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How to Add and Use Multiple Cursors in VS Code

Use VS Code’s multi-cursor tools to edit chosen positions, adjacent lines, or repeated text in one operation, with shortcuts for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

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VS Code’s built-in multi-cursor feature lets you edit several places at once. Use Alt-click (Option-click on macOS) for specific positions, add cursors above or below for adjacent lines, or select repeated text with a matching-occurrence command.

Choose the method that fits the edit

Method Best for What it does
Alt/Option-click Unrelated or precisely chosen positions Places a cursor wherever you click.
Add cursor above or below Editing neighboring lines in parallel Adds another cursor on the line above or below the current one.
Add next match Changing selected repetitions selectively Adds the next matching occurrence each time you invoke it.
Select all matches Changing every occurrence of selected text Selects every matching occurrence in the editor.

Once the cursors or selections are in place, type, delete, or replace text normally; the operation is applied at each location. See the VS Code guide to multiple selections.

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Place cursors at specific positions

  1. Hold Alt and click each position where you want a cursor. On macOS, hold Option instead.
  2. Type or edit. VS Code applies the change at all cursor positions.

This is the most direct option when the locations are scattered or do not follow a repeated pattern. The click modifier can be changed; see the multi-cursor documentation.

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Add cursors on adjacent lines

Use the shortcut for your operating system to add a cursor above or below the current one:

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Operating system Cursor above Cursor below
macOS Option+Command+Up Option+Command+Down
Windows Ctrl+Alt+Up Ctrl+Alt+Down
Linux Shift+Alt+Up Shift+Alt+Down

These are documented defaults, not guarantees for every setup. A graphics-card driver may capture the shortcut, and users can change bindings. If a shortcut does not work, look up the command in the Keyboard Shortcuts editor. For wrapped lines, VS Code documents a logicalLine argument for custom insert-cursor-above/below keybindings so the commands ignore visual wraps; see the multi-cursor guide.

Select matching text, one occurrence at a time

  1. Select the word or text you want to edit.
  2. Press Command+D on macOS or Ctrl+D on Windows or Linux to add the next matching occurrence.
  3. Repeat the shortcut to add further matches, then make the edit across the selected occurrences.

This incremental approach is useful when you want control over which repetitions change. To skip an unwanted match and move the last selection to the next one, use Command+K, then Command+D on macOS or Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+D on Windows or Linux. The sequence is two key chords, not one simultaneous shortcut. See VS Code’s documented multi-cursor commands.

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Select every occurrence at once

Select the text, then press Shift+Command+L on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+L on Windows or Linux. VS Code selects every matching occurrence in the editor, so use this when all instances should receive the same edit. If only some matches should change, use the incremental Command+D or Ctrl+D method instead. The shortcuts are listed in the official guide.

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Add a cursor to the end of each selected line

Select the lines you want to edit, then use the platform’s default shortcut:

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Operating system Shortcut
macOS Shift+Option+I
Windows Shift+Alt+I
Linux Ctrl+Shift+Alt+I

This places a cursor at the end of each selected line. These are documented defaults; verify the active binding in Keyboard Shortcuts if yours differs. See the VS Code multi-cursor documentation.

Use rectangular (box) selection for aligned text

Box selection creates a rectangular selection spanning lines, which is useful for editing aligned columns. Hold Shift+Alt and drag with the mouse; on macOS, use Shift+Option. If you have configured Ctrl or Command as the multi-cursor modifier, use Shift+Ctrl or Shift+Command for the drag, respectively.

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Keyboard column-selection shortcuts are documented for macOS and Windows, but the VS Code reference says they are not assigned by default on Linux. Check the column selection documentation and your active keybindings for the applicable shortcut.

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Change the mouse modifier or inspect a shortcut

Change the multi-cursor click modifier

The editor.multiCursorModifier setting accepts alt (the default) or ctrlCmd. The latter means Ctrl on Windows and Linux, and Command on macOS. You can also switch the click behavior from the Selection menu. Changing this setting adjusts the Go to Definition and Open Link gestures to avoid a conflict. Details are in VS Code’s multi-cursor reference.

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Find or change a keybinding

Open Keyboard Shortcuts with Command+K, then Command+S on macOS, or Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+S on Windows and Linux. Search for the command to view its current binding, then change, remove, or reset it as needed. The editor reflects the active keyboard layout, so key names may appear differently on non-US layouts. See the Keyboard Shortcuts documentation.

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Fix a shortcut that does not work

  • Cursor above or below does nothing: A graphics-card driver may be intercepting the default shortcut. Check the command’s binding in Keyboard Shortcuts and change it if needed.
  • Your shortcut differs from the table: Keybindings can be customized by you or extensions, and the displayed keys can vary with keyboard layout. Search the command in Keyboard Shortcuts to see the active binding.
  • Alt-click opens another action: Change editor.multiCursorModifier to ctrlCmd, or use the Selection menu’s option to switch the click behavior.
  • Wrapped lines affect cursor placement: A custom keybinding using the documented logicalLine argument can make insert-cursor-above/below commands ignore visual wraps.

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