command lab

Atom Shortcut Practice

How to use
STARTSTOP
*Toggle input mode: ctrl + shift + alt + space
PRE
NEXT
Exclude this question from the list
Restore excluded questions
Get a URL for the current exclusions
https://command-lab.com
Copy
Guide mode
Repeat mode

*Recommended browser: Google Chrome

Send us your requests
PUSH ENTER
If you enjoy this site, please share it — it keeps us motivated to keep improving!

Atom Keyboard Shortcuts: Full List (48 shortcuts)

Every Atom keyboard shortcut used in the practice above, listed in full. Each row shows the Windows and Mac keys plus a short explanation of what the shortcut does. Find one you want to learn, then drill it above until your fingers remember it.

Selection

Atom — Selection
Action Windows Mac What it does
Select all Ctrl+A ⌘+A Selects all the text in the file at once. Use it when you want to copy the entire file's contents, or delete or replace everything at once.
Select row Ctrl+L ⌘+L Selects the entire line the cursor is on. Saves you the trouble of selecting from the start to the end of the line manually, so you can immediately delete or restyle the whole line.
Select 3 lines Ctrl+L Ctrl+L Ctrl+L ⌘+L ⌘+L ⌘+L After selecting a line, pressing the same key again extends the selection down by one more line at a time. Use it when you want to select and manipulate several lines at once.
Select word Ctrl+D ⌘+D Selects the whole word at the cursor's position. Gives the same result as double-clicking a word, but without leaving the keyboard.
Select two same words Ctrl+D Ctrl+D ⌘+D ⌘+D Extends the selection to include the next occurrence of the same word that's already selected. Each additional press adds one more match, setting up a multi-cursor edit across several matching spots at once.

Editing

Atom — Editing
Action Windows Mac What it does
Delete current line Ctrl+Shift+K ⌃+⇧+K Deletes the entire line the cursor is on. Skips the step of selecting the line first, letting you remove an unwanted line with a single shortcut.
Join with next line Ctrl+J ⌘+J Joins the line the cursor is on with the next line into a single line. Lets you merge two lines by removing the line break, without having to move the cursor to the end of the line first.
Duplicate rows Ctrl+Shift+D ⌘+⇧+D Duplicates the line the cursor is on and inserts the copy directly below it. Saves you the trouble of copying and pasting when you want to write similar code right after.
Multiple row duplication Ctrl+Shift+D ⌘+⇧+D When multiple lines are selected, this duplicates the entire selection and inserts the copy directly below it. Use it when you want to duplicate a whole block of related code at once.
Capitalize current word Ctrl+K Ctrl+U ⌘+K ⌘+U Capitalizes the first letter of the word at the cursor's position. Use it to quickly fix a variable name or heading to match a naming convention after the fact.
Lowercase the current word Ctrl+K Ctrl+L ⌘+K ⌘+L Converts the word at the cursor's position entirely to lowercase. Use it to fix a word that was accidentally typed in uppercase, matching a naming convention.

Navigation

Atom — Navigation
Action Windows Mac What it does
Move current line up Ctrl+↑ ⌘+⌃+↑ Moves the line the cursor is on up by one line, swapping places with the line above, without changing its content. Lets you quickly reorder code without cutting and pasting.
Move current line down Ctrl+↓ ⌘+⌃+↓ Moves the line the cursor is on down by one line, swapping places with the line below, without changing its content. Lets you quickly reorder code without cutting and pasting.
Move to beginning of line Home ⌃+A Jumps the cursor straight to the beginning of the current line. Frequently used when you want to start typing from the beginning of a line, or return to just before its indentation.
Move to end of line End ⌃+E Jumps the cursor straight to the end of the current line. Lets you quickly start editing at the end of a line, such as adding a semicolon or comma.
Jump to line 30 Ctrl+G 3 0 Enter ⌃+G 3 0 Enter Lets you type a line number directly and jump straight to that line. Useful when an error message points to a specific line and you want to get there immediately.
Move by symbol Ctrl+R ⌘+R Lists the symbols in the file, such as function and class names, and jumps to the definition of the one you select. Use it to find a specific function in a long file without scrolling through it.
Bookmark registration Ctrl+Alt+F2 ⌘+F2 Registers a bookmark on the line the cursor is on. Mark important lines you want to come back to later, so you can navigate the file quickly.
Cancel Bookmark Ctrl+Alt+F2 ⌘+F2 Removes a bookmark from a line. It uses the same shortcut as registering one — running it on an already-bookmarked line removes the mark. Use it when you no longer need to return to that line.
Move bookmarks in order F2 F2 Jumps to the next registered bookmark in order within the file. Use it when you want to cycle through several marked spots with a single key.

Basic operations

Atom — Basic operations
Action Windows Mac What it does
Undo Ctrl+Z ⌘+Z Reverts the most recent editing action back to its previous state. It's the first thing to try after accidentally deleting or overwriting something.
Redo Ctrl+Y ⌘+Y Redoes an action that was undone with Undo. Use it when you've undone one step too many and want to move forward to the state before the undo.
Save Ctrl+S ⌘+S Saves the file being edited, overwriting the existing version on disk. It's good practice to run this frequently while working so you don't lose your changes.
Save as Ctrl+Shift+S ⌘+⇧+S Saves the content you're editing under a new file name or in a different location. Use it when you want to keep the original file intact while creating a separate copy or version.

