Quickstart

Welcome to Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight but powerful source code editor that runs on your desktop. It comes with built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js, and has a rich ecosystem of extensions for other languages and runtimes.

Download Visual Studio Code

Download the appropriate installer for your operating system:

Windows: Download the .exe installer
macOS: Download the .zip or use Homebrew: brew install --cask visual-studio-code
Linux: Download .deb (Debian/Ubuntu) or .rpm (Red Hat/Fedora/SUSE) packages

Visit code.visualstudio.com to download the latest stable release.

VS Code is updated monthly with new features and bug fixes. For the latest daily builds, install the Insiders build.

Install and Launch

Windows

Run the installer (.exe file)
Follow the installation wizard
Launch VS Code from the Start menu or desktop shortcut

macOS

Open the downloaded .zip file
Drag Visual Studio Code to your Applications folder
Launch from Applications or Spotlight

Linux

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i code_*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

# Red Hat/Fedora/SUSE
sudo rpm -i code-*.rpm

Launch VS Code by running code from the terminal or from your application menu.

Open Your First Project

You can start coding immediately by opening a folder or creating a new file.Open a folder:

Click File > Open Folder (Windows/Linux) or File > Open (macOS)
Select any folder containing your project files

Create a new file:

Click File > New File or press Ctrl+N (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+N (macOS)
Start typing your code
Save with Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+S (macOS)

Write Your First Code

Let’s create a simple “Hello World” program. VS Code supports many programming languages out of the box.

JavaScript
Python
TypeScript
HTML/CSS

Create a new file called hello.js:

// hello.js - A simple Node.js program
console.log('Hello, World!');

function greet(name) {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}

console.log(greet('VS Code'));

Run it in the integrated terminal:

node hello.js

Open the integrated terminal with Ctrl+` (backtick) or View > Terminal.

Create a new file called hello.py:

# hello.py - A simple Python program
def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print("Hello, World!")
    print(greet("VS Code"))

Run it in the integrated terminal:

python hello.py

VS Code has built-in syntax highlighting for Python. For IntelliSense and debugging, install the Python extension from the Extensions marketplace.

Create a new file called hello.ts:

// hello.ts - A simple TypeScript program
function greet(name: string): string {
  return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}

console.log('Hello, World!');
console.log(greet('VS Code'));

Compile and run:

# Install TypeScript globally
npm install -g typescript

# Compile TypeScript to JavaScript
tsc hello.ts

# Run the compiled JavaScript
node hello.js

Create a new file called index.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Hello VS Code</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, sans-serif;
            display: flex;
            justify-content: center;
            align-items: center;
            height: 100vh;
            margin: 0;
            background: linear-gradient(135deg, #667eea 0%, #764ba2 100%);
            color: white;
        }
        h1 {
            font-size: 3rem;
            text-align: center;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Hello, World! 👋</h1>
</body>
</html>

Right-click the file and select Open with Live Server (if you have the Live Server extension) or simply open it in your browser.

Explore Key Features

Now that you have VS Code running, explore these essential features:Command Palette

Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS)
Access all VS Code commands from one place
Try typing “theme” to change your color theme

IntelliSense

Start typing in your code file
VS Code provides smart completions based on variable types, function definitions, and imported modules
Press Ctrl+Space to trigger suggestions manually

Integrated Terminal

Press Ctrl+` to open the terminal
Run commands without leaving the editor
Supports multiple terminal instances

Extensions Marketplace

Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar) or press Ctrl+Shift+X
Search for extensions by language, framework, or tool
Popular extensions: Python, ESLint, Prettier, GitLens

Pro Tip

Use Ctrl+P (Quick Open) to quickly navigate to files by typing part of their name. Add : followed by a line number to jump to a specific line.

Customize Your Setup

Make VS Code your own by customizing settings and keybindings.User Settings

Open with File > Preferences > Settings or Ctrl+,
Search for specific settings or browse by category
Settings are stored in JSON format

Workspace Settings

Configure settings specific to your current project
These override user settings
Stored in .vscode/settings.json in your project folder

Keybindings

Open with File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S
Customize any command’s keyboard shortcut
Import keymaps from other editors

Example settings to try:

{
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.tabSize": 2,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
  "workbench.colorTheme": "Default Dark+"
}

Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up VS Code and created your first program. Here’s what to explore next:

Master the Interface

Learn about the Activity Bar, Side Bar, Editor Groups, and Panels to maximize your productivity.

Install Extensions

Enhance VS Code with extensions for your favorite languages, frameworks, and tools.

Set Up Version Control

VS Code has built-in Git support. Learn how to commit, push, and manage branches.

Debug Your Code

Use VS Code’s powerful debugger to set breakpoints, inspect variables, and step through code.

If you encounter issues launching VS Code, ensure you have the minimum system requirements:

RAM: 1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended
Disk Space: 200 MB minimum
Display: 1024x768 resolution minimum

Get Started

Core Features

Extensions

Customization

Languages

Welcome to Visual Studio Code

Pro Tip

Next Steps

Master the Interface

Install Extensions

Set Up Version Control

Debug Your Code

Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Extensions

Customization

Languages

​Welcome to Visual Studio Code

Pro Tip

​Next Steps

Master the Interface

Install Extensions

Set Up Version Control

Debug Your Code

​Additional Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Welcome to Visual Studio Code

Next Steps

Additional Resources