Visual Studio Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcut reference for Visual Studio, Microsoft's IDE for .NET, C++, and Windows development. Shortcuts use the default General profile.
General
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Go To All (files, types, members, symbols) | CtrlTCtrlTCtrlT |
| Quick Launch (search menus & options) | CtrlQCtrlQCtrlQ |
| Open File | CtrlOCtrlOCtrlO |
| Save All | CtrlShiftSCtrlShiftSCtrlShiftS |
| Show Quick Actions and Refactorings | Ctrl.Ctrl.Ctrl. |
| View Solution Explorer | CtrlAltLCtrlAltLCtrlAltL |
Editing
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Format Document | Ctrl+K, Ctrl+DCtrl+K, Ctrl+DCtrl+K, Ctrl+D |
| Format Selection | Ctrl+K, Ctrl+FCtrl+K, Ctrl+FCtrl+K, Ctrl+F |
| Comment Selection | Ctrl+K, Ctrl+CCtrl+K, Ctrl+CCtrl+K, Ctrl+C |
| Uncomment Selection | Ctrl+K, Ctrl+UCtrl+K, Ctrl+UCtrl+K, Ctrl+U |
| Duplicate Line or Selection | CtrlDCtrlDCtrlD |
| Delete Line | CtrlShiftLCtrlShiftLCtrlShiftL |
| Move Line Up | AltUpAltUpAltUp |
| Move Line Down | AltDownAltDownAltDown |
| Trigger IntelliSense | CtrlSpaceCtrlSpaceCtrlSpace |
| Toggle Outlining Expansion | Ctrl+M, Ctrl+MCtrl+M, Ctrl+MCtrl+M, Ctrl+M |
Build & Debug
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Build Solution | CtrlShiftBCtrlShiftBCtrlShiftB |
| Start Debugging | F5F5F5 |
| Start Without Debugging | CtrlF5CtrlF5CtrlF5 |
| Stop Debugging | ShiftF5ShiftF5ShiftF5 |
| Step Over | F10F10F10 |
| Step Into | F11F11F11 |
| Step Out | ShiftF11ShiftF11ShiftF11 |
| Toggle Breakpoint | F9F9F9 |
| Run to Cursor | CtrlF10CtrlF10CtrlF10 |
Refactoring
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Rename | Ctrl+R, Ctrl+RCtrl+R, Ctrl+RCtrl+R, Ctrl+R |
| Extract Method | Ctrl+R, Ctrl+MCtrl+R, Ctrl+MCtrl+R, Ctrl+M |
| Encapsulate Field | Ctrl+R, Ctrl+ECtrl+R, Ctrl+ECtrl+R, Ctrl+E |
| Remove and Sort Usings | Ctrl+R, Ctrl+GCtrl+R, Ctrl+GCtrl+R, Ctrl+G |
| Quick Actions (refactor menu) | Ctrl.Ctrl.Ctrl. |
Find & Replace
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Find | CtrlFCtrlFCtrlF |
| Replace | CtrlHCtrlHCtrlH |
| Find in Files | CtrlShiftFCtrlShiftFCtrlShiftF |
| Replace in Files | CtrlShiftHCtrlShiftHCtrlShiftH |
| Find Next | F3F3F3 |
| Incremental Search | CtrlICtrlICtrlI |
Windows & Layout
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Solution Explorer | CtrlAltLCtrlAltLCtrlAltL |
| Properties Window | F4F4F4 |
| Output Window | CtrlAltOCtrlAltOCtrlAltO |
| Error List | Ctrl+\, ECtrl+\, ECtrl+\, E |
| Full Screen | ShiftAltEnterShiftAltEnterShiftAltEnter |
| Close Document | CtrlF4CtrlF4CtrlF4 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Visual Studio the same as VS Code?
No — they are two different Microsoft products that share a brand name. Visual Studio is a full-featured IDE for .NET, C++, and Windows development, available on Windows. VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is a free, lightweight, cross-platform code editor that runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Their keyboard shortcuts are different: Visual Studio opens the command search with Ctrl+Q and builds with Ctrl+Shift+B, while VS Code uses Ctrl+Shift+P for its command palette. This page covers Visual Studio the IDE.
What's the keyboard shortcut to build in Visual Studio?
Press Ctrl+Shift+B to build the entire solution in Visual Studio. To run with the debugger attached, press F5; to run without debugging, press Ctrl+F5. These use the default General profile keybindings — if you chose a language-specific profile during setup, some shortcuts may differ.
How do I format code in Visual Studio?
Visual Studio uses chord shortcuts for formatting. Press Ctrl+K then Ctrl+D to format the whole document, or Ctrl+K then Ctrl+F to format just the selection. The same Ctrl+K prefix handles commenting: Ctrl+K, Ctrl+C comments the selection and Ctrl+K, Ctrl+U uncomments it.
What is Go To All in Visual Studio?
Press Ctrl+T to open Go To All — a unified search that finds files, types, members, and symbols across your solution from one box. It's Visual Studio's equivalent of a command palette for code navigation. For searching menus and IDE options instead, use Quick Launch with Ctrl+Q.
How do I rename a symbol across the project in Visual Studio?
Press Ctrl+R then Ctrl+R (the Rename chord) to rename a variable, method, class, or other symbol everywhere it's referenced. Visual Studio previews every change before applying it. Other refactorings live under the same Ctrl+R prefix — Ctrl+R, Ctrl+M extracts a method, for example — or open the full Quick Actions menu with Ctrl+ (period).
Do Visual Studio shortcuts work on Mac?
Visual Studio is a Windows IDE. Visual Studio for Mac was retired by Microsoft in August 2024, so there is no current Mac version of Visual Studio itself. On a Mac, the usual choices are VS Code (cross-platform) or, for mobile development, Xcode and Android Studio. The shortcuts on this page reflect Visual Studio on Windows using the default General profile.