Complete Amazon Q keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 25 shortcuts across 4 categories. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
Amazon Q is a popular AI tool used by professionals worldwide. Learning keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your workflow — studies show shortcut users save an average of 8 days per year compared to mouse-only users.
This page covers all 25 Amazon Q shortcuts across 4 categories: VS Code Shortcuts, CLI Commands, Slash Commands (Chat), Prompt Tips. Each shortcut includes a description to help you understand when and how to use it effectively.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + I | Open Q chat |
| Tab | Accept suggestion |
| Esc | Dismiss suggestion |
| Alt + C | Next suggestion |
| Ctrl + Shift + I | Q Developer panel |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| q chat | Start chat |
| q chat "prompt" | Single query |
| q translate | Shell translation |
| q --help | Help |
| q doctor | Diagnose issues |
| q version | Show version |
| q logout | Logout |
| q login | Login |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| /help | Show commands |
| /clear | Clear history |
| /quit | Exit chat |
| /transform | Code transform |
| /dev | Dev agent |
| /review | Code review |
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| How do I set up <AWS service>? | AWS setup |
| Write a CDK stack for... | CDK generation |
| Debug this CloudWatch log: [paste] | Log analysis |
| Explain this IAM policy | Policy analysis |
| Optimise this Lambda function | Code optimisation |
| Generate a Terraform config for... | IaC generation |
Amazon Q's 25 shortcuts on this page are organized into 4 categories: VS Code Shortcuts (5), CLI Commands (8), Slash Commands (Chat) (6), Prompt Tips (6). CLI Commands is the largest group with 8 shortcuts — a good place to focus first if you're building muscle memory from scratch.
A few of these aren't Amazon Q-specific — they're shared across tools: Ctrl + I (Open Q chat, also in Excel); Ctrl + Shift + I (Q Developer panel, also in Chrome). Learning them here pays off well beyond Amazon Q itself.
New to Amazon Q? Start with VS Code Shortcuts above — it's usually where the shortcuts you'll reach for constantly live. Once those feel automatic, work through Prompt Tips to round out your workflow.
Want this on paper? The printable cheat sheet turns these 25 shortcuts into a one-page PDF you can pin above your desk. Prefer to learn by doing? Shortcut Speedrun turns memorization into a timed typing challenge with a global leaderboard, so you find out which Amazon Q shortcuts you actually remember under pressure.
The most essential Amazon Q shortcuts are: Ctrl + I (Open Q chat), Tab (Accept suggestion), Esc (Dismiss suggestion). These cover the most frequent actions and can significantly speed up your workflow.
Amazon Q has 25 keyboard shortcuts across 4 categories on shortcut-tools.com.
Simply press the key combination while Amazon Q is focused. Most shortcuts work immediately. On Mac, replace Ctrl with Cmd and Alt with Option for most shortcuts.
The Amazon Q shortcut for open q chat is Ctrl + I.
Amazon Q includes 8 CLI Commands shortcuts, including q chat (Start chat) and q chat "prompt" (Single query). See the full list in the CLI Commands section above.
Amazon Q includes 6 Slash Commands (Chat) shortcuts, including /help (Show commands) and /clear (Clear history). See the full list in the Slash Commands (Chat) section above.
Yes — use My Stack to combine Amazon Q shortcuts with any other platform on this site into one printable reference, which is useful if your daily workflow spans several tools.
Start with the essentials: Learn Ctrl + I (Open Q chat) and Tab (Accept suggestion) first — these are the most commonly used.
Practice daily: Pick 2–3 new shortcuts each day and consciously use them instead of the mouse. Within a week, they become muscle memory.
Print this cheat sheet: Keep a reference nearby until shortcuts become automatic. Focus on the VS Code Shortcuts category first.
AI workflow tip: Combine keyboard shortcuts with prompt templates to create a fast, repeatable workflow. Save your best prompts and trigger them instantly.