GitHub Copilot CLI keyboard shortcuts
GitHub Copilot CLI is the copilot command, GitHub's coding agent for the terminal, and eight of its keys are two-step Ctrl+X chords. This page covers the terminal agent; Copilot inside VS Code has its own page. Esc and Ctrl+C both cancel, but differently: Esc wants a second press while Copilot is working, and Ctrl+C stops it at once.
Checked against GitHub Docs — GitHub Copilot CLI command reference, GitHub Docs — Canceling a GitHub Copilot CLI operation and rolling back changes, GitHub Docs — Working with multiple GitHub Copilot CLI sessions, GitHub Docs — Browsing issues, pull requests, and gists from Copilot CLI, GitHub Docs — Changing settings with the /settings command, GitHub Docs — Steering agents in Copilot CLI, GitHub Docs — Use voice input with Copilot CLI, GitHub Docs — Best practices for GitHub Copilot CLI, GitHub Docs — Using GitHub Copilot CLI, GitHub Docs — Steering a GitHub Copilot CLI session from another device, GitHub Docs — About GitHub Copilot CLI and GitHub — Copilot CLI changelog. Version: GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.88, default keys.
Showing the Windows keyboard. Showing the Mac keyboard.
95 shortcuts
The top 18 are the Copilot CLI shortcuts this page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear here. The drill asks the marked ones first too, shuffled. Or tick your own and print those.
The 18 to learn first: the shortcuts the Copilot CLI page marks as the ones to learn first, in the order they appear on it.
Your own sheet: the Copilot CLI shortcuts you ticked.
Running the session
Practise theseCancel what Copilot is doing # While it works, the first press shows a reminder and a second within half a second cancels. On a permission prompt one press denies the request; on a dialog or picker it closes it.WinEscapeMacEscape
Cancel at once, or clear the input # No second press needed: it stops the operation and clears any queued prompts. With the input empty, a second press within two seconds exits.WinControl plusCMacControl plusC
Roll back to an earlier point in the session # Opens the rewind picker when Copilot is idle and the input is empty. Otherwise it cancels a running shell command, stops the response, stops background agents or clears the input, in that order.WinEscapethenEscapeMacEscapethenEscape
Shut the CLI down #WinControl plusDMacControl plusD
Cycle standard, plan and autopilot mode # Plan mode builds a plan and asks questions before any code is written.WinShift plusTabMacShift plusTab
Clear the screen #WinControl plusLMacControl plusL
Open the quick help # On an empty prompt. Press it again to close the help and type a ?.Win?Mac?
Suspend the CLI to the background # Unix only, as GitHub gives it.WinControl plusZMacControl plusZ
Writing the prompt
Practise theseStart a new line without sending # Alt+Enter on Windows and Linux, Option+Enter on a Mac. /terminal-setup sets a terminal up for Shift+Enter.WinShift plusEnterorAlt plusEnterMacShift plusReturnorOption plusReturn
Queue a message for when Copilot is free # Plain Enter while Copilot works steers the task in progress instead. A queued message waits and runs as the next turn.WinControl plusEnterorControl plusQMacControl plusReturnorControl plusQ
Step through the command history # With the prompt empty and a message waiting, Up brings that queued or steering message back for editing instead.WinUp arroworDown arrowMacUp arroworDown arrow
Step back through history without recalling queued messages #WinControl plusPMacControl plusP
Search back through the command history #WinControl plusRMacControl plusR
Write the prompt in your editor # Opens $EDITOR.WinControl plusGorControl plusXthenEMacControl plusGorControl plusXthenE
Paste from the clipboard as an attachment #WinControl plusVMacControl plusV
Paste an image from the clipboard as an attachment #WinAlt plusVMacOption plusV
Accept the inline completion # For a file path, pick one from the list with the arrow keys first.WinTaborControl plusYMacTaborControl plusY
Add a file to the context # Followed by the file name.Win@Mac@
Add a GitHub issue or pull request to the context # Followed by its number.Win#Mac#
Run a shell command without Copilot # ! on its own opens shell mode for several commands in a row; Esc or Ctrl+C on an empty prompt leaves it.Win!Mac!
