Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

This comprehensive reference covers all keyboard shortcuts for both Cursor IDE and Claude Code, helping you work efficiently with AI-powered development tools.

Quick Reference Card

Most Essential Shortcuts

Cursor

• Ctrl+K / Cmd+K - Inline Edit
• Ctrl+I / Cmd+I - Agent Chat
• Tab - Accept autocomplete
• Ctrl+E / Cmd+E - Background Agent
• Escape - Cancel operation

Claude Code

• Escape - Stop Claude (not Ctrl+C)
• Escape twice - Edit previous message
• Tab - Command completion
• Ctrl+V - Paste images (not Cmd+V)
• Up/Down arrows - Navigate history

Cursor IDE Shortcuts

General Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Toggle Sidepanel	Open/close AI chat	Ctrl+I	Cmd+I
Toggle Sidepanel (alt)	Open/close AI chat	Ctrl+L	Cmd+L
Background Agent	Control panel	Ctrl+E	Cmd+E
Mode Menu	Change AI modes	Ctrl+.	Cmd+.
Model Switching	Loop between models	Ctrl+/	Cmd+/
Cursor Settings	Open Cursor settings	Ctrl+Shift+J	Cmd+Shift+J
General Settings	VS Code settings	Ctrl+,	Cmd+,
Command Palette	All commands	Ctrl+Shift+P	Cmd+Shift+P

Chat Interface

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Submit	Send message	Enter	Enter
Force Submit	Override queue	Alt+Enter	Alt+Enter
Cancel Generation	Stop AI response	Ctrl+Shift+BackSpace	Cmd+Shift+BackSpace
Add Code Context	Selected code to chat	Ctrl+Shift+L	Cmd+Shift+L
Paste as Context	Add clipboard	Ctrl+V	Cmd+V
Paste to Input	Add to message	Ctrl+Shift+V	Cmd+Shift+V
Accept All Changes	Apply suggestions	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter
Reject All Changes	Discard suggestions	Ctrl+BackSpace	Cmd+BackSpace
Next Message	Navigate forward	Tab	Tab
Previous Message	Navigate back	Shift+Tab	Shift+Tab
Model Toggle	Switch models	Ctrl+Alt+/	Cmd+Alt+/
New Chat	Start fresh	Ctrl+N or Ctrl+R	Cmd+N or Cmd+R
New Chat Tab	New tab	Ctrl+T	Cmd+T
Previous Chat	History back	Ctrl+[	Cmd+[
Next Chat	History forward	Ctrl+]	Cmd+]
Close Chat	End conversation	Ctrl+W	Cmd+W
Unfocus Field	Exit input	Esc	Esc

Inline Edit (Ctrl+K)

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open Inline Edit	Start editing	Ctrl+K	Cmd+K
Toggle Focus	Switch input focus	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
Submit Edit	Apply changes	Enter	Enter
Cancel Edit	Discard changes	Ctrl+Shift+BackSpace	Cmd+Shift+BackSpace
Quick Question	Ask about selection	Alt+Enter	Alt+Enter

Code Selection & Context

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
@ Symbols	Reference symbols	@	@
Files	Reference files	#	#
Commands	Slash commands	/	/
Add to Chat	Selection to chat	Ctrl+Shift+L	Cmd+Shift+L
Add to Edit	Selection to inline	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
New Chat with Selection	Start fresh chat	Ctrl+L	Cmd+L
Toggle Reading Strategy	Change file reading	Ctrl+M	Cmd+M
Accept Next Word	Partial accept	Ctrl+Arrow-Right	Cmd+Arrow-Right
Search Codebase	Semantic search	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter

Tab Autocomplete

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Accept Suggestion	Complete code	Tab	Tab
Accept Next Word	Partial completion	Ctrl+Arrow-Right	Cmd+Arrow-Right
Reject Suggestion	Dismiss	Esc	Esc

Terminal Integration

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Terminal Prompt	AI command generation	Ctrl+K	Cmd+K
Run Command	Execute generated	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter
Accept Command	Confirm command	Esc	Esc

Additional Cursor Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Show All Shortcuts	View complete list	Ctrl+R then Ctrl+S	Cmd+R then Cmd+S
AI Commit Message	Generate commit msg	Configurable	Configurable
Copy Code Reference	With context	Ctrl+C	Cmd+C
Paste Code Reference	As context	Ctrl+V	Cmd+V
Paste Code as Text	Without reference	Ctrl+Shift+V	Cmd+Shift+V

Claude Code Shortcuts

General Controls

Shortcut	Description	Context
Ctrl+C	Cancel current input/generation	Standard interrupt
Ctrl+D	Exit Claude Code session	EOF signal
Ctrl+L	Clear terminal screen	Keeps conversation history
Up/Down arrows	Navigate command history	Recall previous inputs
Esc + Esc	Edit previous message	Double-escape to modify
Tab	Command completion	Autocomplete commands

Multiline Input

Method	Shortcut	Context
Quick escape	\ + Enter	Works in all terminals
macOS default	Option+Enter	Default on macOS
Terminal setup	Shift+Enter	After /terminal-setup
Paste mode	Direct paste	For code blocks, logs

Quick Commands

Shortcut	Description	Notes
# at start	Memory shortcut - add to CLAUDE.md	Prompts for file selection
/ at start	Slash command menu	See slash commands section
@ in message	Reference files	Include file contents

Vim Mode (Optional)

Enable with /vim command or configure permanently via /config.

