161
votes

Is there a keyboard shortcut in Visual Studio (aside from CTRL+TAB and selection) that would take me from inside a document directly into the solution explorer? I don't want to customize any shortcuts or change any default behavior.

13
See: www.visualstudioshortcuts.com/2012/ (Though 2010 version is not available, it is still very useful).Chris W
@stepanian fair point on primacy if this is earlier. I just meant duplicate i.e. they are the same. I was just linking them up for those doing admin.MemeDeveloper
@stepanian also I answered on this question not that - as I saw the date was earlier. ThanksMemeDeveloper

13 Answers

260
votes

CTRL+ALT+L

should shift focus to the Solution Explorer.

For visual studio 2012 use:

CTRL+[ + S this selects your current document in the solution explorer.

50
votes

When using VS 2012 with the Visual C# 2005 keyboard mapping scheme:

CTRL+W, S

I find this easier to memorize: All shortcuts beginning with CTRL+W are for opening or navigating to W indows:

  • CTRL+W, S: S olution Explorer
  • CTRL+W, E: E rror list
  • CTRL+W, R: R esourceview
  • CTRL+W, A: Command window (A ction ...)
  • CTRL+W, T: T askview
  • CTRL+W, Q: Find Symbol Results
  • CTRL+W, X: Toolbo x
  • CTRL+W, C: C lassview
  • CTRL+W, P: P roperties
  • CTRL+W, B: B ookmarks
  • ...
23
votes

In Visual Studio 2012 you can now use CTRL+; as this is the default keyboard shortcut for the solution explorer search box.

14
votes

On my windows 7 machine : Ctrl+ALT+L locks the computer.

For me : Shift+ALT+L works. (This could also be a resharper configuration)

11
votes

The default keyboard shortcut for opening/jumping to Solution Explorer is Ctrl + Alt + L.

11
votes
  1. shortcut ctrl [, S will focus current open file/document in solution explorer.
  2. setting checkbox to true in "Track active in Solution Explorer" will automatically focus current open file/document in solution explorer (Tools->Options->Projects and solutions->General->"Track Active Item in Solution Explorer"=true
9
votes

Extended above : command name for sync tab with solution explorer is "SolutionExplorer.SyncWithActiveDocument"

6
votes

Visual Studio

2015 and 2017 (by default) VS 2017 Shortcuts

Ctrl + [, S

Runs Keyboard Shortcut

SolutionExplorer.SyncWithActiveDocument

ReSharper

In Visual Studio 2015 and 2017 (by default) Resharper Docs

Shift + Alt + L

Which runs Resharper's Keyboard Shortcut

Resharper.Resharper_LocateInSolutionOrAssemblyExplorer

Both

  • Focus Solution Explorer
  • Highlight document
  • Scroll / expand nodes (as required to show that document)

Difference

Resharper's version also works with decompiled code. Locating decompiled symbols in the Assembly Explorer window.

To customise / it doesn't work :

  1. Tools > Options > Environment > Keyboard
  2. Search shortcut name (e.g. SolutionExplorer.SyncWithActiveDocument)
  3. Assign (in Global) to Keyboard shortcuts as you like
3
votes

I had this problem on a new machine build with VS 2013 and R# 8.2.

Keyboard option Resharper.Resharper_LocateInSolutionExplorer was correctly set to Shift+Alt+L, but it seemed to be only opening a parent folder and not selecting the actual file. As recommended in another post I enabled "Track active in Solution Explorer" in the VS Options.

This didn't fix the problem and wasn't what I want because in very large solutions I don't want the solution explorer jumping around to the current file in use. I disabled the Track feature and restarted VS, the LocateInSolutionExplorer feature then started working correctly. Some sort of shortcut precedence issue?

3
votes

ctrl + [ + S.

This shortcut will highlight the currently opened document in solution explorer.

2
votes

For AZERTY keyboards like mine, the default shortcut is Ctrl+), Ctrl+S

0
votes

We just upgraded from VS2013 to VS2017, and I had to go looking for how to auto-select the active tab in the Solution Explorer. I often have to look for a document by finding a text-string from a screen, and love to have it select the document so I can see where it is.

Tracking the active document has been default behavior for a long time. VS2017 brought over ALL my other preferences, but not this one. Glad I found this thread--Thank you.

0
votes

Ctrl+Alt+L works fine even in VS 2019.

But if you have reassigned the above key to some other command (by mistake in my case) then the name of the command is View.SolutionExplorer

You can search it in the Tools -> Options -> Environment -> Keyboard or just do Ctrl+Q and search keymap.

And then search View.SolutionExplorer in the Show commands containing: and assign whichever key you want.

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