Claude Code Keyboard Shortcuts: Speed Up Your Workflow 10x

The fastest Claude Code users rarely touch their mouse. They navigate, edit, and control sessions entirely through keyboard shortcuts. This guide covers every shortcut available—plus productivity patterns that compound your speed.

Essential Shortcuts

These are the shortcuts you'll use constantly. Memorize these first.

Session Control

Navigation

Input Editing

Multi-line Input

Command-Specific Shortcuts

Slash Commands

Pro tip: Type partial commands and Tab to complete:

/com<Tab> → /commit
/rev<Tab> → /review

File Operations

Git Operations

Navigation Shortcuts

Conversation Navigation

Output Navigation

Editing Shortcuts

Text Manipulation

Selection (in multi-line mode)

Copy/Paste

Terminal Integration Shortcuts

These work when Claude Code interacts with your terminal:

Process Control

Terminal Output

Advanced Shortcuts

Session Management

Mode Switching

Output Control

Workflow Patterns

Shortcuts alone aren't enough—you need patterns that combine them effectively.

Pattern 1: Rapid Code Review

1. /git diff<Enter>          # See changes
2. [Review output]
3. /review<Enter>            # Get AI review
4. [Read feedback]
5. Up Arrow → Enter          # Re-run if needed

Shortcuts used: /, Enter, Up Arrow

Pattern 2: Quick File Exploration

1. /tree<Enter>              # See structure
2. /read src/com<Tab>        # Autocomplete path
3. Ctrl+R → "read"           # Find previous reads
4. /grep "function"<Enter>   # Search content

Shortcuts used: /, Tab, Ctrl+R, Enter

Pattern 3: Iterative Development

1. Write code request
2. [Claude generates code]
3. /test<Enter>              # Run tests
4. [See failures]
5. Up Up Enter               # Previous prompt
6. "Fix the test failures"   # Iterate
7. Repeat 3-6

Shortcuts used: /, Enter, Up Arrow

Pattern 4: Multi-file Changes

1. Describe change
2. [Claude edits file 1]
3. Ctrl+L                    # Clear screen
4. "Now update file 2"
5. [Claude edits file 2]
6. /git diff<Enter>          # Review all changes
7. /commit<Enter>            # Commit when satisfied

Shortcuts used: Ctrl+L, /, Enter

Pattern 5: Debug Session

1. Paste error message
2. [Claude analyzes]
3. /read<Tab><Tab>           # Navigate to file
4. [Review code]
5. Shift+Enter               # Multi-line input
   "The error occurs when..."
   "I expect..."
   Enter                     # Submit
6. [Claude fixes]
7. /test<Enter>              # Verify fix

Shortcuts used: Tab, Shift+Enter, Enter, /

Command History Mastery

Command history is your superpower. Master it.

History Navigation

Up Arrow      → Previous command
Down Arrow    → Next command
Ctrl+R        → Reverse search
Ctrl+S        → Forward search (after Ctrl+R)

History Search

Ctrl+R → "commit"     # Find commit commands
Ctrl+R → Ctrl+R       # Previous match
Enter                 # Execute
Ctrl+G                # Cancel search

History Expansion

!!                    # Repeat last command
!-2                   # Command 2 back
!git                  # Last command starting with "git"
!?deploy              # Last command containing "deploy"

Autocomplete Mastery

Tab Completion

/com<Tab>             → /commit
/read src/c<Tab>      → /read src/components/
/read src/c<Tab><Tab> → Show all matches

Smart Suggestions

Ctrl+Space            # Show suggestions
Arrow keys            # Navigate suggestions
Enter                 # Select suggestion
Escape                # Dismiss suggestions

Path Completion

./src/<Tab>           # Complete directory
../<Tab>              # Parent directory
~/<Tab>               # Home directory
/<Tab>                # Root directory

Multi-line Input Techniques

Writing Long Prompts

Shift+Enter           # New line
Shift+Enter           # Another line
Tab                   # Indent
Shift+Tab             # Unindent
Enter                 # Submit all

Code Blocks in Input

```javascript<Shift+Enter>
function example() {<Shift+Enter>
  return true;<Shift+Enter>
}<Shift+Enter>
```<Enter>

Pasting Multi-line Content

Ctrl+V                # Paste preserves newlines
Ctrl+Shift+V          # Paste as plain text

Customization

Creating Aliases

Add to your shell config:

# ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc

# Quick Claude commands
alias c="claude"
alias cr="claude --resume"
alias cc="claude --continue"

# Project shortcuts
alias dev="claude 'Start development session'"
alias review="claude '/review'"

Keyboard Macros (iTerm2/Terminal)

Configure terminal to send key sequences:

Cmd+R → "claude --resume\n"
Cmd+D → "/deploy staging\n"
Cmd+T → "/test\n"

Custom Key Bindings

Create ~/.claude/keybindings.json:

{
  "ctrl+shift+r": "/review",
  "ctrl+shift+d": "/deploy",
  "ctrl+shift+t": "/test",
  "ctrl+shift+c": "/commit"
}

Speed Techniques

1. Never Type Full Commands

# Slow
/commit

# Fast
/com<Tab>

2. Use History, Don't Retype

# Slow
[Type same command again]

# Fast
Up Arrow → Enter

3. Chain with &&

# Slow
/test
[wait]
/build
[wait]
/deploy

# Fast
"Run tests, then build, then deploy to staging"

4. Multi-line for Complex Requests

# Slow
"Fix the auth bug"
[wait]
"Also update the tests"
[wait]
"And the documentation"

# Fast
Shift+Enter to build prompt:
"1. Fix the auth bug in login.ts
2. Update the test file
3. Add JSDoc comments"
Enter

5. Abort Early, Iterate Fast

# See wrong direction? Don't wait.
Ctrl+C → "Actually, I meant..." → Enter

Troubleshooting

Shortcuts Not Working

1. Check terminal emulator settings
2. Verify no conflicting key bindings
3. Try alternative shortcuts (Ctrl vs Cmd on Mac)

Common Conflicts

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS:

• Cmd often works where Ctrl is shown
• Option = Alt for word operations
• iTerm2 may need "Send Escape Sequence" for Alt

Windows:

• Windows Terminal works best
• Some shortcuts conflict with Windows system shortcuts
• Consider WSL for full Linux shortcut support

Linux:

• Most shortcuts work as documented
• Check your terminal emulator's settings
• GNOME Terminal, Konsole, Alacritty all work well

Quick Reference Card

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Must-Know

Navigation

Commands

Conclusion

Keyboard shortcuts aren't just about speed—they're about flow. When you don't have to think about how to interact with Claude Code, you can focus entirely on what you're building.

Start with the essentials: Ctrl+C, Up Arrow, Tab, Enter. These four shortcuts cover 80% of interactions. Then gradually add more as they become natural.

The goal isn't to memorize a hundred shortcuts—it's to make the ones you need automatic. Pick the patterns that match your workflow and practice them until they're muscle memory.

Speed follows fluency. Fluency follows practice.

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Ready for advanced parallelism? Check out our Subagent Patterns Guide for multi-agent orchestration techniques.