VS Code: practical shortcuts for Audion
Windows-focused cheat sheet for everyday work in Markdown, code, terminal, search, and navigation.
Markdown / Preview
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + Shift + V | Open Markdown Preview | Quickly view the current .md as rendered Markdown |
Ctrl + K, then V | Open Markdown Preview to the side | Best mode for writing on the left and reading preview on the right |
Ctrl + Alt + V | Paste image from clipboard (Paste Image extension) | Fast screenshot flow into Markdown notes |
Ctrl + S | Save | Useful even with Auto Save enabled |
Search / Replace / bulk edits
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + F | Find in current file | Basic local search |
Ctrl + H | Replace in current file | Quick local replacement |
Ctrl + Shift + F | Search across files | Search in Hub / project / repo |
Ctrl + Shift + H | Replace across files | Bulk replace across the workspace |
Alt + C | Toggle Match Case | Search only exact letter case |
Alt + W | Toggle Whole Word | Avoid partial matches |
Alt + R | Toggle Regular Expression | Powerful pattern search |
Ctrl + Shift + J | Toggle Search details | Include/exclude files, advanced filters |
Alt + Enter | Open search results in Search Editor | Turns results into an editable/searchable editor view |
Terminal / command flow
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
`Ctrl + `` | Toggle integrated terminal | Main terminal shortcut |
Ctrl + Shift + \\` | Create new terminal | Open another terminal tab/session |
Ctrl + I | Inline chat in editor or terminal (if chat/Copilot features are enabled) | Optional AI assist; useful only if you actually keep chat features available |
Ctrl + Alt + I | Open Chat view (if chat/Copilot features are enabled) | Opens the full chat panel |
Navigation / layout
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + B | Toggle Sidebar | More screen space / bring Explorer back |
Ctrl + Shift + E | Focus Explorer | Jump straight to files |
Ctrl + P | Quick Open file | Fastest file open in large repos |
Ctrl + Tab | Switch between open editors | Useful with many files open |
Ctrl + \\ | Split editor | Open a second editor pane |
Ctrl + W | Close active editor | Fast tab cleanup |
Commands / settings / keybindings
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + Shift + P | Command Palette | The master shortcut: almost everything starts here |
Ctrl + , | Open Settings | Fast access to settings UI |
Ctrl + K, then Ctrl + S | Open Keyboard Shortcuts | Search, learn, and remap keys |
Files / editing
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + S | Save file | Still useful for “save now” muscle memory |
Ctrl + / | Toggle line comment | Fast commenting in many languages |
Alt + Up / Down | Move line up/down | Great for text, Markdown, lists, shell commands |
Shift + Alt + Up / Down | Copy line up/down | Duplicate blocks fast |
Ctrl + D | Add next match to selection | Great for repeated word edits |
Ctrl + Shift + L | Select all matches of current selection | Bulk editing in one shot |
F2 | Rename symbol | Safer rename in supported languages |
Ctrl + Space | Trigger suggestion | Force IntelliSense/manual completion |
Git / workspace life
| Shortcut | What it does | Why it matters |
Ctrl + Shift + G | Open Source Control | Quick Git panel access |
Ctrl + Shift + X | Open Extensions | Install/update/check extensions |
My recommended practical set to memorize first
Ctrl + Shift + P — Command Palette
Ctrl + P — open file
Ctrl + Shift + V — Markdown Preview
Ctrl + K, V — Preview to the side
- `
Ctrl + `` — terminal
Ctrl + Shift + F — global search
Ctrl + Shift + H — replace in files
Ctrl + B — sidebar
Ctrl + , — settings
Ctrl + K, Ctrl + S — keyboard shortcuts
Ctrl + W — close editor
Ctrl + Alt + V — paste image into Markdown
Notes for your setup
- If you keep Copilot/chat disabled, treat
Ctrl + I and Ctrl + Alt + I as optional and ignore them.
- For Markdown work, the strongest daily pair is:
Ctrl + Shift + V
Ctrl + K, V
- For large note vaults and code repos, the strongest search pair is:
Ctrl + Shift + F
Ctrl + Shift + H
- Your Kit works for both portable and installed VS Code. The main difference is only where
settings.json lives; the shortcuts and extensions themselves remain the same.