VS Code LaTeX Workshop Cheatsheet: Essential Shortcuts for Academic Writing

Why VS Code for LaTeX?

Visual Studio Code with the LaTeX Workshop extension has become the go-to editor for many academic writers. It combines powerful editing features, seamless PDF preview, intelligent autocomplete, and Git integration—all in one lightweight package. But to truly unlock its potential, you need to master the keyboard shortcuts.

This comprehensive cheatsheet covers everything from basic compilation to advanced multi-cursor editing, helping you write academic papers faster and with fewer errors.

Note for Mac users: Replace Ctrl with Cmd (⌘) and Alt with Option (⌥) throughout this guide.

Building & Compiling

These are your most frequently used commands for compiling LaTeX documents and viewing output.

Troubleshooting Build Issues

If Ctrl + Alt + B doesn't work:

1. Open Command Palette with Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Type "LaTeX Workshop: Build LaTeX project"
3. Press Enter

For bibliography issues, run the complete build sequence manually in the terminal:

pdflatex manuscript.tex
bibtex manuscript
pdflatex manuscript.tex
pdflatex manuscript.tex

Document Navigation

Efficiently navigate through large LaTeX documents with hundreds of pages.

Pro Navigation Workflow

The most powerful navigation feature is Ctrl + Shift + O. This opens a searchable list of all sections, subsections, and labels in your document.

Example workflow:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + O
2. Type "methodology" to filter sections
3. Press Enter to jump directly to that section
4. Use Alt + ← to return to where you were

This is far faster than scrolling through a 100-page thesis!

Working with References & Citations

Jump between citations, labels, and their definitions seamlessly.

Citation Management Tips

View citation without jumping: Hold Ctrl and hover over any \ref{} or \cite{} to see a preview.

Find orphaned labels: Use Shift + F12 on a label to see where it's referenced. If the list is empty, that label isn't used anywhere.

Rename labels safely: Put your cursor on a label name and press F2. This renames it everywhere in your project, preventing broken references.

Code Folding

Collapse and expand sections to focus on specific parts of your document.

Document Structure at a Glance

Press Ctrl + K, Ctrl + 1 to fold everything to the top level. This gives you a bird's-eye view of your document structure:

\section{Introduction}
...

\section{Literature Review}
...

\section{Methodology}
...

\section{Results}
...

\section{Discussion}
...

Click on any section to expand just that part. This is invaluable for reorganizing large documents.

Search & Replace

Find and replace text, including support for regular expressions.

Regex Examples for LaTeX

Convert all sections to unnumbered sections:

Find: \\section\{([^}]+)\}
Replace: \\section*{$1}
Enable regex mode with Alt + R

Find all citations:

Find: \\cite\{[^}]+\}
Enable regex mode

Remove all comments:

Find: %.*$
Replace: (leave empty)
Enable regex mode

Editing & Selection

Speed up editing with these essential shortcuts.

Quick Editing Workflow

Scenario: You need to change "analyze" to "analyse" throughout your document for British English.

1. Place cursor on "analyze"
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + L (selects all instances)
3. Type "analyse" once
4. All instances change simultaneously

This works for any repeated term, saving countless find-and-replace operations.

Multi-Cursor Editing

Edit multiple locations simultaneously—one of VS Code's most powerful features.

Real-World Example: Batch Citations

You need to add the same citation to multiple locations:

1. Alt + Click at each location
2. Type ~\cite{smith2023} once
3. All citations appear simultaneously

Or converting a list to LaTeX items:

Original:
Machine learning
Deep learning
Neural networks

Process:
1. Alt + Click at the start of each line
2. Type \item followed by space
3. Result:
\item Machine learning
\item Deep learning
\item Neural networks

File & Project Management

Navigate between files and manage split views.

Split View for References

Working with a .tex file and .bib file simultaneously:

1. Open your main .tex file
2. Press Ctrl + \ to split the editor
3. Press Ctrl + P, type your .bib filename
4. Now you can see both files side by side
5. Use Ctrl + 1 and Ctrl + 2 to switch focus

This is perfect for adding citations while viewing your bibliography.

LaTeX Autocomplete & Snippets

Speed up LaTeX command entry with intelligent autocomplete.

