VS Code includes Emmet, and the most reliable default way to expand an abbreviation is to choose its expansion from the editor’s suggestions. Tab does not expand Emmet abbreviations by default. To use it, enable emmet.triggerExpansionOnTab; alternatively, run Emmet: Expand Abbreviation from the Command Palette or bind a key to editor.emmet.action.expandAbbreviation.
Which Emmet shortcut should you use?
There is no single universal Emmet expansion key in VS Code. The choice depends on whether you want to select from suggestions, invoke the expansion command directly, or configure Tab as an expansion key.
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| Action | How to do it | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Choose an Emmet suggestion | Type an abbreviation in a supported language and select its expansion from the completion list. | The default workflow and seeing the available expansion before inserting it. |
| Show suggestions manually | Press Ctrl+Space on Windows/Linux or Control+Space on macOS. | When quick suggestions are disabled or the list is not visible. |
| Expand with Tab | Set "emmet.triggerExpansionOnTab": true. |
When you prefer to expand an abbreviation with Tab rather than choose a suggestion. |
| Run the expansion command | Open the Command Palette and choose Emmet: Expand Abbreviation. Its command ID is editor.emmet.action.expandAbbreviation. |
When you want a direct command without relying on the suggestion list. |
| Use a preferred key | Assign a key to editor.emmet.action.expandAbbreviation in Keyboard Shortcuts. |
When you want a dedicated expansion key that suits your setup. |
Emmet is built into VS Code, so these documented abbreviation and snippet features do not require an extension. See the official Emmet documentation for configuration details.
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How do you expand an abbreviation with suggestions?
- Open a file in a language where Emmet is enabled, such as HTML or CSS.
- Type an Emmet abbreviation.
- Choose the intended expansion from the editor’s suggestion list.
This is the default interaction: VS Code offers expansions in the completion list instead of assigning expansion to Tab. If the list does not appear automatically, request suggestions with Ctrl+Space on Windows/Linux or Control+Space on macOS.
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How do you make Tab expand Emmet?
Set emmet.triggerExpansionOnTab to true in your VS Code settings. For example, add this entry to your settings JSON:
{
"emmet.triggerExpansionOnTab": true
}With the setting enabled, Tab can expand an Emmet abbreviation. When there is no abbreviation to expand, Tab remains available for indentation. If you would rather keep Tab’s usual behavior, leave this setting off and use suggestions or the expansion command.
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How do you assign a shortcut to Emmet: Expand Abbreviation?
- Open Keyboard Shortcuts with Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts. Its default shortcut is Ctrl+K, then Ctrl+S on Windows/Linux, or Command+K, then Command+S on macOS.
- Search for Emmet: Expand Abbreviation.
- Edit the command’s keybinding and enter the key combination you want to use.
The command ID is editor.emmet.action.expandAbbreviation. Keyboard bindings can vary by platform, keyboard layout, and personal changes; check the shortcut shown in your own Keyboard Shortcuts editor instead of assuming a particular key is universal. The editor also lets you remove or reset bindings. See the VS Code keybindings documentation.
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Where does Emmet work by default?
VS Code enables Emmet abbreviation and snippet expansion by default in these language modes:
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Languages that inherit from these modes, including handlebars and php, can also receive Emmet support.
Enable Emmet in another language
Use emmet.includeLanguages to map a language identifier to one Emmet understands. The documentation examples include javascript to javascriptreact, razor to html, and plaintext to pug. These mappings can surface markup completions in contexts that are not markup files.
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Control where expansions appear
Set emmet.showExpandedAbbreviation to control suggestion visibility. never hides Emmet expansions from suggestions. inMarkupAndStylesheetFilesOnly limits them to markup and stylesheet files, while always includes mapped modes without checking whether the current context is markup. Choose a setting that avoids unwanted suggestions in code where Emmet is not useful.
Change suggestion ordering
To show Emmet suggestions alongside snippets and place them near the top, set emmet.showSuggestionsAsSnippets to true and editor.snippetSuggestions to top. This changes ordering; it is not required to expand abbreviations.
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Why does an Emmet shortcut or suggestion not work?
No expansion appears
- If quick suggestions are disabled, invoke the suggestion list with Ctrl+Space on Windows/Linux or Control+Space on macOS.
- Check whether
emmet.showExpandedAbbreviationis set tonever. - Confirm that Emmet is enabled for the current language, or add an
emmet.includeLanguagesmapping.
A standalone custom tag is missing
VS Code’s Emmet documentation says standalone custom tags are omitted from suggestions so ordinary words are not all treated as possible tags. Enabling Tab expansion with emmet.triggerExpansionOnTab is a documented workaround.
A custom snippet no longer places the cursor correctly
Check emmet.extensionsPath and the format of snippets.json. The current format uses TextMate tab stops such as ${1} or ${1:placeholder} for cursor positions; the older | and ${cursor} markers are no longer supported.
An HTML snippet ending in + fails
VS Code’s documentation identifies HTML snippets such as select+ and ul+ as unsupported in Emmet 2.0. For that kind of expansion, create a custom snippet.
What else can Emmet do?
Emmet supports most of its actions with multiple cursors. Its documentation also covers filters such as |bem for BEM-style output and |c for comments. When using Wrap with Abbreviation, the trim filter can remove line markers from the selected lines. These are Emmet features, not separate keyboard shortcuts.
Why is Tab not the default expansion key?
VS Code’s August 7, 2017 announcement of Emmet 2.0 explained the historical change: the editor moved Emmet expansion into suggestions rather than keeping Tab as the default binding. The post describes the motivation as making Emmet suggestions a more pleasant experience. That announcement is historical context; for current behavior, use the official Emmet documentation and the keybindings shown in your own editor.
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