GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code Editor Inline: Keybinding Reference

When you use GitHub Copilot Chat inside Visual Studio Code, the inline chat window lets you ask questions, request code changes, or explain code without leaving the editor. The default keybindings for opening and navigating this inline chat are not always obvious, especially after a VS Code update or if you have changed your keyboard shortcuts. This article lists every default keybinding for GitHub Copilot Chat inline mode, explains what each shortcut does, and shows you how to view or modify these shortcuts in VS Code. By the end, you will know exactly which keys to press to start a chat, submit a prompt, accept a suggestion, or close the inline chat pane.

Understanding the Inline Chat Keybindings

GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code provides two chat entry points: the inline chat and the Quick Chat. The inline chat opens a small text box directly at the cursor position in the editor. The Quick Chat opens a larger dialog at the top of the window. Both use separate default keybindings. The keybindings are defined by the GitHub Copilot Chat extension and are stored in the VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts file. You can override any of these shortcuts by editing the keybindings.json file or using the Keyboard Shortcuts editor. The table below lists all default keybindings for inline chat operations.

Default Keybindings for Inline Chat

The following keybindings control the inline chat window. All shortcuts assume the default profile. If you have installed other extensions that override these keys, the behavior may change.

• Ctrl+I (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+I (macOS): Opens the inline chat window at the current cursor position. The chat input box appears with a blinking cursor. You can type a natural language prompt or a slash command.
• Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+I (macOS): Opens the Quick Chat dialog. This dialog appears at the top of the VS Code window and is not attached to a specific editor position.
• Enter: Submits the current prompt in the inline chat window. The Copilot Chat extension processes the prompt and displays the response in the same window.
• Shift+Enter: Inserts a new line in the inline chat input box without submitting the prompt. Use this for multi-line prompts.
• Escape: Closes the inline chat window without applying any changes. The chat history is discarded.
• Tab: When focus is on the inline chat response area, Tab moves focus to the next actionable element, such as the Accept or Dismiss button.
• Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Enter (macOS): Applies the suggested code change from the inline chat response directly to the editor.

Keybindings for Quick Chat

The Quick Chat dialog uses similar but distinct keybindings. Use Quick Chat when you want a larger input area or when you need to ask a question unrelated to the current cursor position.

• Ctrl+Shift+I (Windows/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+I (macOS): Opens the Quick Chat dialog.
• Enter: Submits the prompt in Quick Chat.
• Shift+Enter: Inserts a new line in the Quick Chat input box.
• Escape: Closes the Quick Chat dialog without applying changes.

How to View and Modify Keybindings in VS Code

You can view all current keybindings for GitHub Copilot Chat using the Keyboard Shortcuts editor. Follow these steps to see or change the shortcuts.

1. Open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor
   Press Ctrl+K Ctrl+S on Windows or Linux, or press Cmd+K Cmd+S on macOS. The Keyboard Shortcuts tab opens.
2. Search for Copilot Chat commands
   In the search box at the top, type copilot. The list filters to show all commands that contain the word copilot. Look for entries such as Copilot: Open Inline Chat and Copilot: Quick Chat.
3. Check the current keybinding
   Each command shows its current keybinding in the Keybinding column. If no keybinding appears, the command does not have a default shortcut.
4. Change a keybinding
   Right-click a command and select Change Keybinding. Press the new key combination. Press Enter to confirm. The change is saved to your keybindings.json file.
5. Reset a keybinding to default
   Right-click a command and select Reset Keybinding. This restores the default shortcut.

Common Issues and Conflicts with Copilot Chat Keybindings

Ctrl+I opens the VS Code Quick Open menu instead of inline chat

This happens when another extension or a VS Code setting overrides Ctrl+I. The default VS Code keybinding for Quick Open is Ctrl+P, but some extensions reassign Ctrl+I. To fix this, open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor, search for workbench.action.quickOpen, and remove any keybinding that uses Ctrl+I. Then search for copilot: open inline chat and assign Ctrl+I to it.

Escape closes the editor instead of the inline chat

When the inline chat window has focus, Escape should close only the chat. If Escape closes the editor tab instead, the focus is likely on the editor panel and not on the chat input box. Click inside the chat input box to ensure focus, then press Escape again. If the problem persists, check if a VS Code extension has overridden the Escape keybinding for the editor.

Enter submits the prompt but also inserts a new line

This occurs when the chat input box is not fully focused or when a different keyboard layout is active. Press Shift+Enter to insert a new line. To ensure Enter always submits, check that the chat input box has focus and that no other extension intercepts the Enter key in the editor.

Inline Chat vs Quick Chat: Keybinding Differences

Feature	Inline Chat	Quick Chat
Default keybinding	Ctrl+I (Win/Linux) / Cmd+I (macOS)	Ctrl+Shift+I (Win/Linux) / Cmd+Shift+I (macOS)
Opens at	Cursor position in the editor	Top of the VS Code window
Input area size	Small, attached to cursor line	Larger, detached from editor
Response placement	Inline within the editor	Dialog at the top of the window
Apply suggestion	Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter	Not available; use Copy or manual editing

Use the inline chat when you want to edit code at the current cursor position. Use Quick Chat when you need a larger input area for longer prompts or when you want to ask a question without changing the editor focus.

Now you can open GitHub Copilot Chat inline chat using Ctrl+I or Cmd+I, submit prompts with Enter, and close the chat with Escape. If a keybinding conflicts with another extension, use the Keyboard Shortcuts editor to reassign the command. To speed up your workflow further, try the slash command /fix in inline chat to automatically fix linting errors in the selected code block.