Cursor Keyboard Shortcut Reference
Learn the few commands that preserve your working rhythm, then use the installed shortcut editor for the rest. Keybindings depend on version, operating system, mode and personal overrides.
#Check the authoritative mapping
Open the command palette and search for Keyboard Shortcuts. The official reference↗ is the source for current defaults; the Chinese chapter contains a historical table whose AI commands can differ from current versions.
#Start with these actions
| Action | How to locate or use it |
|---|---|
| AI side panel | Look up the side-panel toggle; common bindings include Cmd/Ctrl + I or Cmd/Ctrl + L |
| Agent layout | Find Toggle Agent layout |
| Inline editing | Select code and use the installed inline-edit command |
| Accept completion | Tab when a suggestion is active |
| Accept one suggested word | Use the configured next-word acceptance command |
| Dismiss/unfocus | Esc, according to the active surface |
| Command palette | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P |
| General settings | Cmd/Ctrl + , |
AI commands have changed; do not assume the source's old “Chat / Composer / global Composer” labels map one-to-one to your version.
#Chat and context
Check commands for queueing/sending a message, cancelling generation, accepting/rejecting suggested changes, adding selected code and opening a new chat/tab. Their behavior depends on focus and mode. Review edits before applying a keyboard-driven accept-all action.
#Familiar editor operations
Cursor builds on VS Code editing conventions. Use the shortcut editor to find New/Open/Save/Close; Undo/Redo; duplicate/move/delete line; line/block comments; indentation and document formatting; multiple cursors and matching selections; file/global search and replacement; file/symbol/line navigation; definition/references; terminal, sidebar, Git and extensions.
Some keys conflict across surfaces—for example a selection shortcut and a chat-context shortcut. Inspect the command's “when” condition rather than assigning an ambiguous global key.
#Customize by actual command
Search for the command in Keyboard Shortcuts, inspect its current binding and edit it. Prefer the command exposed by your installed version over copying historical keybindings.json command IDs.
#Practice a small workflow
Open a conversation, attach the relevant code, request a bounded change, inspect the diff and accept only the intended edit. Practice completion acceptance and rejection separately.
Start with the side panel, inline edit, Tab/Esc and command palette. This page is a lookup aid, not a memorization exercise: the useful set is the one you can use without interrupting your reasoning.