View

Atom — View
Action Windows Mac What it does
Font expansion Ctrl+Shift++ ⌘+⇧+; Increases the font size and related display elements in the editor. Use it when the text is hard to read, or when you want to make code more visible during a screen share.
Font reduction Ctrl+- ⌘+- Decreases the font size and related display elements in the editor. Use it when you want to fit more code on the screen, or to undo a display that's been zoomed in too far.
Split screen to the right Ctrl+K → ⌘+K → Splits the current editor to the right, creating a new pane. Use it when you want to view and edit two files side by side.
Split screen below Ctrl+K ↓ ⌘+K ↓ Splits the current editor downward, creating a new pane. Use it when you want to view two spots in a file stacked vertically, or open a related file below.
Split screen to the left Ctrl+K ← ⌘+K ← Splits the current editor to the left, creating a new pane. Use it when you want to view and edit two files side by side.
Split screen on top Ctrl+K ↑ ⌘+K ↑ Splits the current editor upward, creating a new pane. Use it when you want to view two spots in a file stacked vertically, or open a related file above.
Display Tree View Ctrl+K Ctrl+B ⌘+K ⌘+B Shows the Tree View (folder and file list) in the sidebar. This is usually the first thing you show when you want to browse the project and open a different file.
Hide Tree View Ctrl+K Ctrl+B ⌘+K ⌘+B Toggles the visibility of the Tree View in the sidebar. Run it when you want to temporarily hide the file tree to give the editor area more room. The same key toggles it back on.

UI operations

Atom — UI operations
Action Windows Mac What it does
Focus the screen to the right Ctrl+K Ctrl+→ ⌘+K ⌘+→ Moves keyboard focus to the pane on the right when the screen is split. Use it to switch between panes without the mouse when working with a split view.
Focus on screen below Ctrl+K Ctrl+↓ ⌘+K ⌘+↓ Moves keyboard focus to the pane below when the screen is split. Use it to switch between panes without the mouse when working with a split view.
Focus on screen to the left Ctrl+K Ctrl+← ⌘+K ⌘+← Moves keyboard focus to the pane on the left when the screen is split. Use it to switch between panes without the mouse when working with a split view.
Focus screen on top Ctrl+K Ctrl+↑ ⌘+K ⌘+↑ Moves keyboard focus to the pane above when the screen is split. Use it to switch between panes without the mouse when working with a split view.
Move to third tab (move by tab number) Ctrl+3 ⌘+3 Switches directly to the third open tab by its position number. Lets you jump straight to the file you want using only the keyboard, without clicking the tab with the mouse.
Tab list display Ctrl+B ⌘+B Displays a list of all currently open tabs. Useful when too many tabs are open to see clearly, letting you pick the file you want from the list and switch to it quickly.
Focus on tree view Ctrl+0 ⌃+0 Moves keyboard focus from the editor to the Tree View. Use it when you want to navigate the file tree with the arrow keys instead of the mouse.
Find files from project Ctrl+P ⌘+P Quickly finds and opens files within the project using fuzzy search. Typing just part of a file name narrows the candidates, letting you open files faster than browsing the Tree View.
Display [Settings] Ctrl+, ⌘+, Displays the Settings screen where you can change Atom's various options. Use it to customize the editor's overall behavior, such as font size, theme, or package management.
Show Command Palette Ctrl+Shift+P ⌘+⇧+P Opens the Command Palette, where you can search for and run commands by name. Lets you quickly run a feature even if you don't remember where it lives in the menus — just type a keyword.

Special operations

Atom — Special operations
Action Windows Mac What it does
New file addition (during tree focus) a a Pressing "a" while the Tree View has focus creates a new file. Lets you add a file quickly using only the keyboard, without opening the right-click menu with the mouse.
Add new folder (when tree focus) Shift+A ⇧+A Pressing Shift+A while the Tree View has focus creates a new folder. Like adding a file, this lets you quickly create a folder using only the keyboard, without the right-click menu.
File name change (during tree focus) m m Pressing "m" while the Tree View has focus lets you rename the selected file. Skips the step of right-clicking and choosing Rename, letting you rename it using only the keyboard.
File duplication (during tree focus) d d Pressing "d" while the Tree View has focus duplicates the selected file. Useful when you want to reuse a file's content as a template — you can duplicate it using only the keyboard, without right-clicking.
Add project Ctrl+Shift+A ⌘+⇧+O Adds a folder to Atom as a project to work on. Use it when you want to manage and switch between multiple projects within the same window.
Get file path Ctrl+Shift+C ⌃+⇧+C Copies the absolute path of the currently open file to the clipboard. Use it when you need to reference the file in a terminal command or share its location with someone else.

Practice list

Back to top