2/22/25, 1:20 PM Tutorial: Get started with Visual Studio Code 2/22/25, 1:20 PM Tutorial: Get started with

ode 2/22/25, 1:20 PM Tutorial: Get started with Visual Studio Code

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TOPICS VS Code Tutorial

IN THIS ARTICLE Prerequisites

([Link]

Tutorial: Get started with Visual Studio Code

In this tutorial, you learn about the key features of Visual Studio Code to help you get started with coding
quickly. You learn about the different components of the user interface and how to customize it to your liking.
You then write some code and use the built-in code editing features, such as IntelliSense and Code Actions, and
you learn about running and debugging your code. By installing a language extension, you add support for a
3 Select New Folder, create a new folder named vscode101 , and then select Select Folder (Open on
different programming language.
macOS).

Tip The folder you create is the root of your workspace.

If you prefer to follow along with a video, you can watch the Getting Started video
([Link] which covers the same steps as this tutorial. 4 On the Workspace Trust dialog, select Yes, I trust the authors to enable all features in the workspace.

Prerequisites

Download and install Visual Studio Code on your computer ([Link]

Open a folder in VS Code

You can use VS Code to work on individual files to make quick edits, or you can open a folder, also known as a
workspace.

Let's start by creating a folder and opening it in VS Code. You'll use this folder throughout the tutorial.

1 Open Visual Studio Code.

When you first open VS Code, you should see the Welcome page with different actions to get started.

2 Select File > Open Folder... from the menu to open a folder.

Because you created the folder on your computer, you can trust the code in the folder.

Important

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Workspace Trust lets you decide whether code in your project folder can be executed by VS Code.
When you download code from the internet, you should first review it to make sure it's safe to run.
Get more info about Workspace Trust (/docs/editor/workspaces/workspace-trust).

5 You should now see the Explorer view on the left, showing the name of the folder.

You'll use the Explorer view to view and manage the files and folders in your workspace.

Tip
When you open a folder in VS Code, VS Code can restore the UI state for that folder, such as the open
files, the active view, and the layout of the editor. You can also configure settings that only apply to that
folder, or define debug configurations. Get more info about workspaces
(/docs/editor/workspaces/workspaces).
View and edit files with the Editor

1 Select the Explorer view in the Activity Bar, and select the New File... button to create a new file in your
Explore the user interface
workspace.

Now that you have a folder open in VS Code, let's take a quick tour of the user interface.

Switch between views with the Activity Bar

1 Use the Activity Bar to switch between different views.

2 Enter the name [Link] and press Enter .

A file is added to your workspace and an Editor opens in the main area of the window.

Tip
Hover over the Activity Bar to see the name of each view and the corresponding keyboard shortcut.
You can toggle a view open and closed by selecting the view again or pressing the keyboard
shortcut.

2 When you select a view in the Activity Bar, the Primary Side Bar opens to show view-specific information. 3 Start typing some HTML code in the [Link] file.

For example, the Run and Debug view enables you to configure and start debugging sessions. As you type, you should see suggestions popping up that help you complete your code (IntelliSense). You
can use the Up and Down keys to navigate the suggestions, and Tab to insert the selected suggestion.

4 Add more files to your workspace and notice that each file opens a new Editor tab.

You can open as many editors as you like and view them side by side vertically or horizontally. Learn
more about side by side editing (/docs/getstarted/userinterface#_side-by-side-editing).
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3 You can open multiple terminals simultaneously. Select the Launch Profile dropdown to view the
available shells and choose one.

Access the terminal from the Panel area

1 VS Code has an integrated terminal. Open it by pressing Ctrl+` .

You can choose between different shells, such as PowerShell, Command Prompt, or Bash, depending on
your operating system configuration.

Access commands with the Command Palette

1 Open the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P . You can also use the View > Command
Palette... menu item.
2 In the terminal, enter the following command to create a new file in your workspace.
Many of the commands in VS Code are available through the Command Palette. When you install

echo "Hello, VS Code" > [Link] Copy

extensions, they can also add commands to the Command Palette.

The default working folder is the root of your workspace. Notice that the Explorer view automatically
picks up and shows the new file.

Tip
Notice that the Command Palette shows the default keyboard shortcut for commands that have
one. You can use the keyboard shortcut to run the command directly.

2 The Command Palette supports different modes of operation:

1 After the > symbol, start typing to filter the command list. For example, type move terminal to
find commands to move the terminal to a new window.

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2 Remove the > character and start typing to search for files in your workspace. You can use the
Ctrl+P keyboard shortcut to open the Command Palette and start searching for files directly.

Tip
VS Code uses fuzzy matching to find files or commands. For example, typing odks returns the Open
Tip
Default Keyboard Shortcuts command.
Use the search box to filter the list of settings that are shown.

2 By default, VS Code doesn't automatically save modified files. Select a value from the Auto Save
Configure VS Code settings dropdown to change this behavior.

You can customize almost every part of VS Code by configuring settings. You can use the Settings Editor to
modify the settings in VS Code or directly modify the [Link] file.

1 Press Ctrl+, to open the Settings Editor (or select the File > Preferences > Settings menu item).

VS Code automatically applies changes to settings. When you modify a file in your workspace, it should
now be automatically saved.

3 To revert a setting to its default value, select the gear icon next to the setting and select Reset Setting.

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Tip
2 When you put the cursor on the string Hello, , you should see a lightbulb icon appear to indicate
You can quickly find all modified settings by typing @modified in the search box or selecting the
there's a Code Action.
Modified filter.
You can also use the Ctrl+Space keyboard shortcut to open the lightbulb menu.
4 You can use the tabs in the Settings Editor to switch between User settings and Workspace settings.
3 Select the lightbulb icon, and then select Convert to template string.
User settings apply across all your workspaces. Workspace settings only apply to the current workspace.
Workspace settings override user settings. Get more information about settings in VS Code
(/docs/editor/settings).

Write some code

VS Code has built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and more. In this tutorial, you create a
sample JavaScript file and use some of the code editing features that VS Code offers.

VS Code supports many programming languages and in a next step, you'll install a language extension to add Code Actions are suggestions to apply quick fixes to your code. In this case, the Code Action converts
support for a different language, namely Python. ""Hello, " + name into a template string ([Link]
US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Template_literals) `Hello, ${name}` , which is a special JavaScript
1 In the Explorer view, create a new file [Link] , and start typing the following JavaScript code: construct to embed expressions in strings.

function sayHello(name) { Copy

Learn more about code editing features (/docs/editor/codebasics), IntelliSense (/docs/editor/intellisense), code
[Link]('Hello, ' + name); navigation (/docs/editor/editingevolved), and refactoring (/docs/editor/refactoring) in VS Code.
}

sayHello('VS Code');
Use source control
As you type, you should see suggestions popping up that help you complete your code (IntelliSense). You
Visual Studio Code has integrated source control management (SCM) and includes Git ([Link]
can use the Up and Down keys to navigate the suggestions, and Tab to insert the selected suggestion.
support out-of-the-box.
Notice also the formatting of the code (syntax highlighting), to help you distinguish between different
Let's use the built-in Git support to commit the changes you've made previously.
parts of the code.

1 Select the Source Control view in the Activity Bar to open the Source Control view.

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Tip
To stage all changes, hover over Changes and select the Stage All Changes button.

5 Enter a commit message, for example Add hello function , and then select the Commit to commit the
changes to your Git repository.

2 Make sure you have Git ([Link] installed on your computer. If you don't have Git installed,
you'll see a button in the Source Control view to install it on your machine.

3 Select Initialize Repository to create a new Git repository for your workspace.

Tip
You can use the Source Control Graph to show a visual representation of the commit history of your
Git repository.

