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Quick Start

This guide will get you from zero to productive in Zed. You’ll learn the essential commands, open your first project, and start editing code.

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Opening Your First Project

1

Open a Folder

Launch Zed and open a project folder using one of these methods:From the command line:
zed ~/projects/my-app
From within Zed:
  • Press Cmd+O (macOS) or Ctrl+O (Linux/Windows)
  • Navigate to your project folder
  • Click “Open”
2

Explore the Interface

When you open a project, you’ll see:
  • Project Panel (left): Browse your project files
  • Editor (center): Edit your code
  • Assistant Panel (right): AI chat and tools (can be toggled)
  • Status Bar (bottom): Git status, diagnostics, and language info
3

Open a File

Use Cmd+P (macOS) or Ctrl+P (Linux/Windows) to open the file picker. Start typing a filename and press Enter to open it.

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Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

These are the most important shortcuts to memorize:
ActionmacOSLinux/WindowsDescription
Command PaletteCmd+Shift+PCtrl+Shift+PAccess all commands
Go to FileCmd+PCtrl+PQuickly open files by name
Go to SymbolCmd+Shift+OCtrl+Shift+OJump to functions, classes, etc.
Find in ProjectCmd+Shift+FCtrl+Shift+FSearch across all files
Go to LineCtrl+GCtrl+GJump to a specific line number

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Editing

ActionmacOSLinux/WindowsDescription
Multi-cursorCmd+DCtrl+DSelect next occurrence
Add cursor aboveCmd+Alt+UpCtrl+Alt+UpAdd cursor on line above
Add cursor belowCmd+Alt+DownCtrl+Alt+DownAdd cursor on line below
Comment lineCmd+/Ctrl+/Toggle line comment
Format documentCmd+Shift+ICtrl+Shift+IFormat code using language formatter

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Tools

ActionmacOSLinux/WindowsDescription
Toggle TerminalCtrl+`Ctrl+`Open/close integrated terminal
Open SettingsCmd+,Ctrl+,Open settings editor
Agent PanelCmd+Shift+ACtrl+Shift+AOpen AI assistant
ExtensionsCmd+Shift+XCtrl+Shift+XBrowse and install extensions
Forgot a shortcut? Press Cmd+Shift+P (or Ctrl+Shift+P) to open the command palette and search for any command.

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Using the Command Line Interface

The Zed CLI lets you open files and projects from your terminal.

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Opening Files and Folders

# Open current directory
zed .

# Open a specific file
zed README.md

# Open multiple files
zed src/main.rs src/lib.rs

# Open file at specific line
zed main.rs:42

# Open file at line and column
zed main.rs:42:10

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Common CLI Options

zed --wait README.md
# Useful for git commit messages
export EDITOR="zed --wait"
See the full CLI Reference for all available options.

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Your First Editing Session

Let’s practice the essential editing features:

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1. Multi-cursor Editing

1

Select a word

Double-click a word to select it.
2

Select next occurrence

Press Cmd+D (macOS) or Ctrl+D (Linux/Windows) to select the next occurrence of the same word.
3

Edit all at once

Start typing to edit all selected occurrences simultaneously.

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2. Go to Definition

1

Place cursor on a symbol

Click on a function, variable, or class name.
2

Jump to definition

Press F12 or right-click and select “Go to Definition”.
3

Go back

Press Ctrl+- (macOS) or Alt+Left (Linux/Windows) to return to your previous location.

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3. Find and Replace

# Find in current file
Cmd+F (macOS) or Ctrl+F (Linux/Windows)

# Find and replace in current file
Cmd+H (macOS) or Ctrl+H (Linux/Windows)

# Find in entire project
Cmd+Shift+F (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+F (Linux/Windows)

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4. Using the Integrated Terminal

1

Open terminal

Press Ctrl+` to open the integrated terminal.
2

Run commands

The terminal starts in your project directory. Run any command:
npm install
cargo build
python manage.py runserver
3

Create additional terminals

Click the + icon in the terminal panel to open multiple terminal sessions.

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Setting Up Your Language

Zed includes built-in support for many languages. For others, you’ll need to install an extension.
1

Open Extensions

Press Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Linux/Windows).
2

Search for your language

Type the name of your programming language (e.g., “Python”, “Go”, “Rust”).
3

Install the extension

Click “Install” next to the language extension.
4

Verify language support

Open a file in that language and check that syntax highlighting and code intelligence work.
Some languages require additional tools (like language servers) to be installed on your system. Check the Languages documentation for language-specific setup instructions.

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Configuring Zed

Customize Zed to match your preferences:

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Open Settings

Press Cmd+, (macOS) or Ctrl+, (Linux/Windows) to open the Settings Editor. You can search for any setting and change it directly.

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Common Settings to Configure

{
  "theme": "Gruvbox Dark",
  "ui_font_size": 16,
  "buffer_font_size": 14
}

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Quick Theme Switching

Press Cmd+K Cmd+T (macOS) or Ctrl+K Ctrl+T (Linux/Windows) to open the theme picker and preview themes instantly.

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Trying AI Features

Zed includes built-in AI assistance to help you code faster.

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Agent Panel (AI Chat)

1

Open Agent Panel

Press Cmd+Shift+A (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+A (Linux/Windows).
2

Ask a question

Type a question or request:
  • “How do I read a file in Python?”
  • “Explain this function”
  • “Write a test for this code”
3

Include context

Select code in your editor before opening the panel to automatically include it as context.

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Inline Assistant

1

Select code

Highlight the code you want to modify.
2

Invoke assistant

Press Cmd+Enter (macOS) or Ctrl+Enter (Linux/Windows).
3

Give instructions

Type what you want to do:
  • “Add error handling”
  • “Convert to async/await”
  • “Add comments”
AI features require configuration of an LLM provider. See the AI Configuration guide to set up Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, or other providers.

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Working with Git

Zed has built-in Git integration:

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View Changes

  • Gutter indicators: Modified lines show in the editor gutter
  • Git Panel: Press Cmd+Shift+G (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+G (Linux/Windows)
  • Inline blame: See who changed each line

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Stage and Commit

1

Open Git panel

Press Cmd+Shift+G (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+G (Linux/Windows).
2

Stage changes

Click files to stage them, or click “Stage All”.
3

Write commit message

Type your commit message in the text box.
4

Commit

Press Cmd+Enter (macOS) or Ctrl+Enter (Linux/Windows) to commit.

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View Diffs

Click on a modified file in the Git panel to see a side-by-side diff.

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Next Steps

You now know the essentials of Zed! Here are some topics to explore next:

Languages

Configure language-specific features and tools

AI Features

Learn about Zed’s AI capabilities in depth

Collaboration

Share your project and code with teammates in real-time

Extensions

Extend Zed with community-built extensions

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Coming from Another Editor?

If you’re switching from another editor, check out our migration guides:

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Join the Community

Connect with other Zed users: