The core GitHub Copilot keyboard shortcuts are the same in most editors: Tab accepts an inline suggestion, Esc dismisses it, Alt+] and Alt+[ (Option on macOS) cycle through alternatives, and Alt+\ asks for a suggestion on demand. Visual Studio is the exception, using Alt+. and Alt+, to cycle. In VS Code, Ctrl+Alt+I (Ctrl+Cmd+I on macOS) opens Copilot Chat and Ctrl+I (Cmd+I) opens inline chat.
The tables below come from GitHub's keyboard shortcuts reference and VS Code's default keyboard shortcuts, read on 26 October 2026. Your own keymap or extensions can override them, so if a key doesn't work, check for a conflict first.
What are the GitHub Copilot shortcuts in VS Code?
For inline suggestions, GitHub lists these defaults. You can search for each one by its command name in the Keyboard Shortcuts editor.
| Action | macOS | Windows and Linux | Command name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accept an inline suggestion | Tab | Tab | editor.action.inlineSuggest.commit |
| Dismiss an inline suggestion | Esc | Esc | editor.action.inlineSuggest.hide |
| Show next inline suggestion | Option+] | Alt+] | editor.action.inlineSuggest.showNext |
| Show previous inline suggestion | Option+[ | Alt+[ | editor.action.inlineSuggest.showPrevious |
| Trigger inline suggestion | Option+\ | Alt+\ | editor.action.inlineSuggest.trigger |
| Open more suggestions in a separate pane | Ctrl+Return | Ctrl+Enter | github.copilot.generate |
| Toggle GitHub Copilot on or off | No default | No default | github.copilot.toggleCopilot |
Two more from VS Code's inline suggestions guide:
- Accept part of a suggestion: ⌘→ on macOS, Ctrl+Right on Windows and Linux. This takes "either the next word of a suggestion, or the next line."
- Next edit suggestions: press Tab to jump to a suggested edit elsewhere in the file, then Tab again to accept it. Turn the feature on with the
github.copilot.nextEditSuggestions.enabledsetting.
What are the Copilot Chat shortcuts in VS Code?
Chat lives in VS Code itself, so these come from VS Code's default keyboard shortcuts:
| Action | macOS | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open the Chat view | ⌃⌘I | Ctrl+Alt+I | Ctrl+Alt+I |
| Open chat in agent mode | ⇧⌘I | Ctrl+Shift+I | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+I |
| Open editor inline chat | ⌘I | Ctrl+I | Ctrl+I |
| Open terminal inline chat | ⌘I | Ctrl+I | Ctrl+I |
| Open Quick Chat | ⇧⌥⌘L | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L |
| Open the agent picker | ⌘. | Ctrl+. | Ctrl+. |
| Open the language model picker | ⌥⌘. | Ctrl+Alt+. | Ctrl+Alt+. |
| Start a new chat | ⌘N | Ctrl+N | Ctrl+N |
The model picker shortcut is the quickest way to switch models mid-task; see GitHub Copilot models for what each plan includes. For agent work, see the agent mode guide.
In the chat box, typing / lists slash commands, such as /plan, /fix, /tests, /compact and /models, and # lets you browse tools and context items, per VS Code's AI features cheat sheet.
What are the GitHub Copilot shortcuts in JetBrains IDEs?
GitHub lists these defaults for inline suggestions in IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Rider and the other JetBrains IDEs:
| Action | macOS | Windows and Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Accept an inline suggestion | Tab | Tab |
| Dismiss an inline suggestion | Esc | Esc |
| Show next inline suggestion | Option+] or Alt+] | Alt+] |
| Show previous inline suggestion | Option+[ or Alt+[ | Alt+[ |
| Trigger inline suggestion | Option+\ | Alt+\ |
| Open more suggestions in a separate pane | Option+Return or Alt+Return | Alt+Enter |
Note the last row: in JetBrains the extra-suggestions pane is on Alt+Enter, while VS Code uses Ctrl+Enter. GitHub's reference doesn't list default chat shortcuts for JetBrains; you open Copilot Chat from the Copilot icon in the status bar.
