Get started with Visual Studio Code

Use this guide to install Visual Studio Code, open your code, and choose a hands-on path for your first task. You can learn the editor and write code yourself, use an AI agent, or combine both approaches.

AI features are optional. You don't need an account to use the core editor.

Get started in three steps

1. Install VS Code. Download the installer for your platform and follow the installation steps.

2. Open your code. Open an existing folder, clone a repository, or create a folder for a new project.

3. Complete your first task. Follow the editor tutorial to learn the basics, or use the agents quickstart to build an app from a natural-language prompt.

Install VS Code

Review the system requirements before you install VS Code on an older or managed device.

Open your code

In VS Code, a folder that contains your project files is called a workspace. Opening a folder gives the editor, terminal, source control, debugger, and AI agents access to the same project context.

1. Open VS Code and select File > Open Folder....

2. Select an existing project folder. To start a new project, create a folder in the dialog and then open it.

3. If the Workspace Trust dialog appears, review the folder contents and choose whether you trust its authors.

   Only trust code from sources you know. You can safely browse unfamiliar code in Restricted Mode. Learn more about Workspace Trust.

When the folder name and files appear in the Explorer view, you're ready to start working. You can also clone a GitHub repository directly from VS Code.

Choose your first task

Choose a guided path based on how you want to start. Both paths introduce the workspace and core VS Code features.

If you're new to code editors, start with the editor tutorial. You can enable AI features at any time.

Enable AI features

We recommend GitHub Copilot for getting started with AI in VS Code. It provides inline suggestions and access to multiple language models, and is the option used in the agents quickstart. You can also use AI without a Copilot subscription.

To get started with Copilot:

1. Select Sign In from the VS Code title bar, or hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar and select Enable AI features.

   

2. Choose a sign-in method and follow the prompts.

   • If your account has a Copilot subscription, VS Code uses that subscription.

   • If you don't have a Copilot subscription, you can sign up for the Copilot Free plan, which includes a monthly allowance of inline suggestions and AI credits.

Use AI without a Copilot subscription

You don't need a GitHub Copilot subscription to use AI in VS Code. You can bring your own models or use another provider's agent:

• API key: Connect a supported model provider with your own API key.
• Provider subscription: Use Claude with your Claude subscription (Experimental), or Codex with your ChatGPT account.
• Local model: Run a model on your own machine, such as Ollama, including offline.

Setup, available features, and usage charges depend on the provider and integration. API-key and local models don't provide features that rely on the GitHub Copilot service, such as inline suggestions, semantic search, and embeddings.

Can I use VS Code without signing in?

Yes. You don't need an account to use the editor, terminal, debugger, source control, extensions, or other core features.

AI doesn't always require GitHub sign-in either. You can use API-key or local models without a GitHub account. Claude and Codex also offer ways to use your provider account instead. Running these agents in the Agents window without GitHub sign-in is experimental. Follow the linked setup instructions for your chosen option.

To hide the built-in AI features, see Remove AI features from VS Code.

Explore the main parts of VS Code

The VS Code interface brings your project files, editing tools, terminal, source control, and AI chat into one workspace.

• Explorer and editor: Browse project files and edit code with IntelliSense, refactoring, and multi-cursor support.

• Run, debug, and test: Run your application, set breakpoints, inspect program state, and run tests without leaving the editor.

• Source Control: Review changes and work with Git repositories through the built-in source control interface.

• Extensions and settings: Add support for your programming languages and tools, then personalize the interface and editor behavior.

• AI chat and agents: Ask coding questions or delegate a task to an agent that can edit files, run commands, and verify its work.

Next steps

Common questions

For installation and update troubleshooting, see the VS Code FAQ.