Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Mastering keyboard shortcuts is one of the fastest ways to become productive with ThinkCode. This guide covers the most important shortcuts for general use, editing, and AI features.

Platform-Specific Keys

Throughout this guide, we use the following notation:

Windows/Linux: Ctrl, Alt, Shift
macOS: Cmd (⌘), Option (⌥), Shift (⇧)

When you see Ctrl/Cmd, use Ctrl on Windows/Linux and Cmd on macOS.

Efficiently navigate through ThinkCode's interface:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Command Palette	`Ctrl+Shift+P`	`Cmd+Shift+P`
Quick Open File	`Ctrl+P`	`Cmd+P`
Open Settings	`Ctrl+,`	`Cmd+,`
Toggle Sidebar	`Ctrl+B`	`Cmd+B`
Toggle Terminal	Ctrl+`	Cmd+`
Switch Editor Tab	`Ctrl+Tab`	`Cmd+Tab`
Close Tab	`Ctrl+W`	`Cmd+W`
Split Editor	`Ctrl+\`	`Cmd+\`
Focus Editor Group 1/2/3	`Ctrl+1/2/3`	`Cmd+1/2/3`
Quick File Navigation	`Alt+Left/Right`	`Ctrl+Option+Left/Right`

File and Selection Operations

Essential shortcuts for working with files and selections:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Save File	`Ctrl+S`	`Cmd+S`
Save All Files	`Ctrl+K S`	`Cmd+K S`
New File	`Ctrl+N`	`Cmd+N`
Open File	`Ctrl+O`	`Cmd+O`
Format Document	`Shift+Alt+F`	`Shift+Option+F`
Select Word	`Ctrl+D`	`Cmd+D`
Select Line	`Ctrl+L`	`Cmd+L`
Select All Occurrences	`Ctrl+Shift+L`	`Cmd+Shift+L`
Add Cursor Above/Below	`Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down`	`Cmd+Option+Up/Down`
Select to Line Start/End	`Home/End`	`Cmd+Left/Right`
Select to File Start/End	`Ctrl+Home/End`	`Cmd+Up/Down`

Editing Commands

Shortcuts to help you edit code efficiently:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Cut Line	`Ctrl+X` (with no selection)	`Cmd+X` (with no selection)
Copy Line	`Ctrl+C` (with no selection)	`Cmd+C` (with no selection)
Move Line Up/Down	`Alt+Up/Down`	`Option+Up/Down`
Copy Line Up/Down	`Shift+Alt+Up/Down`	`Shift+Option+Up/Down`
Delete Line	`Ctrl+Shift+K`	`Cmd+Shift+K`
Insert Line Below	`Ctrl+Enter`	`Cmd+Enter`
Insert Line Above	`Ctrl+Shift+Enter`	`Cmd+Shift+Enter`
Jump to Matching Bracket	`Ctrl+Shift+\`	`Cmd+Shift+\`
Indent/Outdent Line	`Ctrl+]/[`	`Cmd+]/[`
Toggle Line Comment	`Ctrl+/`	`Cmd+/`
Toggle Block Comment	`Shift+Alt+A`	`Shift+Option+A`
Fold/Unfold Code	`Ctrl+Shift+[/]`	`Cmd+Option+[/]`

AI Features

ThinkCode-specific shortcuts for AI-assisted development:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Toggle Think Panel	`Ctrl+Shift+T`	`Cmd+Shift+T`
Accept AI Suggestion	`Tab`	`Tab`
Dismiss AI Suggestion	`Esc`	`Esc`
Next AI Suggestion	`Alt+]`	`Option+]`
Previous AI Suggestion	`Alt+[`	`Option+[`
Generate Code from Comment	`Alt+Enter`	`Option+Enter`
Explain Selected Code	`Ctrl+Alt+E`	`Cmd+Option+E`
Refactor Selected Code	`Ctrl+Alt+R`	`Cmd+Option+R`
Generate Tests	`Ctrl+Alt+T`	`Cmd+Option+T`
Document Selection	`Ctrl+Alt+D`	`Cmd+Option+D`
Find Problems in Code	`Ctrl+Alt+P`	`Cmd+Option+P`
Think Chat Focus	`Ctrl+Alt+C`	`Cmd+Option+C`
Quick AI Command	`Alt+Space`	`Option+Space`

Quickly find things in your codebase:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Find in File	`Ctrl+F`	`Cmd+F`
Replace in File	`Ctrl+H`	`Cmd+H`
Find Next/Previous	`F3/Shift+F3`	`Cmd+G/Cmd+Shift+G`
Find in Project	`Ctrl+Shift+F`	`Cmd+Shift+F`
Replace in Project	`Ctrl+Shift+H`	`Cmd+Shift+H`
Go to Line	`Ctrl+G`	`Cmd+G`
Go to Symbol	`Ctrl+Shift+O`	`Cmd+Shift+O`
Go to Definition	`F12`	`F12`
Peek Definition	`Alt+F12`	`Option+F12`
Go to References	`Shift+F12`	`Shift+F12`
Navigate Back/Forward	`Alt+Left/Right`	`Ctrl+Option+Left/Right`

