How to Use Multiple Cursors in VS Code

Multiple cursors let you type the same change into several places at once. Instead of editing line by line, you place a cursor everywhere the change needs to go, then type once.

VS Code gives you several ways to add cursors. Each one fits a different situation. If you are learning the full set of editing shortcuts, start with the keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet.

Add a cursor anywhere with Alt+Click

Hold Alt (Windows/Linux) or Opt (macOS) and click anywhere in the editor. A thinner secondary cursor appears at each click. Start typing and every cursor types the same text.

This is the most precise method, since each cursor operates independently based on the text around it. To remove a cursor, Alt+Click it again, or press Escape to remove all secondary cursors at once.

Add cursors above or below

Press Ctrl+Alt+Down (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Opt+Down (macOS) to add a cursor on the line below. Press Ctrl+Alt+Up / Cmd+Opt+Up to add one above. Each press adds one more cursor, one line at a time.

This works well when you have a list of values that all need the same prefix, suffix, or formatting change.

Select matching words with Ctrl+D

Place your cursor on a word and press Ctrl+D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+D (macOS). VS Code selects the word and highlights the next occurrence. Press Ctrl+D again to add the next one, and keep pressing until you have selected every occurrence you want to change. Type the replacement and every selected occurrence changes at once.

To skip an occurrence you do not want to change, press Ctrl+K Ctrl+D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+K Cmd+D (macOS). The current match is deselected and the cursor moves to the next one.

Select all occurrences at once

Select a word or phrase, then press Ctrl+Shift+L (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+L (macOS). VS Code places a cursor at every occurrence of that text in the file.

This is the fastest way when you want to rename or replace every instance of something. Unlike find-and-replace, you see every cursor inline and can make contextual edits around each one.

Column (box) selection

Column selection lets you select a rectangular block of text that spans multiple lines. Hold Shift+Alt (Windows/Linux) or Shift+Opt (macOS) and drag with the mouse. A rectangle appears and everything inside it is selected. Column selection is useful for:

• Deleting a repeated prefix (like line numbers or timestamps) from multiple lines.
• Copying a rectangular block of aligned text.
• Typing into a column of empty space across several lines.

You can also toggle Column Selection Mode from the Selection menu. When active, the Status Bar shows the mode and arrow keys create column selections without needing the mouse.

Change the multi-cursor modifier

If Alt+Click conflicts with your graphics driver or another tool, VS Code lets you switch to Ctrl+Click. Open the Command Palette and run Selection > Switch to Ctrl+Click for Multi-Cursor. You can also set this permanently: search for editor.multiCursorModifier in the Settings editor and set it to ctrlCmd or alt (the default).

When you switch to Ctrl+Click, Go to Definition moves to Alt+Click so the two gestures do not conflict.

Practical workflows

Add a comma or semicolon to the end of every line

Rename a variable across a function

Wrap a list of values in quotes

Troubleshooting

If Alt+Click does nothing, an extension or graphics driver may be consuming the shortcut. Try Selection > Switch to Ctrl+Click for Multi-Cursor. If that works, your Alt key is in conflict.

If cursor up/down adds cursors on wrapped lines instead of logical lines, you can fix this in keybindings.json. Open the file and add "args": { "logicalLine": true } to your editor.action.insertCursorBelow and editor.action.insertCursorAbove keybindings.

Multi-cursor works everywhere in VS Code: the editor, the terminal, and even inside Emmet abbreviations. Place multiple cursors and expand the same abbreviation on each line. For more on Emmet, see how to use Emmet in VS Code.