diff --git a/news/1 Enhancements/10198.md b/news/1 Enhancements/10198.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..eed15c9b96ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/1 Enhancements/10198.md	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Support using 'esc' or 'ctrl+u' to clear the contents of the interactive window input box.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/datascience-ui/history-react/interactiveCell.tsx b/src/datascience-ui/history-react/interactiveCell.tsx
index c9b94a6e4b0f..75fd1065c6f9 100644
--- a/src/datascience-ui/history-react/interactiveCell.tsx
+++ b/src/datascience-ui/history-react/interactiveCell.tsx
@@ -349,12 +349,20 @@ export class InteractiveCell extends React.Component<IInteractiveCellProps> {
     };
 
     private onEditCellKeyDown = (_cellId: string, e: IKeyboardEvent) => {
-        if (e.code === 'Escape') {
-            this.editCellEscape(e);
+        if (e.code === 'Tab' && e.shiftKey) {
+            this.editCellShiftTab(e);
         } else if (e.code === 'Enter' && e.shiftKey) {
             this.editCellSubmit(e);
         } else if (e.code === 'NumpadEnter' && e.shiftKey) {
             this.editCellSubmit(e);
+        } else if (e.code === 'KeyU' && e.ctrlKey && e.editorInfo && !e.editorInfo.isSuggesting) {
+            e.editorInfo.clear();
+            e.stopPropagation();
+            e.preventDefault();
+        } else if (e.code === 'Escape' && e.editorInfo && !e.editorInfo.isSuggesting) {
+            e.editorInfo.clear();
+            e.stopPropagation();
+            e.preventDefault();
         }
     };
 
@@ -395,11 +403,13 @@ export class InteractiveCell extends React.Component<IInteractiveCellProps> {
         }
     }
 
-    private editCellEscape = (e: IKeyboardEvent) => {
+    private editCellShiftTab = (e: IKeyboardEvent) => {
         const focusedElement = document.activeElement;
         if (focusedElement !== null && e.editorInfo && !e.editorInfo.isSuggesting) {
             const nextTabStop = this.findTabStop(1, focusedElement);
             if (nextTabStop) {
+                e.stopPropagation();
+                e.preventDefault();
                 nextTabStop.focus();
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/test/datascience/interactiveWindow.functional.test.tsx b/src/test/datascience/interactiveWindow.functional.test.tsx
index 611978139272..85a1754cce5a 100644
--- a/src/test/datascience/interactiveWindow.functional.test.tsx
+++ b/src/test/datascience/interactiveWindow.functional.test.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import * as TypeMoq from 'typemoq';
 import { Disposable, Selection, TextDocument, TextEditor, Uri } from 'vscode';
 
+import { ReactWrapper } from 'enzyme';
 import { IApplicationShell, IDocumentManager } from '../../client/common/application/types';
 import { IDataScienceSettings } from '../../client/common/types';
 import { createDeferred, waitForPromise } from '../../client/common/utils/async';
@@ -19,7 +20,9 @@ import { InteractiveWindowMessages } from '../../client/datascience/interactive-
 import { InteractiveWindow } from '../../client/datascience/interactive-window/interactiveWindow';
 import { concatMultilineStringInput } from '../../datascience-ui/common';
 import { InteractivePanel } from '../../datascience-ui/history-react/interactivePanel';
+import { IKeyboardEvent } from '../../datascience-ui/react-common/event';
 import { ImageButton } from '../../datascience-ui/react-common/imageButton';
+import { MonacoEditor } from '../../datascience-ui/react-common/monacoEditor';
 import { DataScienceIocContainer } from './dataScienceIocContainer';
 import { createDocument } from './editor-integration/helpers';
 import { defaultDataScienceSettings } from './helpers';
@@ -38,6 +41,7 @@ import {
     addMockData,
     CellInputState,
     CellPosition,
+    enterEditorKey,
     enterInput,
     escapePath,
     findButton,
@@ -87,6 +91,13 @@ suite('DataScience Interactive Window output tests', () => {
         return update;
     }
 
+    function simulateKeyPressOnEditor(
+        editorControl: ReactWrapper<any, Readonly<{}>, React.Component> | undefined,
+        keyboardEvent: Partial<IKeyboardEvent> & { code: string }
+    ) {
+        enterEditorKey(editorControl, keyboardEvent);
+    }
+
     // Uncomment this to debug hangs on exit
     // suiteTeardown(() => {
     //      asyncDump();
@@ -217,6 +228,36 @@ for i in range(10):
         }
     );
 
+    runMountedTest(
+        'Escape/Ctrl+U',
+        async wrapper => {
+            // Create an interactive window so that it listens to the results.
+            const interactiveWindow = await getOrCreateInteractiveWindow(ioc);
+            await interactiveWindow.show();
+
+            // Type in the input box
+            const editor = getInteractiveEditor(wrapper);
+            typeCode(editor, 'a=1\na');
+
+            // Check code is what we think it is
+            const reactEditor = editor.instance() as MonacoEditor;
+            assert.equal(reactEditor.state.model?.getValue().replace(/\r/g, ''), 'a=1\na');
+
+            // Send escape
+            simulateKeyPressOnEditor(editor, { code: 'Escape' });
+            assert.equal(reactEditor.state.model?.getValue().replace(/\r/g, ''), '');
+
+            typeCode(editor, 'a=1\na');
+            assert.equal(reactEditor.state.model?.getValue().replace(/\r/g, ''), 'a=1\na');
+
+            simulateKeyPressOnEditor(editor, { code: 'KeyU', ctrlKey: true });
+            assert.equal(reactEditor.state.model?.getValue().replace(/\r/g, ''), '');
+        },
+        () => {
+            return ioc;
+        }
+    );
+
     runMountedTest(
         'Click outside cells sets focus to input box',
         async wrapper => {