Mode Switching

Command	Action	From mode
Esc	Enter NORMAL mode	INSERT
i	Insert before cursor	NORMAL
I	Insert at beginning of line	NORMAL
a	Insert after cursor	NORMAL
A	Insert at end of line	NORMAL
o	Open line below	NORMAL
O	Open line above	NORMAL

Navigation (NORMAL mode)

Command	Action
h/j/k/l	Move left/down/up/right
w	Next word
e	End of word
b	Previous word
0	Beginning of line
$	End of line
^	First non-blank character
gg	Beginning of input
G	End of input

Editing (NORMAL mode)

Command	Action
x	Delete character
dd	Delete line
D	Delete to end of line
dw/de/db	Delete word/to end/back
cc	Change line
C	Change to end of line
cw/ce/cb	Change word/to end/back
.	Repeat last change

Special Claude Code Keys

Key	Function	Important Note
Escape	Stop Claude operation	Not Ctrl+C (exits entirely)
Escape twice	Show message list	Jump to any previous message
Control+V	Paste images	Not Command+V on Mac
#	Quick CLAUDE.md update	Dynamic documentation
Up arrow	Previous commands	Works across sessions

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS Differences

macOS Users

• Use Cmd instead of Ctrl for most shortcuts
• Claude Code image paste: Ctrl+V (not Cmd+V)
• Terminal line breaks: Option+Enter by default
• VS Code import: Same keybindings work

Windows/Linux

Windows/Linux Users

• Ctrl is the primary modifier key
• Some terminal emulators may capture shortcuts
• Configure terminal for proper Shift+Enter support
• Check for conflicts with system shortcuts

Terminal Configuration

1. For line breaks in Claude Code

   • Run /terminal-setup for automatic configuration
   • Or manually set up Shift+Enter in your terminal

2. For better Claude Code experience

   • Disable conflicting terminal shortcuts
   • Enable proper escape key handling
   • Configure history navigation

3. For IDE integration

   • Install appropriate extensions
   • Configure launch shortcuts
   • Set up proper terminal profiles

Customization

Cursor Keybinding Customization

1. Open Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl+R then Ctrl+S
2. Search for the command you want to modify
3. Click the pencil icon to edit
4. Press your desired key combination
5. Save changes

Example custom binding for AI commit message:

{
    "key": "cmd+m",
    "command": "cursor.generateGitCommitMessage"
}

Claude Code Custom Commands

Create shortcuts for frequently used commands:

1. Create .claude/commands/ directory
2. Add markdown files for custom commands
3. Use / to access your commands

Example: .claude/commands/review.md:

Please review this code for bugs and security issues.
Focus on potential vulnerabilities and logic errors.

Productivity Tips

Essential Combos

Cursor

1. Quick Fix: Select code → Ctrl+K → describe fix
2. Add Context: Ctrl+Shift+L → ask question
3. Multi-file: @ multiple files → Ctrl+I
4. Fast Accept: Tab → Ctrl+Arrow for partial

Claude Code

1. Quick Edit: Escape twice → modify prompt
2. History Search: Up arrow → find command
3. Stop & Redirect: Escape → new instruction
4. Multi-line: \ + Enter or configure Shift+Enter

Workflow Accelerators

For Cursor:

• Bind frequently used AI features to custom shortcuts
• Use @ symbols extensively for context
• Master the Tab key for rapid completion
• Keep chat tabs organized with Ctrl+T

For Claude Code:

• Use # for quick documentation updates
• Master escape key for flow control
• Leverage command history with up arrow
• Create custom slash commands for repetitive tasks

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Cursor Issues

• Shortcuts not working: Check for extension conflicts
• Wrong model selected: Use Ctrl+/ to cycle
• Chat not responding: Try Ctrl+Shift+BackSpace
• Context missing: Verify with @ symbol references

Claude Code Issues

• Escape not working: Check terminal settings (especially JetBrains)
• Can’t paste images: Use Ctrl+V, not Cmd+V on Mac
• Line breaks difficult: Run /terminal-setup
• History not working: Ensure proper shell configuration

Quick Reference Sheet

Print this section for desk reference:

Top 10 Cursor Shortcuts

1. Ctrl/Cmd+K - Inline Edit
2. Ctrl/Cmd+I - Agent Chat
3. Tab - Accept suggestion
4. Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+L - Add to chat
5. Ctrl/Cmd+E - Background Agent
6. @ - Reference symbols
7. Ctrl/Cmd+/ - Switch models
8. Ctrl/Cmd+Enter - Accept all
9. Escape - Cancel
10. Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P - Command palette

Top 10 Claude Code Shortcuts

1. Escape - Stop Claude
2. Escape twice - Edit message
3. Up arrow - Previous command
4. Tab - Complete command
5. # - Update CLAUDE.md
6. / - Slash commands
7. @ - Reference files
8. Ctrl+V - Paste images
9. \ + Enter - New line
10. Ctrl+D - Exit session