The difference between a 2-minute task and a 20-second task is often a keyboard shortcut. But every tool has hundreds of shortcuts, and you only discover them by accident. A searchable reference for VS Code, Chrome DevTools, terminal, and OS shortcuts puts every shortcut at your fingertips — learn one new shortcut a day and watch your speed compound.
What Is Keyboard Shortcuts Reference?
A keyboard shortcuts reference provides a searchable, categorized database of shortcuts for developer tools. Browse by application (VS Code, Chrome DevTools, Terminal, Git), filter by category (navigation, editing, debugging, search), and see the shortcut for both macOS (⌘) and Windows/Linux (Ctrl) platforms.
How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts Reference on DevToolHub
- Open the Keyboard Shortcuts Reference tool on DevToolHub — no signup required.
- Select the application: VS Code, Chrome DevTools, Terminal, Git, OS.
- Browse by category or search by action name.
- View the shortcut for your platform (macOS or Windows/Linux).
- Click a shortcut to copy it as text for documentation.
- Star frequently used shortcuts for a personal cheat sheet.
VS Code Essentials
The shortcuts that transform your editing speed:
Ctrl+P / ⌘P — Quick file open (fuzzy search)
Ctrl+Shift+P / ⌘⇧P — Command palette
Ctrl+D / ⌘D — Select next occurrence
Ctrl+Shift+L / ⌘⇧L — Select all occurrences
Alt+↑/↓ / ⌥↑/↓ — Move line up/down
Alt+Shift+↑/↓ — Duplicate line up/down
Ctrl+` / ⌃` — Toggle terminal
Ctrl+B / ⌘B — Toggle sidebar
Ctrl+Shift+K / ⌘⇧K — Delete entire line
F2 — Rename symbol everywhereLearning just these 10 shortcuts eliminates most mouse usage in VS Code.
Chrome DevTools Shortcuts
Debug faster in the browser:
F12 / ⌘⌥I — Open DevTools
Ctrl+Shift+C / ⌘⇧C — Inspect element mode
Ctrl+Shift+J / ⌘⌥J — Open Console directly
Ctrl+[ / ⌘[ — Previous panel
Ctrl+] / ⌘] — Next panel
Ctrl+Shift+M / ⌘⇧M — Toggle device mode
Esc — Toggle console drawer
Ctrl+F / ⌘F — Search within panel
Ctrl+Shift+F / ⌘⌥F — Search across all sources
H — Hide/show selected elementNavigating DevTools panels without the mouse keeps your debugging flow uninterrupted.
Terminal Power Shortcuts
Navigate and edit faster in the terminal:
Ctrl+A — Jump to beginning of line
Ctrl+E — Jump to end of line
Ctrl+W — Delete word backward
Ctrl+U — Delete entire line
Ctrl+R — Reverse history search
Ctrl+L — Clear screen
Ctrl+Z — Suspend process
Ctrl+C — Kill process
!! — Repeat last command
!$ — Last argument of previous commandCtrl+R (reverse search) alone saves minutes per day — type a few characters to find any previous command.
Pro Tips
- Learn one shortcut per day — mastering all at once is overwhelming; one per day compounds over months.
- Disable the mouse temporarily — force yourself to find shortcuts by making the mouse inconvenient.
- Customize liberally — if a default shortcut is awkward, rebind it; the best shortcut is the one you'll use.
- Print a cheat sheet — stick it next to your monitor for the first month; remove it when the shortcuts are muscle memory.
When You Need This
- Onboarding new developers with essential editor shortcuts
- Creating team cheat sheets for standardized tooling
- Discovering advanced shortcuts for tools you use daily
- Building personal shortcut reference cards for productivity
Free Tools Mentioned in This Article