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How to Toggle Thinking in Claude Code

Claude Code v2.0.0 introduced the ability to toggle extended thinking mode during conversations using the Tab key. This feature gives you control over when Claude uses deep reasoning and computational thinking for complex problem-solving.

How to Toggle It​

Press the Tab key during any Claude Code session to toggle thinking mode on or off. The current thinking state is displayed directly in the Claude Code UI, making it easy to see when extended reasoning is active.

Keyboard Shortcut:

Tab

The thinking toggle is sticky across sessions, meaning once you enable thinking mode, it remains active in future Claude Code sessions until you manually toggle it off. The UI indicator continuously displays the current thinking state, reminding you when extended reasoning is enabled even after starting new sessions.

Visual Indicators​

When you use thinking trigger words like ultrathink in your prompts, Claude Code automatically indicates that maximum thinking budget is being utilized. The UI displays this information so you know when Claude is applying deep reasoning to your request.

Thinking Trigger Words:

  • think - 4,000 token thinking budget
  • megathink - 10,000 token thinking budget
  • ultrathink - Maximum thinking budget (31,999 tokens)

See Also: What is UltraThink|Plan Mode|Claude Code v2.0.0

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