Keyboard Shortcuts for Developers

Essential keyboard shortcuts for web developers and designers

Quick Answer

What are essential keyboard shortcuts for developers?

Essential keyboard shortcuts boost productivity for developers. In VS Code: Ctrl/Cmd+P (quick file open), Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P (command palette), Ctrl/Cmd+/ (toggle comment). In browsers: F12 (developer tools), Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+C (inspect element), Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R (hard refresh). These shortcuts significantly speed up development workflows.

VS Code Editor Shortcuts

Windows/Linux	Mac	Action
Ctrl + P	Cmd + P	Quick file open
Ctrl + Shift + P	Cmd + Shift + P	Command palette
Ctrl + B	Cmd + B	Toggle sidebar
Ctrl + /	Cmd + /	Toggle comment
Ctrl + D	Cmd + D	Select next occurrence
Alt + Up/Down	Option + Up/Down	Move line up/down
Shift + Alt + Down	Shift + Option + Down	Copy line down
Ctrl + Shift + K	Cmd + Shift + K	Delete line
Ctrl + F	Cmd + F	Find
Ctrl + H	Cmd + Option + F	Replace
F2	F2	Rename symbol
Ctrl + Space	Ctrl + Space	Trigger suggestion

Chrome DevTools Shortcuts

Windows/Linux	Mac	Action
F12	Cmd + Option + I	Open DevTools
Ctrl + Shift + C	Cmd + Shift + C	Inspect element
Ctrl + Shift + J	Cmd + Option + J	Open Console
Ctrl + Shift + P	Cmd + Shift + P	Command menu
Ctrl + Shift + M	Cmd + Shift + M	Toggle device mode
Ctrl + R	Cmd + R	Reload page
Ctrl + Shift + R	Cmd + Shift + R	Hard reload

Windows System Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Win + D	Show/Hide desktop
Win + E	Open File Explorer
Win + L	Lock computer
Win + Tab	Task view
Win + Left/Right	Snap window left/right
Alt + Tab	Switch between apps
Alt + F4	Close active window
Ctrl + Shift + Esc	Open Task Manager
Win + V	Clipboard history
Win + PrtScn	Screenshot

Mac System Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd + Space	Spotlight search
Cmd + Tab	Switch between apps
Cmd + Q	Quit app
Cmd + W	Close window
Cmd + H	Hide window
Cmd + M	Minimize window
Cmd + Shift + 3	Screenshot entire screen
Cmd + Shift + 4	Screenshot selection
Cmd + Option + Esc	Force quit
Control + Cmd + Q	Lock screen

Universal Text Editing Shortcuts

Windows/Linux	Mac	Action
Ctrl + C	Cmd + C	Copy
Ctrl + X	Cmd + X	Cut
Ctrl + V	Cmd + V	Paste
Ctrl + Z	Cmd + Z	Undo
Ctrl + Y	Cmd + Shift + Z	Redo
Ctrl + A	Cmd + A	Select all
Ctrl + S	Cmd + S	Save
Ctrl + F	Cmd + F	Find
Ctrl + Left/Right	Option + Left/Right	Jump word
Home / End	Cmd + Left/Right	Start/End of line

Browser Shortcuts

Windows/Linux	Mac	Action
Ctrl + T	Cmd + T	New tab
Ctrl + W	Cmd + W	Close tab
Ctrl + Shift + T	Cmd + Shift + T	Reopen closed tab
Ctrl + Tab	Ctrl + Tab	Next tab
Ctrl + L	Cmd + L	Focus address bar
Ctrl + D	Cmd + D	Bookmark page
Ctrl + +/-	Cmd + +/-	Zoom in/out
Ctrl + 0	Cmd + 0	Reset zoom