Hand the terminal to a full interactive shell # A lone $. Unlike !, the CLI steps aside completely, so full-screen programs and tab completion work; exit, or Ctrl+D on Unix, brings you back. For local, trusted sessions on a real terminal.Win$thenEnterMac$thenReturn
Show the slash commands #WinSlashMacSlash
To the start of the line #WinControl plusAMacControl plusA
To the end of the line # On a wrapped line it stops at the wrap first; press again for the next row. With the prompt empty, Ctrl+E expands the timeline instead.WinControl plusEMacControl plusE
Back one character #WinControl plusBMacControl plusB
Forward one character # The reference also gives Ctrl+F to timeline search.WinControl plusFMacControl plusF
Move the cursor a word left or right #WinAlt plusLeft arroworAlt plusRight arrowMacOption plusLeft arroworOption plusRight arrow
To the start of the visual line #WinHomeMacHome
To the end of the visual line #WinEndMacEnd
To the start of all the text #WinControl plusHomeMacControl plusHome
To the end of all the text #WinControl plusEndMacControl plusEnd
Delete the previous character #WinControl plusHMacControl plusH
Delete the previous word #WinControl plusWMacControl plusW
Delete to the end of the line # At the end of a line it deletes the line break.WinControl plusKMacControl plusK
Delete back to the start of the line #WinControl plusUMacControl plusU
The Ctrl+X chords
Press Ctrl+X, then the second key.
Run a slash command without losing what you typed # For changing the model mid-prompt, say. Ctrl+X then /refine tidies up the prompt you have, handy after dictating.WinControl plusXthenSlashMacControl plusXthenSlash
Send the running task or shell command to the background #WinControl plusXthenBMacControl plusXthenB
Collapse or expand the autopilot goal panel # The panel sizes itself to the terminal's height; this overrides it.WinControl plusXthenGMacControl plusXthenG
Hide the current-session sidebar #WinControl plusXthenHMacControl plusXthenH
Open the most recent link in the timeline #WinControl plusXthenOMacControl plusXthenO
Start or stop voice dictation # Ctrl+Space only works where the terminal and the operating system pass it through. The first time, the CLI offers to download a speech model.WinControl plusXthenVorControl plusSpace barMacControl plusXthenVorControl plusSpace bar
Close the current session #WinControl plusXthenXMacControl plusXthenX
Search the timeline #WinControl plusFMacControl plusF
Expand the recent items # With the prompt empty. After /remote it also shows or hides the QR code for GitHub Mobile.WinControl plusOMacControl plusO
Expand every item # With the prompt empty.WinControl plusEMacControl plusE
Show or hide the model's reasoning # The choice is kept for later sessions.WinControl plusTMacControl plusT
Scroll the timeline by a page #WinPage UporPage DownMacPage UporPage Down
Open the plan in your editor # The plan from plan mode, or a research report, in your default Markdown editor. The reference also lists Ctrl+Y for accepting an inline completion.WinControl plusYMacControl plusY
Tabs, the sidebar and sessions
The sessions sidebar sits beside the conversation. Several of these keys need the prompt to be empty.
Practise theseSwitch to the next tab # Paused while something else, such as the slash-command list, is reading your keys.WinTabMacTab
Switch to the previous tab #WinShift plusTabMacShift plusTab
Open the sessions sidebar # With the prompt empty. h does the same. In the reference's focus table the first press opens it and a second moves focus into it.WinLeft arrowMacLeft arrow
Go back to the conversation, then close the sidebar # l does the same.WinRight arrowMacRight arrow
Move through the sessions in the sidebar # k and j work too.WinUp arroworDown arrowMacUp arroworDown arrow
Switch to the selected session # Focus goes back to the conversation.WinEnterMacReturn
Start a new session # From the sidebar or the Sessions tab.WinNMacN
Change the order of the sessions # Recent, created, name, then none.WinSMacS
Close the selected session # The first x arms it, shown in red. In the Sessions tab it deletes a local session for good; a session kept on a server is only closed.WinXthenXMacXthenX
Show the sidebar help #Win?Mac?
