IntelliJ IDEA · Column selection mode
Editing
Windows · Linux
Shift+Alt+InsertMac
Cmd+Shift+8Switches the editor to selecting a rectangle instead of whole lines. It is a mode, not a one-off action: leave it on and the editor looks broken afterwards. The Windows form needs an Insert key, so laptops without one have to reach it through Fn.
- Group
- Editing
- Keys held
- 3
IntelliJ IDEA ships a different default keymap per platform, and two of them on macOS — "macOS" and "macOS System Shortcuts" — so when nothing works, look at Keymap in Settings first; whichever you pick then serves PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand and Android Studio unchanged.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
Q. What is the shortcut for Column selection mode in IntelliJ IDEA?
Switches the editor to selecting a rectangle instead of whole lines. It is a mode, not a one-off action: leave it on and the editor looks broken afterwards. The Windows form needs an Insert key, so laptops without one have to reach it through Fn. It is Shift+Alt+Insert on Windows and Cmd+Shift+8 on a Mac.
Q. Is it the same on Windows and Mac?
No — Shift+Alt+Insert on Windows, Cmd+Shift+8 on a Mac.
Q. How many keys is that?
3 pressed together. The combination sits under Editing in IntelliJ IDEA.