Visual Studio Code: what it is and how to start

A free code editor from Microsoft that handles nearly every programming language through extensions, and is the editor most tutorials assume you are using.

Who it is for

Anyone writing code, from a first HTML page to professional work. Also the practical default for people letting AI write most of their code, since the major AI coding assistants plug into it.

What it costs

Free for private and commercial use. Worth understanding the licensing precisely: the VS Code product you download is under a proprietary Microsoft licence, not an open source one. The underlying source code, called Code - OSS, is separately available under the MIT licence, but the shipped product adds Microsoft customisations and branding on top. Free to use commercially either way. Note that telemetry is enabled by default and can be turned off in settings.

Quick facts

Category: App & Software Development — Code Editors
Pricing model: free
Runs on: Windows, macOS, Linux
Difficulty for a beginner: beginner
Official site: https://code.visualstudio.com

How to get started with Visual Studio Code

Install it and open a folder, not a file: VS Code works best pointed at a project folder rather than a single file, because that is how it finds related files, settings and version control. File then Open Folder is the correct first move.
Install only the extension for your language: One extension for the language you are using, such as Python or ESLint for JavaScript. Extensions are the main reason VS Code becomes slow, and most people install far more than they use.
Learn the command palette before any other shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+P, or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac, searches every command in the editor by name. It removes the need to memorise anything else, because you can find any feature by typing roughly what it does.
Use the built-in terminal: Ctrl+backtick opens a terminal inside the editor, already in your project folder. Running your code without switching windows removes a surprising amount of friction.
Turn on the version control panel: The source control icon in the sidebar handles Git without the command line: stage changes, write a commit message, commit. Enough to work safely without learning Git syntax first.
Decide about telemetry: Usage data collection is on by default. If you would rather it were not, set telemetry.telemetryLevel to off in settings. Worth an explicit decision rather than a default.
Add an AI assistant once you are comfortable: Copilot and other assistants integrate directly. Wait until you can read code confidently, because accepting suggestions you cannot evaluate builds a codebase you do not understand.

Should you use this instead of something else?

Notepad, TextEdit and similar have no syntax highlighting, no error checking and no version control, all of which matter more than they sound. Full IDEs such as the JetBrains tools are more powerful for large projects in a single language and considerably heavier. Cursor and similar AI-first editors are built on VS Code and feel familiar if you move later. Starting here means every tutorial matches what is on your screen.

Common beginner mistakes

Installing dozens of extensions in the first week, which slows the editor and creates conflicting behaviour that is hard to diagnose.
Opening individual files instead of the project folder, which disables version control, search across the project and most language features.
Ignoring the squiggly underlines. They are the language extension telling you about an error before you run anything, which is the cheapest possible time to find it.
Assuming VS Code is open source because it is free and made by Microsoft. The product is proprietary; only the separate Code - OSS codebase is MIT licensed.
Leaning on AI autocomplete before being able to read code. Accepting suggestions you cannot evaluate produces software you cannot fix.

Last verified: 2026-08-07. Source: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/supporting/faq

Read the full App & Software Development guide for how this fits into the wider process.