C:\users\{username}\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code.Alternatively, you can also download a Zip archive, extract it and run Code from there.
Note: .NET Framework 4.5.2 or higher is required for VS Code. If you are using Windows 7, make sure you have at least .NET Framework 4.5.2 installed. You can check your version of .NET Framework using this command,
reg query "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\full" /v versionfrom a command prompt.
Tip: Setup will add Visual Studio Code to your
%PATH%, so from the console you can type 'code .' to open VS Code on that folder. You will need to restart your console after the installation for the change to the%PATH%environmental variable to take effect.
VS Code provides both Windows user and system level setups. Installing the user setup does not require Administrator privileges as the location will be under your user Local AppData (LOCALAPPDATA) folder. User setup also provides a smoother background update experience.
The system setup requires elevation to Administrator privileges and will place the installation under Program Files.
See the Download Visual Studio Code page for a complete list of available installation options.
If you need to run a 32-bit version of VS Code, both a 32-bit Installer and Zip archive are available.
VS Code ships monthly releases and supports auto-update when a new release is available. If you're prompted by VS Code, accept the newest update and it will be installed (you won't need to do anything else to get the latest bits).
Note: You can disable auto-update if you prefer to update VS Code on your own schedule.
Windows is a popular operating system and it can be a great cross-platform development environment. This section describes cross-platform features such as the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and the new Windows Terminal.
Make sure you are on a recent Windows 10 build. Check Settings > Windows Update to see if you are up-to-date.
With WSL, you can install and run Linux distributions on Windows. This enables you to develop and test your source code on Linux while still working locally on your Windows machine.
When coupled with the Remote - WSL extension, you get full VS Code editing and debugging support while running in the context of WSL.
See the Developing in WSL documentation to learn more or try the Working in WSL introductory tutorial.
Available from the Microsoft Store, the Windows Terminal (Preview) lets you easily open PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL terminals in a multiple tab shell.
Once you have installed VS Code, these topics will help you learn more about VS Code:
VS Code uses Inno Setup to create its setup package for Windows. Thus, all the Inno Setup command-line switches are available for use.
Additionally, you can prevent the Setup from launching VS Code after completion with /mergetasks=!runcode.
On certain devices, editor scrolling is not smooth but laggy for an unpleasant experience. If you notice this issue, make sure you install the Windows 10 October 2018 update where this issue is fixed.
Try using the zip file instead of the installer. To use this, unzip VS Code in your AppData\Local\Programs folder.
Note: When VS Code is installed via a Zip file, you will need to manually update it for each release.
I installed Visual Studio Code on my Windows 7 or 8 machine. Why are some icons not appearing in the workbench and editor?
VS Code uses SVG icons and we have found instances where the .SVG file extension is associated with something other than image/svg+xml. We're considering options to fix it, but for now here's a workaround:
Using the Command Prompt:
REG ADD HKCR\.svg /f /v "Content Type" /t REG_SZ /d image/svg+xml.Using the Registry Editor (regedit):
regedit.HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key..svg key.Content Type Data value to image/svg+xml.regedit.