# Ctrl+n in composer panel

**URL:** <https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586>\
**Category:** Feature Requests\
**Created:** [December 2, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586 "2024-12-02T02:20:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hau](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/hau/32/26355_2.png) [@hau](https://forum.cursor.com/u/hau)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 2:20am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/1 "2024-12-02T02:20:28Z")

</div>

when typing a message in composer on macOS, ctrl+n should go down a line instead of creating a new composer (reserved for cmd+N)

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**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/2 "2024-12-02T04:03:15Z")

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Hey, try pressing Shift + Enter instead to start a new line.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hau](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/hau/32/26355_2.png) [@hau](https://forum.cursor.com/u/hau)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2024, 2:46am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/3 "2024-12-04T02:46:25Z")

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not for new lines, it’s about navigating through a complex multiline prompt for composer

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![reorx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/reorx/32/15016_2.png) [@reorx](https://forum.cursor.com/u/reorx)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 8:34am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/4 "2024-12-08T08:34:47Z")

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This behavior is ruining my experience with Cursor. Using Ctrl+N to move the cursor to the next line or select the next item in a suggestion has become instinctive for me, as it is the canonical Unix shortcut in a text area. In Composer, I always need to write a long prompt for my tasks, and even though I have told myself many times not to use Ctrl+N in Composer, I still end up doing it several times a day. Each time, my already written prompts are cleared due to creating a new Composer. I have even removed the keybinding for the “New Composer” action and searched for Ctrl+N actions to ensure none of them create a new Composer, but none of these solutions have worked. Please fix this for the sake of being a programmer’s tool.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rob137](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/rob137/32/5459_2.png) [@rob137](https://forum.cursor.com/u/rob137)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 2:40pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/5 "2024-12-09T14:40:55Z")

</div>

Echoing reorx - for me, even after over a year of using Cursor I still find myself drafting prompts in other applications to avoid this problem.

Presumably this is a relatively low risk change?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![statico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/statico/32/15561_2.png) [@statico](https://forum.cursor.com/u/statico)\
**Post date:** [December 11, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/6 "2024-12-11T22:37:05Z")

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Chiming in here. Ctrl-N and Ctrl-P should go to the next and previous quick search, results, definitely. Instead, it clears stuff from the input.

![CleanShot 2024-12-11 at 14.36.33](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/original/2X/a/acaf56dc422131d6daae9082d19f008d62a6263f.gif)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![prasoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecb155/32.png) [@prasoon](https://forum.cursor.com/u/prasoon)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2025, 12:09pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/7 "2025-01-08T12:09:25Z")

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Echoing this. This is the default readline / macos / emacs way to move around and for some of us, this is second nature to use these keybindings. I’m insanely frustrated with this behavior and it breaks flow.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![catkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c37758/32.png) [@catkins](https://forum.cursor.com/u/catkins)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2025, 2:40am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/8 "2025-01-09T02:40:39Z")

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I’ve tried multiple configurations to fix `Ctrl + N`, including:

```json
{
    "key": "ctrl+n",
    "command": "cursorDown",
    "when": "textInputFocus && (focusedView == 'workbench.panel.composerViewPane2.view' || focusedView == 'workbench.panel.aichat.view')"
},
{
    "key": "ctrl+n",
    "command": "cursorDown",
    "when": "inChatInput || composerInput || chatInputFocus"
},
{
    "key": "ctrl+n",
    "command": "cursorDown",
    "when": "inputFocus && !editorTextFocus && !suggestWidgetVisible && !inQuickOpen"
}

```

Despite this, `Ctrl + N` still stubbornly creates a new composer. I’ve already reported this as a bug:  
[MacOS: Fix Ctrl+N for CursorDown](https://forum.cursor.com/t/macos-please-fix-keyboard-shortcut-to-cursordown-for-ctrl-n-in-composer)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![reorx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/reorx/32/15016_2.png) [@reorx](https://forum.cursor.com/u/reorx)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2025, 3:24am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/9 "2025-03-04T03:24:19Z")

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Just posted a temporary solution that requires Karabiner Elements on MacOS here:

> [@\[MacOS\]Please fix keyboard shortcut to CursorDown for Ctrl-N in composer](https://forum.cursor.com/t/macos-please-fix-keyboard-shortcut-to-cursordown-for-ctrl-n-in-composer/40134/26):
>
> Found a solution for MacOS users here: First you need to install [Karabiner Elements](https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/) Then enable events modification for your current keyboard: Then add a complex modification rule by clicking this button: Paste the following rule in the text area and click save: { "description": "Map Ctrl+N to Down Arrow in Cursor", "manipulators": [ { "conditions": [ { …

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![towry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/towry/32/33431_2.png) [@towry](https://forum.cursor.com/u/towry)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2025, 4:00am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/10 "2025-03-12T04:00:04Z")

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This is bug !

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dcl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/dcl/32/38057_2.png) [@dcl](https://forum.cursor.com/u/dcl)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2025, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/11 "2025-03-18T22:42:03Z")

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This behavior is very frustrating. Please address this.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ryanglambert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/ryanglambert/32/31504_2.png) [@Ryanglambert](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Ryanglambert)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2025, 6:55pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/12 "2025-03-19T18:55:40Z")

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Just FYI, ctrl-z or cmd-z will bring back if you happen to accidentally click Ctrl+n

**Ryan Lambert**

Follow me on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanglambert/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Ryan_G_Lambert)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/tilo/32/46540_2.png) [@tilo](https://forum.cursor.com/u/tilo)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/13 "2025-04-12T20:18:23Z")

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confirmed fixed in

```auto
0.48.8
7801■■■6824585b7f2721900066bc87c4a09b740
arm64

```

keyboard shortcut:

```auto
    {
        "key": "cmd+n",
        "command": "-composer.createNew",
        "when": "composerFocused || focusedView =~ /^workbench.panel.aichat.view/"
    },

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/tilo/32/46540_2.png) [@tilo](https://forum.cursor.com/u/tilo)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/14 "2025-04-12T20:37:36Z")

</div>

confirmed fixed in

```auto
0.48.8
7801■■■6824585b7f2721900066bc87c4a09b740
arm64

```

keyboard shortcut:

```auto
    {
        "key": "cmd+n",
        "command": "-composer.createNew",
        "when": "composerFocused || focusedView =~ /^workbench.panel.aichat.view/"
    },

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/system/32/99069_2.png) [@system](https://forum.cursor.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2026, 10:38am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/ctrl-n-in-composer-panel/31586/15 "2026-06-18T10:38:06Z")

</div>