Master PyCharm: 5 Powerful Tips to Boost Your Coding Efficiency

21. Fold Anywhere, Code Freely

PyCharm shows + for collapsed blocks and - for expanded ones; clicking toggles the state. Keyboard shortcuts (Mac: Command+ and Command-; Windows: Ctrl+ and Ctrl-) let you quickly fold or unfold selected code.

Only code blocks such as classes, functions, loops, or multi‑line comments can be folded. You can also manually select any region and press Command (or Ctrl) + . to fold it.

22. One‑Step Refactor

When renaming variables, use PyCharm’s Refactor feature (Shift+F6) to rename within the correct scope without affecting similarly named globals.

23. Record Complex Operations as Macros

For repetitive multi‑step actions, record a macro (e.g., deleting a function) and assign a shortcut for quick playback.

After recording, invoke the macro via Edit → Macro or a custom shortcut.

24. Multi‑Row Tab View

When many files are open, PyCharm hides excess tabs and shows a number indicating hidden files; clicking the number reveals them.

Disable the single‑row tab setting to display tabs on multiple rows.

25. Search Usages – Essential for Reading Source Code

To find where a class or method is used, press Command+Option+F7 (Mac) or Ctrl+Alt+F7 (Windows) to display a list of call sites.