tech

VS Code

Free extensible code editor - IntelliSense, debugging, Git integration, vast extension marketplace

TL;DR

One-liner: VS Code is a free, fast, and extensible code editor from Microsoft - the most popular editor for web development.

Core Value:

Speed - opens instantly, handles large projects
Extensions - 40,000+ extensions for any language
IntelliSense - smart code completion
Built-in Git - version control without leaving the editor

Quick Start

Install

macOS:

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Windows:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Linux: Download from code.visualstudio.com

Open a Folder

code .           # Open current directory
code myproject   # Open specific folder

Essential Extensions

Search in Extensions panel (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+X):

Prettier - Code formatter
ESLint - JavaScript linting
GitLens - Git supercharged
Auto Rename Tag - HTML/JSX tag renaming

Cheatsheet

Shortcut (Mac / Win)	Action
`Cmd+P` / `Ctrl+P`	Quick Open file
`Cmd+Shift+P` / `Ctrl+Shift+P`	Command Palette
`Cmd+Shift+F` / `Ctrl+Shift+F`	Search in files
`Cmd+D` / `Ctrl+D`	Select next occurrence
`Cmd+/` / `Ctrl+/`	Toggle comment
`Alt+Up/Down`	Move line up/down
`Cmd+Shift+K` / `Ctrl+Shift+K`	Delete line
`Cmd+B` / `Ctrl+B`	Toggle sidebar
Ctrl+`	Toggle terminal
`Cmd+,` / `Ctrl+,`	Open settings
`F12`	Go to definition
`Shift+F12`	Find all references
`Cmd+Shift+L` / `Ctrl+Shift+L`	Select all occurrences

Gotchas

Command ‘code’ not found

# Open VS Code, then:
# Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH"

Sync settings across devices

1. Sign in with GitHub/Microsoft account
2. Settings → Turn on Settings Sync

Change default terminal

// settings.json (Cmd+, → click icon in top right)
{
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "zsh",
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "PowerShell"
}

Format on save

// settings.json
{
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
}

Disable telemetry

// settings.json
{
  "telemetry.telemetryLevel": "off"
}