diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/browser/searchWidget.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/browser/searchWidget.ts
index 428becff1e713ce3b5e33e0088262a3be106be19..706c368d91a88ade74f455bdd0c1ed85495281fb 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/browser/searchWidget.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/browser/searchWidget.ts
@@ -634,10 +634,17 @@ export class SearchWidget extends Widget {
 		this._onSearchSubmit.fire({ triggeredOnType, delay });
 	}
 
-	contextLines() {
+	getContextLines() {
 		return this.showContextCheckbox.checked ? +this.contextLinesInput.value : 0;
 	}
 
+	modifyContextLines(increase: boolean) {
+		const current = +this.contextLinesInput.value;
+		const modified = current + (increase ? 1 : -1);
+		this.showContextCheckbox.checked = modified !== 0;
+		this.contextLinesInput.value = '' + modified;
+	}
+
 	toggleContextLines() {
 		this.showContextCheckbox.checked = !this.showContextCheckbox.checked;
 		this.onContextLinesChanged();
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/constants.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/constants.ts
index f4083a25baa9695fd9b1d49d5c8165ad2d88ee25..39c264c57c9642c1ac7298e5cf84cf46d7c8e7ea 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/constants.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/constants.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ export const ToggleSearchEditorCaseSensitiveCommandId = 'toggleSearchEditorCaseS
 export const ToggleSearchEditorWholeWordCommandId = 'toggleSearchEditorWholeWord';
 export const ToggleSearchEditorRegexCommandId = 'toggleSearchEditorRegex';
 export const ToggleSearchEditorContextLinesCommandId = 'toggleSearchEditorContextLines';
+export const IncreaseSearchEditorContextLinesCommandId = 'increaseSearchEditorContextLines';
+export const DecreaseSearchEditorContextLinesCommandId = 'decreaseSearchEditorContextLines';
+
 export const RerunSearchEditorSearchCommandId = 'rerunSearchEditorSearch';
 export const CleanSearchEditorStateCommandId = 'cleanSearchEditorState';
 export const SelectAllSearchEditorMatchesCommandId = 'selectAllSearchEditorMatches';
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.contribution.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.contribution.ts
index 0758c2d315fb0b865cf8d51571fd71697e5d4165..e74e02bdbab4d6ebd2f6bbf56ef0d1fd868f744e 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.contribution.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.contribution.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import { Extensions as EditorInputExtensions, IEditorInputFactory, IEditorInputF
 import * as SearchConstants from 'vs/workbench/contrib/search/common/constants';
 import * as SearchEditorConstants from 'vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/constants';
 import { SearchEditor } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor';
-import { OpenResultsInEditorAction, OpenSearchEditorAction, toggleSearchEditorCaseSensitiveCommand, toggleSearchEditorContextLinesCommand, toggleSearchEditorRegexCommand, toggleSearchEditorWholeWordCommand, selectAllSearchEditorMatchesCommand, RerunSearchEditorSearchAction, OpenSearchEditorToSideAction } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions';
+import { OpenResultsInEditorAction, OpenSearchEditorAction, toggleSearchEditorCaseSensitiveCommand, toggleSearchEditorContextLinesCommand, toggleSearchEditorRegexCommand, toggleSearchEditorWholeWordCommand, selectAllSearchEditorMatchesCommand, RerunSearchEditorSearchAction, OpenSearchEditorToSideAction, modifySearchEditorContextLinesCommand } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions';
 import { getOrMakeSearchEditorInput, SearchEditorInput } from 'vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorInput';
 import { IEditorService } from 'vs/workbench/services/editor/common/editorService';
 import { CommandsRegistry } from 'vs/platform/commands/common/commands';
@@ -151,6 +151,24 @@ KeybindingsRegistry.registerCommandAndKeybindingRule({
 	mac: { primary: KeyMod.CtrlCmd | KeyMod.Alt | KeyCode.KEY_L }
 });
 
+KeybindingsRegistry.registerCommandAndKeybindingRule({
+	id: SearchEditorConstants.IncreaseSearchEditorContextLinesCommandId,
+	weight: KeybindingWeight.WorkbenchContrib,
+	when: ContextKeyExpr.and(SearchEditorConstants.InSearchEditor),
+	handler: (accessor: ServicesAccessor) => modifySearchEditorContextLinesCommand(accessor, true),
+	primary: KeyMod.Alt | KeyCode.KEY_L,
+	mac: { primary: KeyMod.Alt | KeyCode.US_EQUAL }
+});
+
+KeybindingsRegistry.registerCommandAndKeybindingRule({
+	id: SearchEditorConstants.DecreaseSearchEditorContextLinesCommandId,
+	weight: KeybindingWeight.WorkbenchContrib,
+	when: ContextKeyExpr.and(SearchEditorConstants.InSearchEditor),
+	handler: (accessor: ServicesAccessor) => modifySearchEditorContextLinesCommand(accessor, false),
+	primary: KeyMod.Alt | KeyCode.KEY_L,
+	mac: { primary: KeyMod.Alt | KeyCode.US_MINUS }
+});
+
 KeybindingsRegistry.registerCommandAndKeybindingRule({
 	id: SearchEditorConstants.SelectAllSearchEditorMatchesCommandId,
 	weight: KeybindingWeight.WorkbenchContrib,
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.ts
index 61717d14936a4a7f464a0737e7ba28eba4ec7fa2..382284e12ee45ee60810e08cdb40b16572b5299a 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditor.ts
@@ -295,6 +295,10 @@ export class SearchEditor extends BaseTextEditor {
 		this.queryEditorWidget.toggleContextLines();
 	}
 
+	modifyContextLines(increase: boolean) {
+		this.queryEditorWidget.modifyContextLines(increase);
+	}
+
 	toggleQueryDetails() {
 		this.toggleIncludesExcludes();
 	}
@@ -421,7 +425,7 @@ export class SearchEditor extends BaseTextEditor {
 	private readConfigFromWidget() {
 		return {
 			caseSensitive: this.queryEditorWidget.searchInput.getCaseSensitive(),
-			contextLines: this.queryEditorWidget.contextLines(),
+			contextLines: this.queryEditorWidget.getContextLines(),
 			excludes: this.inputPatternExcludes.getValue(),
 			includes: this.inputPatternIncludes.getValue(),
 			query: this.queryEditorWidget.searchInput.getValue(),
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions.ts
index 866e604fc5f934e30a41694649138fc89b7f1258..29d36746319512e3c53086d661247ab9aa762716 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/searchEditor/browser/searchEditorActions.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,14 @@ export const toggleSearchEditorContextLinesCommand = (accessor: ServicesAccessor
 	}
 };
 
+export const modifySearchEditorContextLinesCommand = (accessor: ServicesAccessor, increase: boolean) => {
+	const editorService = accessor.get(IEditorService);
+	const input = editorService.activeEditor;
+	if (input instanceof SearchEditorInput) {
+		(editorService.activeEditorPane as SearchEditor).modifyContextLines(increase);
+	}
+};
+
 export const selectAllSearchEditorMatchesCommand = (accessor: ServicesAccessor) => {
 	const editorService = accessor.get(IEditorService);
 	const input = editorService.activeEditor;