Cursor keyboard shortcuts.
The Cursor shortcuts that matter — AI inline edit and chat, plus the VS Code navigation and multi-cursor keys. Mac and Windows.
The AI keys are what set Cursor apart
Cursor is built on VS Code, so almost every editing and navigation shortcut you already know still works. What's new is the AI layer, and two keys unlock most of it. Inline edit (⌘/Ctrl + K) lets you select code, describe a change in plain English, and have Cursor rewrite it in place. Open chat (⌘/Ctrl + L) brings up the AI pane to ask questions about your code or paste in errors. Learn those two first and the rest of Cursor's AI features become discoverable from there.
Composer, suggestions, and adding context
Composer / agent (⌘/Ctrl + I) opens the multi-file workspace where the AI can plan and apply edits across your project. As you type, Cursor streams inline completions: press Tab to accept a suggestion, Esc to reject it, or ⌘/Ctrl + → to accept just the next word when you only want part of it. When you want the model to reason about a specific block, select it and use Add selection to chat (⌘/Ctrl + ⇧ + L) so the AI has the exact context.
The VS Code muscle memory still applies
Everything that makes VS Code fast is still here. The Command Palette (⌘/Ctrl + Shift + P) reaches any command by name, Quick Open (⌘/Ctrl + P) jumps to any file, and multi-cursor editing (⌘/Ctrl + D to select the next occurrence) lets you rename several matches at once. Line actions — move with Alt + ↑/↓, comment with ⌘/Ctrl + /, rename a symbol with F2 — behave exactly as they do upstream, so switching from VS Code costs you almost nothing.
How to adopt them
Add one shortcut at a time. Start with inline edit and chat this week; bring in Composer next. Press / to search this page when you forget one. If you're coming from VS Code, the VS Code shortcuts map one-to-one, and the Git commands pair naturally with Cursor's built-in source control.