Show local, remote or all sessions # In the Sessions tab.WinAMacA
Search the Sessions tab # Across name, branch or folder, repository and session ID.WinSlashMacSlash
Page through the Sessions tab #WinShift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arrowMacShift plusUp arroworShift plusDown arrow
Issues, pull requests and gists
The Issues and Pull requests tabs appear inside a GitHub repository; the Gists tab appears everywhere.
Practise theseShow the highlighted item's details # Esc goes back to the list.WinEnterMacReturn
Open the highlighted item on GitHub.com #WinOMacO
Put a reference to the item in your prompt # And jumps back to the Session tab. For a gist it puts in the URL.WinCMacC
Show only items that involve you, or every open item # On the Issues and Pull requests tabs.WinAMacA
Search the issues or pull requests # Enter runs the search; Esc cancels it or clears the results.WinSlashMacSlash
Show the next or previous page of items #WinShift plusDown arroworShift plusUp arrowMacShift plusDown arroworShift plusUp arrow
/resume, /tasks and /settings
Practise theseChange the order of the saved sessions # In the /resume picker: relevance, created, name, then last used.WinSMacS
Switch between local and remote sessions # In the /resume picker.WinTabMacTab
Delete the selected saved session # In the /resume picker. One GitHub how-to page says d; the reference and the release notes say x.WinXMacX
Open a task, or step into a subagent's own view # In /tasks. Inside a subagent's view you can steer it from the prompt box.WinEnterMacReturn
Show every level of nested subagents, or this level only # In /tasks.WinAMacA
Show finished subagents and shells as well # In /tasks.WinFMacF
Stop the selected task # In /tasks.WinXMacX
Remove the selected finished task #WinRMacR
Send the selected task to the background #WinBMacB
Search the settings # In /settings, by name or description.WinSlashMacSlash
Reset the highlighted setting to its default # In /settings.WinControl plusRMacControl plusR
Open settings.json in your editor # In /settings. For list and structured settings, which cannot be set inline.WinControl plusEMacControl plusE
Reviewing changes in /diff
Practise theseMove down a line #WinDown arroworJMacDown arroworJ
Move up a line #WinUp arroworKMacUp arroworK
Jump to the next file #WinRight arroworLMacRight arroworL
Jump to the previous file #WinLeft arroworHMacLeft arroworH
Jump to the first line #WinHomeorGMacHomeorG
Jump to the last line #WinEndorShift plusGMacEndorShift plusG
Scroll the diff by a page #WinPage UporPage DownMacPage UporPage Down
Scroll the diff by half a page # Ctrl+U goes up, Ctrl+D down.WinControl plusUorControl plusDMacControl plusUorControl plusD
Scroll one line at a time #WinAlt plusscrollMacOption plusscroll
Comment on the selected line # Or edit the comment already there.WinCMacC
Show a summary of your comments #WinSMacS
Submit all your comments # When there are comments to send.WinEnterMacReturn
Switch between unstaged changes and the branch diff #WinBMacB
Hide or show whitespace-only changes #WinWMacW
Refresh the diff # Remote sessions only.WinRMacR
Leave diff mode #WinEscapeorControl plusCMacEscapeorControl plusC
Next
Copilot
This covers GitHub Copilot inside VS Code, where Microsoft's documentation gives each Copilot key for Windows and for Mac.
Claude Code
This covers Claude Code, the terminal tool, which is where the shortcuts are.
Codex CLI
Codex CLI is OpenAI's coding agent for the terminal, and OpenAI documents only a short list of its keys.
Terminal
Almost everything here comes from readline, the line editor that bash and zsh both use.
GitHub Copilot CLI keyboard shortcuts — comboshelf.com. Checked 27 September 2026 against GitHub Docs — GitHub Copilot CLI command reference.