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Inline Edit & Ctrl+K Magic

💬 Chat & Context Management 15 min 250 BASE XP

In-Place AI Editing

The Inline Edit panel (Ctrl+K) is the fastest way to make targeted code changes. Select code, press Ctrl+K, describe what you want, and the AI modifies it in-place with a clear diff view.

Workflow

  1. Select code (or place cursor on a line)
  2. Press Ctrl+K to open the inline prompt
  3. Describe the change: "Add error handling", "Convert to async/await", "Add TypeScript types"
  4. Review the green/red diff showing exactly what changes
  5. Ctrl+Enter to accept, Ctrl+Backspace to reject

Without Selection

If you press Ctrl+K without selecting any code, Cursor generates new code at the cursor position. This is perfect for quickly scaffolding functions, adding imports, or inserting boilerplate.

Chat vs Inline Edit vs Composer

ToolScopeBest For
Chat (Ctrl+L)Q&A, explanationsUnderstanding code, debugging
Inline (Ctrl+K)Single-file editsQuick targeted modifications
Composer (Ctrl+I)Multi-file editsFeatures, refactoring, agent tasks
SYNAPSE VERIFICATION
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What happens when you press Ctrl+K without selecting any code?
Nothing
It opens the chat panel
Cursor generates new code at the cursor position
It deletes the current line
Watch: 139x Rust Speedup
Inline Edit & Ctrl+K Magic | Chat & Context Management — Cursor Academy