Guide · 5 min read
Cursor vs VS Code: Keyboard Shortcuts Compared
Cursor is a fork of Visual Studio Code, which is the single most useful fact when you switch between them: the command palette, multi-cursor editing, Go to Definition, the integrated terminal and almost every navigation shortcut behave exactly as they do in VS Code. If you have muscle memory for one, you already have it for the other.
So the honest comparison is not "two different shortcut sets" — it is "one shared base, plus a thin AI layer." This guide separates the two so you know what actually changes.
The shared base (identical in both)
Editing and movement are the same: the command palette, quick-open by filename, multi-cursor, line move and duplicate, rename symbol, Go to Definition and the panel toggles all match VS Code key-for-key. The complete, verified lists live on each editor's page below — open them side by side and you will see the overlap immediately.
Where Cursor adds its own keys
Cursor's additions all sit around its AI features rather than replacing core editor shortcuts: an inline edit prompt for the current selection, a chat/composer panel for larger changes across files, and tab-to-accept for inline completions. Because these are layered on top of the VS Code base, they do not disturb the shortcuts you already use — they just give you a few new ones to learn.
If you are moving from VS Code to Cursor, you lose nothing and add a small vocabulary. If you are moving the other way, you simply stop reaching for the AI keys.
Which reference to pin
Pick the editor you spend the most hours in and keep its full shortcut sheet within glance distance. The shared base is where the daily speed comes from; the AI keys are quick to memorise once the basics are automatic.