Visual Studio Code – How can I remap Left ⌘ Command to Left Ctrl in VSCode on MacOS?

Keybindings in VSCode allow you to remap actions within the editor but do not support remapping modifier keys at the OS or hardware level.

The vscodevim extension allows remapping keys within the context of Vim emulation (for Vim commands), but not the VSCode UI itself (not for general VSCode shortcuts, like saving a file or opening the command palette).

I am aware of Karabiner and it is highly likely I will not be able to install this on my workplace machine.

Within VSCode without external tools

VSCode allows for extensive customization of keyboard shortcuts within the application itself through its keybindings.json file. However, it is limited to defining shortcuts for actions within VSCode and does not extend to modifying the behavior of the operating system’s modifier keys.
That means you can reassign actions from using ⌘ to Ctrl within VSCode, but you cannot change the function of the ⌘ key to behave as a Ctrl key across the board within VSCode (even when limited to vscodevim).

For example, you could manually change shortcuts that typically use ⌘ on macOS to use Ctrl instead, through VSCode’s Keyboard Shortcuts editor:

[
    {
        "key": "ctrl+c",
        "command": "editor.action.clipboardCopyAction",
        "when": "editorTextFocus"
    },
    // Add more custom bindings here
]

Considering work restrictions

A potential, albeit partial workaround, could involve getting creative with macOS’s built-in capabilities, such as creating custom shortcuts in System Preferences for specific actions in VSCode. However, this does not achieve a true remap of the ⌘ key to Ctrl and would be very limited in scope, applying only to specific actions rather than a comprehensive key behavior change.

You might also consider discussing with your IT department the possibility of making an exception for a tool like Karabiner-Elements, especially if it is important for your productivity and ergonomics.
Alternatively, adapting to the default macOS shortcuts or customizing VSCode’s shortcuts within the limitations outlined might be necessary.

For other users, outside the workplace environment:

For system-wide remapping of the ⌘ Command key to Ctrl, you could try and use external tools like Karabiner-Elements. That application allows you to remap keys at the OS level, affecting all applications, including VSCode.

Open Karabiner-Elements and go to the ‘Simple Modifications’ tab. Click ‘Add item’ and select your device from the dropdown.
For ‘From key‘, choose left_command. For ‘To key‘, choose left_control.

Again: that method would remap the key for all applications, so it affects your entire MacOS environment, not just VSCode.

If that is too inconvenient, you would need a tool like Hammerspoon, a powerful automation tool for macOS that can detect the currently active application and execute scripts accordingly.

You can use Hammerspoon to monitor when VSCode becomes the active window and then trigger a script to activate a specific Karabiner-Elements profile or configuration and deactivate it when VSCode loses focus.

Open ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua in your text editor to add your custom Lua script for application monitoring. That script checks if VSCode is the active application and could be expanded to activate/deactivate a Karabiner-Elements profile via a shell command.

function applicationWatcher(appName, eventType, appObject)
  if (appName == "Visual Studio Code") then
    if (eventType == hs.application.watcher.activated) then
      -- VSCode is focused, activate Karabiner profile
      hs.execute("/path/to/activate_karabiner_profile.sh", true)
    elseif (eventType == hs.application.watcher.deactivated) then
      -- VSCode is not focused, revert Karabiner profile
      hs.execute("/path/to/deactivate_karabiner_profile.sh", true)
    end
  end
end

appWatcher = hs.application.watcher.new(applicationWatcher)
appWatcher:start()

You would also need to create scripts (e.g., activate_karabiner_profile.sh and deactivate_karabiner_profile.sh) that modify your Karabiner-Elements configuration to activate or deactivate the desired profile. That could involve using defaults commands to modify Karabiner’s configuration files or using Karabiner’s CLI if available.

#!/bin/bash
# That is a placeholder command. Update it to your actual command to switch profiles.
karabiner_cli --select-profile "VSCode"

Note: Karabiner-Elements does not directly support a CLI for dynamically switching profiles. You might need to directly manipulate its configuration files or explore alternative methods such as AppleScript or automating UI actions for profile switching.