Visual Studio Code installation takes about five minutes and works the same way on Windows, Mac, and Linux

Download the installer from the official Visual Studio Code website, run it, and follow the on-screen prompts. The process is straightforward on all three operating systems, though the exact steps differ slightly depending on what you use. Once installed, you can open the program and start writing code immediately — no additional setup is required unless you want to add language-specific tools later.

Visual Studio Code is free and works on computers running Windows 10 or later, macOS 10.12 or later, or most Linux distributions. The download is about 200 MB, so it takes only a minute or two on a typical internet connection.

Key Takeaways

  • Download Visual Studio Code from code.visualstudio.com, not from the Microsoft Store or other sources, to get the official version.
  • On Windows, run the installer and choose whether to add Visual Studio Code to your Start menu and file context menu during setup.
  • On Mac, drag the Visual Studio Code icon into your Applications folder after downloading the .zip file.
  • On Linux, use your package manager (apt, dnf, pacman, or zypper depending on your distribution) or download the .deb or .rpm file directly.
  • After installation, open Visual Studio Code and you can begin working — extensions and language support can be added later if needed.

Installing on Windows

Go to code.visualstudio.com in your web browser. Click the blue download button, which will automatically detect that you are on Windows and download the installer file (named something like VSCodeSetup-x64-1.xx.x.exe). Save it to your Downloads folder or wherever you normally save files.

Double-click the installer file to start the setup wizard. Read and accept the license agreement, then click Next. On the "Select Additional Tasks" screen, you will see checkboxes for adding Visual Studio Code to your Start menu, creating a desktop shortcut, and adding "Open with Code" to your file context menu. Check whichever of these you want — the context menu option is useful if you plan to open folders directly from Windows Explorer. Click Next, then Install. The installation takes about a minute. When it finishes, click Finish and Visual Studio Code will open automatically.

Installing on Mac

Visit code.visualstudio.com and click the download button. Your browser will download a .zip file named something like VSCode-darwin-universal.zip. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the .zip file to extract it — this creates a Visual Studio Code application file.

Open your Applications folder (you can find it in Finder under the Go menu, or press Command+Shift+A). Drag the Visual Studio Code icon from your Downloads folder into the Applications folder. You can now delete the .zip file and the extracted copy in Downloads. To launch Visual Studio Code, open Applications and double-click Visual Studio Code, or use Spotlight search (Command+Space) and type "Visual Studio Code".

Installing on Linux

The easiest method on Linux is to use your distribution's package manager. Open a terminal and run the appropriate command for your system. On Ubuntu and Debian-based systems, run sudo apt update followed by sudo apt install code. On Fedora and Red Hat-based systems, run sudo dnf install code. On Arch Linux, run sudo pacman -S code. On openSUSE, run sudo zypper install code. Your package manager will download and install Visual Studio Code automatically.

If your distribution is not listed or you prefer to install manually, go to code.visualstudio.com and download the .deb file (for Debian and Ubuntu) or .rpm file (for Fedora and Red Hat). Open a terminal in your Downloads folder and run sudo dpkg -i code_*.deb for .deb files or sudo rpm -i code-*.rpm for .rpm files. After installation, launch Visual Studio Code by typing code in a terminal or searching for it in your application menu.

What to do after installation

When Visual Studio Code opens for the first time, you will see a Welcome tab with links to documentation and tutorials. You can close this tab and start working immediately. Create a new file (File > New File or Ctrl+N on Windows and Linux, Command+N on Mac) and begin typing code in any language.

Visual Studio Code includes built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and JSON. If you write in other languages like Python, Java, C++, or Go, you can add support by installing extensions. Click the Extensions icon in the left sidebar (it looks like four squares), search for the language you want, and click Install on the extension published by Microsoft or the language's official maintainers. Extensions download and activate automatically.

Updating Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code checks for updates automatically and notifies you when a new version is available. On Windows and Mac, click the notification and the update will download and install the next time you close and reopen the program. On Linux, run your package manager's update command (such as sudo apt upgrade) to update Visual Studio Code along with other installed software.

You can also check for updates manually. Click the gear icon in the bottom left corner, select About, and Visual Studio Code will tell you whether you are running the latest version. Updates are released monthly and include bug fixes and new features, but you can skip updates if your current version is working well for you.

Uninstalling Visual Studio Code

On Windows, open Settings, go to Apps > Apps & features, find Visual Studio Code in the list, click it, and select Uninstall. Follow the prompts to remove the program. On Mac, open Applications in Finder, right-click Visual Studio Code, and select Move to Trash. On Linux, run your package manager's remove command, such as sudo apt remove code on Ubuntu and Debian systems.

Uninstalling Visual Studio Code does not delete any files you created with it. Your code files remain wherever you saved them. If you reinstall Visual Studio Code later, your files will still be there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to create an account to use Visual Studio Code?

No. Visual Studio Code works without signing in. You can create a Microsoft account to sync your settings across devices, but this is optional. Click the person icon in the bottom left corner if you want to sign in later.

Can I use Visual Studio Code for languages other than the ones it supports by default?

Yes. Visual Studio Code has extensions for nearly every programming language. Search the Extensions marketplace (the icon in the left sidebar) for your language, and install the extension published by Microsoft or the language's official team. Most extensions are free.

Is Visual Studio Code the same as Visual Studio?

No. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight text editor designed for writing and editing code. Visual Studio is a much larger, more complex program made for professional software development. Visual Studio Code is free and runs on any computer; Visual Studio is also free but requires more disk space and is primarily for Windows and Mac.

What should I do if Visual Studio Code will not start after installation?

Restart your computer first — this solves most startup problems. If it still will not open, try uninstalling and reinstalling Visual Studio Code. On Windows, you can also try running the installer again and selecting Repair instead of Install. Check the Visual Studio Code documentation or community forums if the problem continues.

Can I install Visual Studio Code on a USB drive or portable device?

Yes, but you need the portable version. On Windows, download the portable .zip file from code.visualstudio.com instead of the installer. Extract it to your USB drive and run the code.exe file directly. On Mac and Linux, the standard installation method does not support portable use without additional configuration.