Key Concepts & Shortcuts
Essential keyboard shortcuts, slash commands, and chat features at a glance
title: "Key Concepts & Shortcuts" description: "Essential keyboard shortcuts, slash commands, and chat features at a glance" section: "Copilot" readTime: "5 min"
Key Concepts & Shortcuts
Essential Keyboard Shortcuts
On macOS, use Cmd where noted. See the keyboard shortcuts reference for a full table.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+Alt+I (Ctrl+Cmd+I on macOS) | Open the Chat view |
Ctrl+N (Cmd+N) | New chat session |
Ctrl+I (Cmd+I) | Inline chat in editor or terminal |
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L | Quick Chat |
Tab | Accept inline suggestion / navigate to next edit suggestion |
Ctrl+Right (Cmd+Right) | Accept next word of inline suggestion |
Alt+] / Alt+[ | Cycle through alternative suggestions |
Escape | Dismiss inline suggestion |
Use the language model picker in the chat input to switch models.
Chat Access Methods
| Method | Shortcut | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Chat view | Ctrl+Alt+I | Ongoing conversation, multi-file edits |
| Inline chat (editor/terminal) | Ctrl+I | In-place edits while in flow |
| Quick Chat | Ctrl+Shift+Alt+L | Quick questions without switching context |
| Agents window | Chat: Open Agents window | Managing sessions across projects |
Slash Commands
Available commands depend on the chat surface and enabled features. Type /help to see what your session supports.
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/explain | Explain selected code or a concept |
/fix | Fix a code block or linting/compiler error |
/tests | Generate tests for selected code |
/doc | Generate documentation comments |
/new | Scaffold a new project or file |
/init | Generate workspace instructions (copilot-instructions.md) |
/plan | Research a change and propose an implementation plan |
/compact | Summarize context to free up space |
/fork | Copy the conversation into a new session |
/clear | Start a new session |
/models, /tools | Inspect available models and tools |
Context References
Type # in the chat input to browse tools and context items. Agents also choose tools automatically, so naming one is optional.
| Syntax | Adds to context |
|---|---|
#file | A specific file |
#folder | A folder and its files |
#symbol | A specific symbol/function |
#codebase | Semantic search across workspace |
#selection | Current editor selection |
#changes | Source control changes |
#fetch | Content from a URL |
#searchResults | Results from the Search view |
Chat Participants (@-mentions)
Participants are still available in chat surfaces that support them. In agent mode, #codebase and the agent's own tools usually replace the old @workspace participant.
| Participant | Domain |
|---|---|
@github | GitHub repos, issues, PRs, code search |
@terminal | Integrated terminal, shell commands |
@vscode | VS Code features, settings (for example @vscode /search builds a Search view query) |
Context Window
A visual indicator in the chat input shows context window usage. Use /compact (or Compact Conversation from the context window control) when context fills up. VS Code also compacts automatically when the window fills.