chunks or the word "chunk" inside a string. Find & Replace changes every match of the text.

6. Terminal and running code¶

Action	Windows	macOS
Show / hide the terminal	`Ctrl`+`	`Ctrl`+`
New terminal	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`	`Ctrl`+`Shift`+`
Run the selected lines in the Python terminal	`Shift`+`Enter`	`Shift`+`Enter`
Run the whole file	▶ button (top right)	▶ button (top right)

Pick the right Python — open the Command Palette → Python: Select Interpreter → choose the one inside .venv. This fixes most "module not found" errors in VS Code.

7. Debugging¶

Action	Windows / macOS
Add / remove a breakpoint on this line	`F9` (or click left of the line number)
Start debugging	`F5`
Run the next line	`F10` (step over)
Go into the function on this line	`F11` (step into)
Finish this function and return	`Shift`+`F11` (step out)
Stop	`Shift`+`F5`

While paused, hover over any variable to see its value, or type expressions in the Debug Console. Much faster than adding print() everywhere — see Read a Python error message.

Recommended extensions¶

Extension	Why
Python + Pylance (Microsoft)	Run, debug, autocomplete and type checking
Ruff	Formats and lints your code on save (replaces Black, isort and Flake8)
Jupyter	Run notebooks inside VS Code
Error Lens	Shows errors right on the line, not just as a squiggle
DotENV	Syntax colours for `.env` files

Settings worth turning on¶

Command Palette → Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON), then add:

settings.json

{
  "[python]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "charliermarsh.ruff",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
      "source.organizeImports": "explicit",
      "source.fixAll": "explicit"
    }
  },
  "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange",
  "editor.rulers": [100],
  "python.terminal.activateEnvironment": true
}

Setting	What it does
Format on save + Ruff	Every save tidies spacing, quotes and imports automatically
`files.autoSave`	Saves when you switch to the terminal — no more running the old version
`editor.rulers`	A faint line at 100 characters, so long lines are easy to spot
`activateEnvironment`	New terminals activate your `.venv` automatically

See every shortcut

Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (Windows) / Cmd+K Cmd+S (macOS) opens the full list — search it, or change any key to one you prefer.

Next: Python one-liners worth knowing →