Autocomplete Triggers

LaTeX Workshop provides smart autocomplete:

• Type \begin → Shows all available environments (figure, table, equation, etc.)
• Type \ref → Lists all your labels for easy selection
• Type \cite → Shows all BibTeX entries from your .bib file
• Type BXY → Math symbols (e.g., BAL → \alpha, BBE → \beta)

Custom Snippets

Figure with caption:

Type: fig + Tab

Expands to:
\begin{figure}[htbp]
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{filename}
    \caption{Caption text}
    \label{fig:label}
\end{figure}

Equation:

Type: eq + Tab

Expands to:
\begin{equation}
    equation here
    \label{eq:label}
\end{equation}

Terminal Operations

Access the integrated terminal for manual compilation or Git operations.

Manual Build Commands

Sometimes you need manual control over the build process:

# Standard LaTeX build
pdflatex manuscript.tex

# With bibliography
pdflatex manuscript.tex
bibtex manuscript
pdflatex manuscript.tex
pdflatex manuscript.tex

# With biblatex/biber
pdflatex manuscript.tex
biber manuscript
pdflatex manuscript.tex
pdflatex manuscript.tex

# Using latexmk (automatic)
latexmk -pdf -synctex=1 manuscript.tex

# Clean auxiliary files
latexmk -c

Panels & Views

Manage VS Code's interface for optimal screen real estate.

Distraction-Free Writing

For focused writing sessions:

1. Press Ctrl + K, Z to enter Zen mode (full screen, no panels)
2. Or press Ctrl + B and Ctrl + J to hide sidebars
3. Press F11 for full screen
4. Press Esc to exit Zen mode

Command Palette & Settings

Access any command or configure VS Code settings.

Essential Settings for LaTeX

Add these to your settings.json for optimal LaTeX experience:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + P
2. Type "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"
3. Add these configurations:

{
  "latex-workshop.latex.autoBuild.run": "onSave",
  "latex-workshop.view.pdf.viewer": "tab",
  "latex-workshop.synctex.afterBuild.enabled": true,
  "latex-workshop.latex.clean.fileTypes": [
    "*.aux",
    "*.bbl",
    "*.blg",
    "*.idx",
    "*.ind",
    "*.lof",
    "*.lot",
    "*.out",
    "*.toc",
    "*.acn",
    "*.acr",
    "*.alg",
    "*.glg",
    "*.glo",
    "*.gls",
    "*.fls",
    "*.log",
    "*.fdb_latexmk",
    "*.snm",
    "*.synctex.gz",
    "*.nav"
  ],
  "latex-workshop.latex.recipe.default": "latexmk"
}

This enables:

• Auto-build on save – no need to manually trigger builds
• In-tab PDF viewer – PDF opens alongside your code
• SyncTeX – click between PDF and source
• Automatic cleanup – removes auxiliary files after build
• Latexmk – intelligent build system that runs the right number of passes

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Quick Section Navigation

Goal: Jump to a specific section in a 200-page thesis

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + O
2. Type section name (e.g., "results")
3. Press Enter
4. Edit content
5. Press Alt + ← to return to previous location

Workflow 2: Build and Preview

Goal: Compile and view your document

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + B (build)
2. Wait for compilation (watch status bar)
3. Press Ctrl + Alt + V (view PDF)
4. Ctrl + Click in PDF to jump back to source

Workflow 3: Find and Replace with Regex

Goal: Convert all \section{} to \section*{}

1. Press Ctrl + H
2. Click regex button (or press Alt + R)
3. Find: \\section\{([^}]+)\}
4. Replace: \\section*{$1}
5. Review matches
6. Click Replace All

Workflow 4: Multi-File Reference Management

Goal: Work with main document and bibliography simultaneously

1. Open main.tex
2. Press Ctrl + \ (split editor)
3. Press Ctrl + P
4. Type "references.bib"
5. Press Enter
6. Use Ctrl + 1/2 to switch between panes
7. Add citations in main.tex while viewing references.bib

Workflow 5: Document Structure Review

Goal: Review and reorganize your document

1. Press Ctrl + K, Ctrl + 1 (fold to level 1)
2. Review section order
3. Select section heading
4. Press Alt + ↑/↓ to reorder sections
5. Press Ctrl + K, Ctrl + J to unfold all

Advanced Tips & Tricks

Tip 1: Custom Keybindings

Create your own shortcuts for frequently used commands:

1. Press Ctrl + K, Ctrl + S
2. Search for "LaTeX Workshop"
3. Click the pencil icon next to any command
4. Press your desired key combination

Tip 2: Workspace Settings

For project-specific settings (e.g., specific journal formatting), create .vscode/settings.json in your project folder:

