diff --git a/extensions/references-view/src/navigation.ts b/extensions/references-view/src/navigation.ts
index e592dfbf7eae6..bf2478fe952f9 100644
--- a/extensions/references-view/src/navigation.ts
+++ b/extensions/references-view/src/navigation.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ export class Navigation {
 		);
 	}
 
+	getSelection(): readonly unknown[] {
+		return this._view.selection;
+	}
+
 	dispose(): void {
 		vscode.Disposable.from(...this._disposables).dispose();
 	}
diff --git a/extensions/references-view/src/references/index.ts b/extensions/references-view/src/references/index.ts
index c4942f125b76e..2513d421bfee9 100644
--- a/extensions/references-view/src/references/index.ts
+++ b/extensions/references-view/src/references/index.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export function register(tree: SymbolsTree, context: vscode.ExtensionContext): v
 		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.findImplementations', () => findLocations('Implementations', 'vscode.executeImplementationProvider')),
 		// --- legacy name
 		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.find', (...args: any[]) => vscode.commands.executeCommand('references-view.findReferences', ...args)),
-		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.removeReferenceItem', removeReferenceItem),
+		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.removeReferenceItem', (arg) => removeReferenceItem(tree, arg)),
 		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.copy', copyCommand),
 		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.copyAll', copyAllCommand),
 		vscode.commands.registerCommand('references-view.copyPath', copyPathCommand),
@@ -61,11 +61,18 @@ const copyAllCommand = async (item: ReferenceItem | FileItem | unknown) => {
 	}
 };
 
-function removeReferenceItem(item: FileItem | ReferenceItem | unknown) {
+function removeReferenceItem(tree: SymbolsTree, item: FileItem | ReferenceItem | unknown) {
 	if (item instanceof FileItem) {
 		item.remove();
 	} else if (item instanceof ReferenceItem) {
 		item.remove();
+	} else if (item === undefined) {
+		// if item undefined, assume called from hotkey with no context, so call remove on selected items
+		for (const ni of tree.getSelection()) {
+			if (ni instanceof FileItem || ni instanceof ReferenceItem) {
+				ni.remove();
+			}
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/extensions/references-view/src/tree.ts b/extensions/references-view/src/tree.ts
index 4a6bf189675a0..a950de86f36de 100644
--- a/extensions/references-view/src/tree.ts
+++ b/extensions/references-view/src/tree.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ export class SymbolsTree {
 	getInput(): SymbolTreeInput<unknown> | undefined {
 		return this._input;
 	}
+	getSelection(): readonly unknown[] {
+		return this._navigation.getSelection();
+	}
 
 	async setInput(input: SymbolTreeInput<unknown>) {