There's a lot more to discover about source control in VS Code. Get more info about source control in VS Code
(/docs/sourcecontrol/overview).

Install a language extension

VS Code has a rich ecosystem of extensions that let you add languages, debuggers, and tools to your
After you initialize a repository, the Source Control view shows the changes you've made in your
installation to support your specific development workflow. There are thousands of extensions available in the
workspace.
Visual Studio Marketplace ([Link]

4 You can stage individual changes by hovering over a file and selecting + next to a file. Let's install a language extension to add support for Python, or any other programming language you are
interested in.

1 Select the Extensions view in the Activity Bar.

The Extensions view enables you to browse and install extensions from within VS Code.

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Run and debug your code

VS Code has built-in support for running and debugging [Link] applications. In this tutorial, you use the
Python extension you installed in the previous step to debug a Python program.
2 Enter Python in the Extension view search box to browse for Python-related extensions. Select the
Let's debug the [Link] program that you created in the previous step.
Python extension published by Microsoft, and then select the Install button.

1 Make sure that Python 3 ([Link] is installed on your computer.

If there's no Python interpreter installed on your computer, you'll see a notification in the lower right
corner of the window. Select Select Interpreter to open the Command Palette and select the Python
interpreter you want to use or install one.

2 In the [Link] file, place the cursor on the print line and press F9 to set a breakpoint.

A red dot appears in the left margin of the editor, indicating that a breakpoint is set. With a breakpoint,
you can pause the execution of your program at a specific line of code.

3 Now, create a new Python file [Link] in your workspace, and start typing the following Python code:

def say_hello(name): Copy

print("Hello, " + name)

say_hello("VS Code")

Notice that you now also get suggestions and IntelliSense for the Python code.
3 Press F5 to start a debugging session.

1 Select the Python debugger:

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There are many more debugging features in VS Code, such as watch variables, conditional breakpoints, and
launch configurations. Dive into the details of debugging in VS Code (/docs/editor/debugging).

Enhance your coding with AI and GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that helps you write code faster, and can help you with a wide range
of tasks, such as code completion, code refactoring, and fixing errors.

Let's get started by getting code suggestions from Copilot.

2 Choose to run the current Python file:

1 Make sure you have set up Copilot in VS Code. Follow the steps in our Copilot Setup
(/docs/copilot/setup) guide.

Tip
If you don't have a Copilot subscription yet, you can use Copilot for free by signing up for the
Copilot Free plan ([Link] and get a monthly limit of completions
and chat interactions.

2 In the [Link] file, place the cursor at the end of the file and type this function header.
4 Notice that the program starts and that the execution stops at the breakpoint you set.
def say_day_of_week(date) Copy

GitHub Copilot will automatically suggest the rest of the function. Accept the code suggestion by
pressing Tab .

3 Next, let's invoke our new function.

say_day_of_week([Link]()) Copy

Notice that there's a squiggle on the date keyword, indicating that there's an error.
Tip
Inspect the value of the name variable by hovering over it in the editor while the execution is 4 Put the cursor, on the date keyword, select the lightbulb icon, and then select Fix with Copilot.
paused. You can view the value of variables at any time in the Variables view in the Run and Debug
view.

5 Press the Continue button in the Debug toolbar or press F5 to continue the execution.

GitHub Copilot will suggest a fix for the error. Select Accept if you're happy with the suggestion.

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Tip
You can also use the Ctrl+. keyboard shortcut to manually trigger a quick fix. ([Link]

There's a lot more you can do with Copilot in VS Code. Discover more about GitHub Copilot in VS Code with
our Copilot Quickstart (/docs/copilot/getting-started).

Next steps

Congratulations! You've completed the tutorial and explored some of the key features of Visual Studio Code.
Now that you've learned the basics of Visual Studio Code, get more info about how to:

Discover and run unit tests for your code (/docs/editor/testing)

Use the integrated terminal (/docs/terminal/getting-started)

Set up a remote development environment (/docs/remote/remote-overview)

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