Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Print this page, pin it next to your monitor, or bookmark it. These are the shortcuts that separate developers who are fast with AI tools from those who are constantly reaching for the mouse.

Essential Shortcuts at a Glance

Cursor

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl+I	Open/close Agent chat panel
Cmd/Ctrl+K	Inline edit (selection or cursor position)
Cmd/Ctrl+E	Background Agent
Tab	Accept autocomplete suggestion
Cmd/Ctrl+.	Toggle mode (Agent/Ask)
Cmd/Ctrl+/	Cycle between models
Cmd/Ctrl+Enter	Accept all changes
Cmd/Ctrl+Backspace	Reject all changes
Escape	Cancel current operation
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P	Command palette

Claude Code

Shortcut	Action
Escape	Stop Claude (not Ctrl+C)
Escape twice	Edit previous message / jump to message list
Tab	Command/path completion
Up/Down	Navigate prompt history
Ctrl+V	Paste images (not Cmd+V on macOS)
# at start	Quick CLAUDE.md update
/ at start	Slash command menu
@ in message	Reference a file
\ + Enter	New line (all terminals)
Ctrl+D	Exit session

Codex

Shortcut	Action
Enter	Submit prompt
Escape	Cancel current generation
Tab	Autocomplete command/path
Up/Down	Navigate command history
/ at start	Slash command menu
Ctrl+C	Interrupt / exit
Ctrl+L	Clear screen

Cursor Shortcuts

General Navigation

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open/close AI chat	Ctrl+I	Cmd+I
Open/close AI chat (alt)	Ctrl+L	Cmd+L
Background Agent	Ctrl+E	Cmd+E
Toggle Agent/Ask mode	Ctrl+.	Cmd+.
Cycle models	Ctrl+/	Cmd+/
Cursor Settings	Ctrl+Shift+J	Cmd+Shift+J
VS Code Settings	Ctrl+,	Cmd+,
Command Palette	Ctrl+Shift+P	Cmd+Shift+P

Chat Interface

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Send message	Enter	Enter
Force submit (override queue)	Alt+Enter	Alt+Enter
Cancel AI response	Ctrl+Shift+Backspace	Cmd+Shift+Backspace
Add selection to chat	Ctrl+Shift+L	Cmd+Shift+L
Paste as context	Ctrl+V	Cmd+V
Paste to input (text only)	Ctrl+Shift+V	Cmd+Shift+V
Accept all changes	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter
Reject all changes	Ctrl+Backspace	Cmd+Backspace
Next message	Tab	Tab
Previous message	Shift+Tab	Shift+Tab
Toggle model	Ctrl+Alt+/	Cmd+Alt+/
New chat	Ctrl+N or Ctrl+R	Cmd+N or Cmd+R
New chat tab	Ctrl+T	Cmd+T
Previous chat	Ctrl+[	Cmd+[
Next chat	Ctrl+]	Cmd+]
Close chat	Ctrl+W	Cmd+W
Exit input field	Escape	Escape

Inline Edit (Cmd/Ctrl+K)

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open inline edit	Ctrl+K	Cmd+K
Toggle focus (code/prompt)	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
Submit edit	Enter	Enter
Cancel edit	Ctrl+Shift+Backspace	Cmd+Shift+Backspace
Quick question about selection	Alt+Enter	Alt+Enter

Code Context

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Reference symbols	@	@
Reference files	#	#
Slash commands	/	/
Add selection to chat	Ctrl+Shift+L	Cmd+Shift+L
Add selection to inline edit	Ctrl+Shift+K	Cmd+Shift+K
Toggle reading strategy	Ctrl+M	Cmd+M
Accept next word (partial)	Ctrl+Right	Cmd+Right
Search codebase	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter

Tab Autocomplete

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Accept full suggestion	Tab	Tab
Accept next word	Ctrl+Right	Cmd+Right
Reject suggestion	Escape	Escape