Terminal and Debug

Control the integrated terminal and debugging:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
New Terminal	Ctrl+Shift+`	Cmd+Shift+`
Toggle Terminal	Ctrl+`	Cmd+`
Clear Terminal	`Ctrl+K`	`Cmd+K`
Start Debugging	`F5`	`F5`
Stop Debugging	`Shift+F5`	`Shift+F5`
Continue	`F5`	`F5`
Step Over	`F10`	`F10`
Step Into	`F11`	`F11`
Step Out	`Shift+F11`	`Shift+F11`
Toggle Breakpoint	`F9`	`F9`

AI Think Commands

Use these command patterns in the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Command	Description
`Think: Explain Selection`	Get an explanation of the selected code
`Think: Refactor Selection`	Suggest improvements for the selected code
`Think: Generate Tests`	Create tests for the selected code
`Think: Document Selection`	Generate documentation for the selected code
`Think: Find Problems`	Analyze code for potential issues
`Think: Fix Problems`	Attempt to fix identified problems
`Think: Optimize Selection`	Suggest performance improvements
`Think: Generate Implementation`	Create implementation from interface or comment
`Think: Chat`	Start a conversation with the AI about your code
`Think: Summarize File`	Get a summary of the current file's purpose and structure

Custom Keybindings

You can customize any keyboard shortcut in ThinkCode:

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
Type "Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts"
Search for the command you want to change
Click the pencil icon next to the command
Press the desired key combination
Press Enter to save

Working with AI Inline Suggestions

ThinkCode provides keyboard shortcuts specifically for working with inline AI suggestions:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS	Description
Accept Suggestion	`Tab`	`Tab`	Accept the current suggestion
Dismiss Suggestion	`Esc`	`Esc`	Dismiss the current suggestion
Accept Word	`Ctrl+Right`	`Cmd+Right`	Accept just the next word of the suggestion
Next Suggestion	`Alt+]`	`Option+]`	Cycle to the next alternative suggestion
Previous Suggestion	`Alt+[`	`Option+[`	Cycle to the previous alternative suggestion
Trigger Suggestion	`Alt+\`	`Option+\`	Manually trigger suggestion at cursor
Accept Line	`Alt+Enter`	`Option+Enter`	Accept the current line of the suggestion
Partial Accept	`Ctrl+Alt+Right`	`Cmd+Option+Right`	Accept up to cursor position

Navigate efficiently within the Think Panel:

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open Think Panel	`Ctrl+Shift+T`	`Cmd+Shift+T`
Focus Chat Input	`Alt+C` when panel is open	`Option+C` when panel is open
Navigate Chat History	`Up/Down` in chat input	`Up/Down` in chat input
Submit Message	`Enter` in chat input	`Enter` in chat input
New Line in Chat	`Shift+Enter` in chat input	`Shift+Enter` in chat input
Close Think Panel	`Esc` when focus is in panel	`Esc` when focus is in panel
Apply Code from Think Panel	`Alt+A` on code block	`Option+A` on code block
Copy Code from Think Panel	`Alt+C` on code block	`Option+C` on code block

Productivity Tips

Combine these shortcuts for maximum productivity:

Multiple Selections

Select the first occurrence with Ctrl+D / Cmd+D
Press Ctrl+D / Cmd+D again to select the next occurrence
Keep pressing to select more occurrences
Edit all selections simultaneously

Jump to Symbol

Press Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Shift+O to open the symbol list
Type to filter symbols
Use arrow keys to select and Enter to navigate

Command Palette with AI Commands

Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P
Type "Think:" to see all AI-related commands
Select the command you need

Generate Code with Comments

Write a comment describing what you want
Press Alt+Enter / Option+Enter to generate code
Use Tab to accept or Esc to dismiss

Windows and Linux-Specific Shortcuts

For Windows and Linux users:

Action	Shortcut
Show Context Menu	`Shift+F10`
Trigger Suggestion	`Ctrl+Space`
Rename Symbol	`F2`
Column Selection Mode	`Shift+Alt` + Drag
Terminal Scroll Page Up/Down	`Shift+Page Up/Down`

macOS-Specific Shortcuts

For macOS users:

Action	Shortcut
Open New Window	`Cmd+Shift+N`
Column Selection Mode	`Shift+Option` + Drag
Show All Windows	`Ctrl+Cmd+Down`
Trigger Suggestion	`Ctrl+Space`
Terminal Scroll Page Up/Down	`Shift+Page Up/Down`

Right-click (or Ctrl+Click on macOS) to access context menus with AI actions:

Menu Option	Description
Think: Explain	Explain selected code
Think: Refactor	Suggest improvements
Think: Generate Tests	Create tests for selection
Think: Document	Add documentation
Think: Optimize	Improve performance
Think: Analyze in Sandbox	Run code in AI sandbox

Next Steps

Now that you're familiar with ThinkCode's essential shortcuts:

Check out the complete shortcuts reference for a comprehensive list
Learn how to customize shortcuts to match your workflow
Explore the AI programming basics to combine keyboard efficiency with AI power

Pro Tip

Print the ThinkCode Shortcuts Cheatsheet and keep it handy for quick reference while you're learning the most common shortcuts.