{
  "latex-workshop.latex.outDir": "./build",
  "latex-workshop.view.pdf.zoom": "page-width"
}

Tip 3: Git Integration

VS Code has excellent Git support built-in:

• Ctrl + Shift + G opens Source Control panel
• See changes inline in your editor
• Commit with Ctrl + Enter in commit message box
• Click on changed files to see diffs

Tip 4: Spell Checking

Install "Code Spell Checker" extension:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + X
2. Search "Code Spell Checker"
3. Install
4. Add LaTeX-specific dictionary in settings

Tip 5: Bibliography Management

Use LaTeX Workshop's citation browser:

1. Press Ctrl + L, Ctrl + S
2. Select "Citation Browser"
3. Search and insert citations directly

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: Build shortcut not working

Symptom: Ctrl + Alt + B does nothing

Solutions:

• Check if LaTeX Workshop extension is installed
• Try Command Palette: Ctrl + Shift + P → "LaTeX Workshop: Build"
• Check for keybinding conflicts in Ctrl + K, Ctrl + S
• Restart VS Code

Issue: PDF not opening after build

Symptom: Build succeeds but PDF doesn't appear

Solutions:

• Check latex-workshop.view.pdf.viewer setting (should be "tab")
• Manually open PDF: Ctrl + Alt + V
• Check for PDF reader conflicts (close external PDF readers)
• Check Output panel for errors: Ctrl + Shift + U

Issue: Bibliography not appearing

Symptom: Citations show as [?] in PDF

Solutions:

• Run complete build sequence (4 passes)
• Check .bib file is in correct location
• Verify \bibliography{} command includes correct filename
• Check for BibTeX errors in Output panel
• Try manual build: pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex

Issue: SyncTeX not working

Symptom: Can't jump between PDF and source

Solutions:

• Ensure building with -synctex=1 flag
• Check for .synctex.gz file in output directory
• Verify latex-workshop.synctex.afterBuild.enabled is true
• Rebuild document
• Close and reopen PDF

Issue: Slow performance

Symptom: Editor lags or builds take too long

Solutions:

• Disable auto-build: set latex-workshop.latex.autoBuild.run to "never"
• Increase auto-save delay
• Use \includeonly{} for large documents
• Clean auxiliary files: Ctrl + Alt + C
• Split large documents into separate files with \input{} or \include{}

Learning Path

Don't try to memorize everything at once. Here's a recommended learning progression:

Week 1: Master the Basics

• Ctrl + Alt + B (build)
• Ctrl + Shift + O (navigate sections)
• Ctrl + F / Ctrl + H (find/replace)
• Ctrl + Click (jump to definitions)

Week 2: Editing Efficiency

• Ctrl + D (select next occurrence)
• Alt + ↑/↓ (move lines)
• Ctrl + / (comments)
• Multi-cursor basics with Alt + Click

Week 3: Advanced Navigation

• Code folding: Ctrl + Shift + [
• Alt + ←/→ (navigate history)
• F12 (go to definition)
• Split editor: Ctrl + \

Week 4: Power User Features

• Regex in find/replace
• Advanced multi-cursor editing
• Custom snippets
• Git integration

Additional Resources

Official Documentation:

• LaTeX Workshop Wiki
• VS Code Documentation

Video Tutorials:

• Search YouTube for "VS Code LaTeX Workshop tutorial"
• James Yu's LaTeX Workshop channel

Community Help:

• LaTeX Stack Exchange
• VS Code LaTeX Workshop Issues

Downloadable Resources:

• VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts PDF (Windows)
• VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts PDF (Mac)
• VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts PDF (Linux)

Conclusion

Mastering these shortcuts transforms VS Code into a powerful LaTeX IDE that rivals or exceeds commercial alternatives. The key is gradual adoption—start with the basics, then progressively incorporate more advanced features into your workflow.

The time investment pays off quickly. Most users report saving 30-50% of their document editing time once they've internalized these shortcuts. For a PhD student writing a dissertation, this could mean weeks of saved time.

Remember: the goal isn't to memorize every shortcut, but to identify the ones that address your specific pain points. Start with what frustrates you most (maybe it's navigating between sections, or managing citations), master those shortcuts, then expand from there.

Your turn: Which of these shortcuts do you find most useful? What's your most-used VS Code feature for LaTeX? Share your experience in the comments below!

Happy writing! 📝

Last updated: December 17, 2025