Terminal

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
AI command generation	Ctrl+K	Cmd+K
Execute generated command	Ctrl+Enter	Cmd+Enter
Accept command	Escape	Escape

Claude Code Shortcuts

General Controls

Shortcut	Description
Escape	Stop Claude’s current operation
Escape twice	Show message list / edit previous message
Ctrl+C	Cancel current input
Ctrl+D	Exit Claude Code session
Ctrl+L	Clear terminal screen (keeps conversation)
Up/Down	Navigate command history
Tab	Command and path completion

Multiline Input

Method	Shortcut	Notes
Backslash escape	\ + Enter	Works in all terminals
macOS default	Option+Enter	Default on macOS
After setup	Shift+Enter	Run /terminal-setup first
Paste mode	Direct paste	For code blocks and logs

Quick Prefixes

Prefix	Action
# at line start	Update CLAUDE.md (prompts for file selection)
/ at line start	Open slash command menu
@ in message	Include file contents

Vim Mode (Optional)

Enable with /vim or configure permanently in /config.

Mode switching:

Command	Action
Escape	Enter NORMAL mode
i / I	Insert before cursor / at line start
a / A	Insert after cursor / at line end
o / O	Open line below / above

Navigation (NORMAL mode):

Command	Action
h/j/k/l	Left / Down / Up / Right
w / e / b	Next word / End of word / Previous word
0 / $ / ^	Line start / Line end / First non-blank
gg / G	Input start / Input end

Editing (NORMAL mode):

Command	Action
x	Delete character
dd / D	Delete line / Delete to end
dw / de / db	Delete word forward / to end / backward
cc / C	Change line / Change to end
.	Repeat last change

Codex Shortcuts

CLI Controls

Shortcut	Description
Enter	Submit prompt
Escape	Cancel current generation
Ctrl+C	Interrupt / exit
Ctrl+L	Clear terminal screen
Up/Down	Navigate command history
Tab	Autocomplete commands and paths

Codex App (Web)

Action	Shortcut
New task	N
Submit prompt	Enter or Cmd/Ctrl+Enter
Cancel task	Escape
View diff	D
Accept changes	A
Navigate tasks	Up/Down or J/K

Slash Commands

Command	Description
/	Show available commands
/model	Switch model
/new	Start new conversation
/compact	Summarize conversation

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

macOS Users

• Use Cmd instead of Ctrl for Cursor shortcuts
• Claude Code image paste: Use Ctrl+V (not Cmd+V) — this catches many people
• Terminal line breaks: Option+Enter by default in Claude Code
• Run /terminal-setup in Claude Code for Shift+Enter support in iTerm2

Windows and Linux

Windows/Linux Users

• Ctrl is the primary modifier everywhere
• Some terminal emulators may capture shortcuts before they reach Claude Code
• Windows Terminal and WSL both work with Claude Code natively
• Check for conflicts with system-level shortcuts (especially in Linux desktop environments)

Customization

Cursor Keybinding Customization

1. Open Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl+R then Ctrl+S (or Cmd+R then Cmd+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

Example custom binding:

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

Claude Code Custom Commands

Create shortcuts for frequently used prompts:

1. Create the .claude/commands/ directory in your project
2. Add markdown files — each file becomes a /command-name
3. Use $ARGUMENTS for dynamic input

Example .claude/commands/review.md:

---
allowed-tools: [Read, Bash]
description: Review code for bugs and security issues
---
Review the following code for bugs, security vulnerabilities, and performance issues.
Focus on real problems, not style preferences. $ARGUMENTS

Usage: /review @src/auth.ts

Top 10 Shortcuts Per Tool

Cursor

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

Claude Code

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

Codex

1. Enter — Submit prompt
2. Escape — Cancel generation
3. Up/Down — Command history
4. Tab — Autocomplete
5. / — Slash commands
6. Ctrl+C — Interrupt
7. Ctrl+L — Clear screen
8. N (App) — New task
9. D (App) — View diff
10. A (App) — Accept changes