To change a key, GitHub's IDE configuration guide says you can "rebind the shortcuts to your preferred keyboard shortcuts for each specific command" in the IDE's keymap settings.
What are the GitHub Copilot shortcuts in Visual Studio?
GitHub documents two default shortcuts for Visual Studio:
| Action | Shortcut | Command name |
|---|---|---|
| Show next inline suggestion | Alt+. | Edit.NextSuggestion |
| Show previous inline suggestion | Alt+, | Edit.PreviousSuggestion |
To rebind them, GitHub gives these steps:
- In the menu bar, under Tools, click Options.
- Under Environment, click Keyboard.
- Under "Show commands containing:", search for the command.
- Under "Press shortcut keys," type the new shortcut, then click Assign.
You can turn Copilot on or off by clicking the GitHub Copilot icon in the bottom panel of the Visual Studio window.
What about Xcode, Eclipse and Copilot CLI?
GitHub's reference also covers two more editors:
| Editor | Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|---|
| Xcode | Accept the first line of a suggestion | Tab |
| Xcode | View full suggestion | Hold Option |
| Xcode | Accept full suggestion | Option+Tab |
| Eclipse | Accept an inline suggestion | Tab |
| Eclipse | Accept next word | Cmd+Right (Mac) or Ctrl+Right (Windows) |
| Eclipse | Dismiss an inline suggestion | Esc |
| Eclipse | Trigger inline suggestion | Option+Cmd+/ (Mac) or Alt+Ctrl+/ (Windows) |
In the terminal, Copilot CLI has its own set. A few from GitHub's CLI reference:
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Shift+Tab | Cycle between standard, plan and autopilot mode |
| Esc | Cancel the current operation; press twice to interrupt the running turn |
| Ctrl+C | Cancel or clear input; press twice to exit |
| Ctrl+Enter or Ctrl+Q | Queue a message while the agent is busy |
| Ctrl+X then / | Run a slash command, such as /model, without retyping your prompt |
| Ctrl+G | Edit the prompt in your $EDITOR |
| Ctrl+R | Reverse search through command history |
| Ctrl+L | Clear the screen |
Typing @ followed by a file name adds that file to the context, and # followed by a number adds a GitHub issue or pull request.
How do you change GitHub Copilot shortcuts in VS Code?
Open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor with ⌘K ⌘S on macOS or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S on Windows and Linux, per VS Code's keybindings docs. Search by command name, such as inlineSuggest or copilot, then assign new keys to the command.
For more control, use the Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON) button in the editor's title bar and edit keybindings.json. This illustrative example gives the on/off toggle a shortcut, since it has none by default (the key combination is an arbitrary pick, not a GitHub or VS Code default):
[
{
"key": "ctrl+alt+shift+c",
"command": "github.copilot.toggleCopilot"
}
]
Pick a combination your keymap doesn't already use. The same approach works for any command in the tables above, such as editor.action.inlineSuggest.showNext.
Which shortcuts should you learn first?
If you only learn a handful, these cover most daily use in VS Code:
- Tab and Esc to accept or dismiss.
- Ctrl+Right (⌘→) to accept one word at a time when a suggestion is only half right.
- Alt+] (Option+]) to see the next alternative.
- Ctrl+I (⌘I) for a quick inline edit on selected code.
- Ctrl+Alt+I (⌃⌘I) to open the Chat view for bigger tasks.
If you also use Claude Code, compare with Claude Code keyboard shortcuts.
Save the prompts you type most
Shortcuts save keystrokes, and so do saved prompts. Kipt keeps your prompts and Agent Skills as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own, with {{name}} blanks and Cmd+K search, so a prompt you use in Copilot Chat every day is a few keys away.