PowerShell keyboard shortcuts
PowerShell's keyboard behavior comes from PSReadLine. The useful set moves the cursor, edits the current command, searches history, and changes how completion presents its choices.
PowerShell's editing layer is PSReadLine, not the shell grammar itself. Start with cursor movement and line editing, then use history and completion controls to turn commands you already wrote into the next command faster.
Cursor movement
Move by character, word, line, or screen position while editing the current command.
| Action | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Move to the start of the lineHome does the same. | CtrlA | CtrlA | CtrlA |
| Move to the end of the lineEnd does the same. | CtrlE | CtrlE | CtrlE |
| Move back one word | CtrlLeft | AltB | AltB |
| Move forward one word | CtrlRight | AltF | AltF |
Editing the line
Delete, transpose, transform, or accept parts of the command line before it runs.
| Action | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delete the word before the cursor | CtrlW | CtrlW | CtrlW |
| Delete everything before the cursor | CtrlU | CtrlU | CtrlU |
| Delete everything after the cursor | CtrlK | CtrlK | CtrlK |
| Paste from the clipboard | CtrlV | CtrlV | CtrlV |
| Copy selected text, or cancel the line when nothing is selected | CtrlC | CtrlC | CtrlC |
| Undo the last edit | CtrlZ | CtrlZ | CtrlZ |
| Redo an undone edit | CtrlY | CtrlY | CtrlY |
| Insert the last argument of the previous command | Alt. | Alt. | Alt. |
History
Search and move through previous commands, then reuse or edit the one you need.
| Action | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Previous history entryDown moves forward through history. | Up | Up | Up |
| Search history backwards interactivelyPress again to keep searching older entries; Enter accepts the line. | CtrlR | CtrlR | CtrlR |
| Search history forwards interactively | CtrlS | CtrlS | CtrlS |
| Jump to the previous history entry starting with what you typedCtrl+Shift+Down searches forward the same way. | CtrlShiftUp | CtrlShiftUp | CtrlShiftUp |
Completion
Tab behavior depends on your PSReadLine configuration; MenuComplete shows every option instead of cycling one at a time.
| Action | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| Show completion options in a menuOn Windows, Tab is bound to MenuComplete by default; elsewhere Ctrl+Space is. | Tab | CtrlSpace | CtrlSpace |
| List every possible completionIn Emacs mode this exits the shell instead; the binding applies in Windows mode. | CtrlD | CtrlD | CtrlD |
Make the useful keys stick
The fastest PowerShell session is usually the one that does not make you retype yesterday's command. Learn history and editing first, then shape completion to suit the way you work.
You do not need this whole page in your head. Pick two shortcuts that remove a repeated hand movement, use them until they feel ordinary, and come back for the next pair.