[BUG] Image paste shortcut appears swapped between Windows and Mac (Ctrl+V vs Alt+V)

Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Feb 8, 2026 by foottu Closed Feb 11, 2026

Preflight Checklist

  • [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

On Windows, Ctrl+V does not work for pasting images.
Alt+V works instead.

On Mac, Ctrl+V works for image pasting (instead of Cmd+V).

It seems like the shortcut keys may be accidentally swapped between platforms.

What Should Happen?

Ctrl+V should paste images on Windows (native paste shortcut)

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Copy an image to clipboard on Windows (e.g., Win+Shift+S screenshot)
  2. Open Claude Code in PowerShell or Windows Terminal
  3. Press Ctrl+V → nothing happens, image is not pasted
  4. Press Alt+V → image pastes successfully

On Mac:

  1. Copy an image to clipboard
  2. Open Claude Code in terminal
  3. Press Ctrl+V → image pastes successfully

It appears the shortcut keys are swapped between Windows and Mac.
Windows should use Ctrl+V (native paste), but only Alt+V works.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

Yes, this worked in a previous version

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

Claude Code 2.1.37

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

Hi Anthropic Team,

I'd like to report a potential issue with the image paste keyboard shortcuts in Claude Code. It appears that the shortcuts for Windows and Mac may be swapped.

According to the documentation:

  • Mac: Ctrl+V (instead of the standard Cmd+V)
  • Windows: Ctrl+V

However, based on my experience:

  • Windows: Ctrl+V does NOT work for pasting images. Alt+V works instead.
  • Mac: Ctrl+V works as documented.

This suggests the shortcut assignments may have been accidentally swapped between the two platforms. On Windows, the standard paste shortcut is Ctrl+V, yet Claude Code requires Alt+V for image pasting. Meanwhile, on Mac, Ctrl+V is used instead of the native Cmd+V.

It would be intuitive if:

  • Windows used Ctrl+V (the native paste shortcut)
  • Mac used Cmd+V or the current Ctrl+V

Could you please verify whether the keyboard shortcut mappings are correctly assigned for each platform?

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