IntelliJ Column Selection using Cursor Keys

Question

Is it possible to some how setup IntelliJ IDEA so that I can column select with the cursor keys similarly to how I might in Notepad++, Visual Studio, or FlashDevelop.

For instance when I'm typing code I almost always do my navigation solely through use of the keyboard. In the IDEs mentioned previously I can quickly select blocks of code by holding Shift + Alt then tapping ↑ to extend my cursor across the lines above. I can then hold Shift + Alt + Ctrl and tap ← or → to quickly jump across words and select the chunk of text I want.

In IntelliJ IDEA I have to constantly enable and disable Column Selection Mode using the Shift + Alt + Insert and even then it doesn't quite function as it does in the other IDEs or Text Editors.

Any ideas?

This **[blog post](http://blog.jetbrains.com/idea/2014/03/intellij-idea-13-1-rc-introduces-sublime-text-style-multiple-selections/)** should be helpful. — Anton Dozortsev, Oct 17 '14 at 18:12

score 212 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 17 '14 at 18:21

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You can do column editing using the Edit | Column Selection Mode.

The shortcut to turn it on/off is Alt+Shift+Insert. You navigate with arrow keys to select blocks of text.

edited Oct 17 '14 at 18:21

Anton Dozortsev

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answered Oct 15 '14 at 15:19

duffymo

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I was aware of this mode but it didn't quite provide what I wanted, but it looks like I won't get the desired behavior without writing a plugin myself. – jshbrntt Dec 31 '14 at 12:46
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On Mac the shortcut is Cmd+shift+* – 8bitme Mar 03 '16 at 09:56
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For some reason on my Mac, Cmd+Shift+8 did not work and I could not figure out why, I remapped that to Control+Option+Command+8 and it worked fine. I also could not find anything that would prevent that old keymap from working other than possibly a system mapping which overrode it. – AlexC Aug 12 '16 at 15:13
This is the easiest. No need to try out weird combinations of keys – Karthik Apr 26 '17 at 20:44
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It's like you didn't even read the question. @JoshuaBarnett Gibolt's answer is what you want. – jv110 Jul 12 '18 at 18:37
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Seconding jv110 and his objection to JoshuaBarnett's answer. The poster is clearly aware already of the keyboard shortcut JoshuaBarnett mentions and is looking for a more lightweight way of entering column-editing mode, which is what @Gibolt's answer provides. – Daniel Cotter May 07 '19 at 00:06

score 92 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

92

Multiline Caret (without mouse)

Windows/Linux: CTRL + CTRL(Hold) + ↑ / ↓

Mac: ⌘ + ⌘(Hold) + ↑ / ↓

ESC will end multiline mode.

Change Multi-caret Hotkey

To add a custom Keymap, CTRL+SHIFT+A, type keymap and click on the one with Settings as subtext. Search for Clone Caret Above and Clone Caret Below.

I mapped mine to ALT+SHIFT+↑ / ↓.

Bonus

Try holding combinations of CTRL, SHIFT, and arrows for improved selection power.

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

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answered Sep 17 '17 at 17:30

Gibolt

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I believe this should be the correct answer. The accepted answer currently just restates some of the content of the question—but this answer provides true rectangular selection without using the mouse, a la Notepad++. – Corwin Newall May 08 '18 at 01:23
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On my Mac, the `ALT` key was mapped by default instead of `⌘`. So it was: `ALT` + `ALT` (Hold) + `↑` / `↓` – gfullam Jul 09 '18 at 17:16
You can't just state Windows and macOS and ignore Linux! – jv110 Jul 12 '18 at 18:39
@jv110 true. It's ok to state just `macOS` but can't put 'doze in front of 'nix – WestCoastProjects Mar 06 '20 at 22:31

score 66 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 16 '16 at 13:25

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It is also possible to select holding middle mouse key.

answered Sep 16 '16 at 13:25

kyb

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score 20 · Answer 4 · edited Dec 23 '19 at 17:16

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Most convenient way is to:

MAC: Hold Option+Shift and click with mouse.
Windows: Hold Alt and click with mouse.

edited Dec 23 '19 at 17:16

Community

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answered May 28 '19 at 14:36

lukyer

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As mentioned here(https://stackoverflow.com/a/57262978/1983465), ⇧⌘8 works for me – Bala Mar 09 '21 at 14:58
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Keep in mind, for Mac you only need to hold the Option key all the time – Konstantin Grigorov Oct 29 '21 at 13:14

score 19 · Answer 5 · answered Oct 15 '14 at 16:04

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Go to the Settings | Keymap and set a shortcut for Clone Caret Above and for Clone Caret Below

answered Oct 15 '14 at 16:04

Meo

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Do you know if it's possible to have it function similar to that of text editors such as Notepad++ where you can only extend in one direction and the opposite of that direction shrinks it? – jshbrntt Aug 07 '15 at 07:46
I do not think it is possible. I have not even seen a feature request for that. – Meo Aug 07 '15 at 09:24
Press Ctrl, then hold Ctrl, it's exactly like you described. – jv110 Jul 12 '18 at 18:41
that was the only solution that works for me. thanks for sharing. – devmarkpro Apr 06 '20 at 15:53

Bohemian · Answer 6 · 2021-08-11T17:41:34.927

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On a mac, to toggle block select on/off:

shift command 8

⇧⌘8

edited Aug 11 '21 at 17:41

answered Jul 30 '19 at 00:54

Bohemian

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muscle memory: go to feature – WestCoastProjects Mar 06 '20 at 22:29

score 14 · Answer 7 · answered Feb 21 '19 at 11:28

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For me on Mac:

Press once 'option' key, release it, and press and hold it again. Now navigate with cursor to select desired code. Press 'Esc' to exit column mode! :)

answered Feb 21 '19 at 11:28

LeXav

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score 11 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 26 '16 at 20:31

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I think @Meo's answer is the most correct, but if your hand happens to be on the mouse, you can also accomplish this with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Mouse Button Click. Or look for the Add Rectangular Selection on Mouse Drag in the keymap settings.

answered Aug 26 '16 at 20:31

Wesley Musgrove

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Or press Ctrl then hold Ctrl. – jv110 Jul 12 '18 at 18:41

score 11 · Answer 9 · answered Apr 28 '17 at 02:59

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In Windows or Linux I press two times Ctrl

answered Apr 28 '17 at 02:59

Carlos Verdes

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Click `Ctrl` then quickly press and hold `Ctrl` a second time. Use arrow keys while holding `Ctrl` to add carets/select – olejorgenb Apr 30 '18 at 14:41

sia · Answer 10 · 2017-10-18T18:30:06.097

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For Mac cmd+shift+* didn't work for me. I changed the keymap to something else and now it works seamlessly.

edited Oct 18 '17 at 18:30

answered Oct 18 '17 at 18:19

sia

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IntelliJ Column Selection using Cursor Keys

10 Answers10

Multiline Caret (without mouse)

Change Multi-caret Hotkey

Bonus

Linked