Installing

1. Open Terminal and run:

   brew install --cask visual-studio-code
   

   If you don't have Homebrew, download VS Code directly and drag it to Applications

Setting up the code command

The code command lets you open files and folders from the terminal. On macOS, you need to install it manually.

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Cmd + Shift + P to open the Command Palette
3. Type shell command and select Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH
4. Restart your terminal

Now you can run code . to open the current folder, or code myfile.py to open a specific file.

Essential extensions

Open the Extensions panel with Cmd + Shift + X and install these based on what you work with:

General:

• GitLens – enhanced git blame, history, and line annotations
• GitHub Copilot – AI code suggestions (requires GitHub subscription)
• Error Lens – shows errors and warnings inline next to the code

JavaScript / TypeScript:

• ESLint – catches bugs and enforces code style
• Prettier – auto-formats your code on save

Python:

• Python (Microsoft) – core Python support, debugging, and virtual environments
• Pylance – fast type checking and autocomplete for Python

Remote work:

• Remote - SSH – edit files on a remote server as if they were local

Settings to configure

Open settings with Cmd + , or go to Code > Settings > Settings. Search for these:

• Auto Save – set to afterDelay so you never lose work
• Format On Save – turn this on. Combined with Prettier or a formatter, your code stays clean automatically
• Tab Size – set to 2 for JS/TS or 4 for Python (or whatever your team uses)
• Theme – search color theme to pick one. Popular choices: One Dark Pro, GitHub Theme, Catppuccin

Settings Sync

Sync your extensions, settings, keybindings, and snippets across machines.

1. Click the account icon in the bottom-left corner
2. Click Turn on Settings Sync
3. Sign in with GitHub or Microsoft
4. Choose what to sync (extensions, settings, keybindings, snippets, UI state)

When you set up VS Code on another machine, sign in the same way and everything carries over.

Terminal integration

VS Code has a built-in terminal so you don't need to switch windows.

1. Open it with Ctrl + ` (backtick)
2. To change the default shell, press Cmd + Shift + P and search for Terminal: Select Default Profile
3. Pick your preferred shell (zsh, bash, fish, etc.)

You can split terminals, have multiple tabs, and run tasks directly inside VS Code.

Keyboard shortcuts worth learning

• Cmd + Shift + P – Command Palette (search any action)
• Cmd + P – Quick Open (search files by name)
• Cmd + D – select the next occurrence of the current word (multi-cursor editing)
• Cmd + Shift + F – find across all files in the project
• Cmd + B – toggle the sidebar
• Cmd + / – toggle comment on the current line
• Option + Up/Down – move a line up or down
• Cmd + Shift + K – delete the current line

Workspaces

If you work on a monorepo or multiple related projects, use workspaces to open them all in one window.

1. Go to File > Add Folder to Workspace for each project folder
2. Save the workspace with File > Save Workspace As
3. Open it anytime with File > Open Workspace from File

Each folder gets its own file tree in the sidebar, and search works across all of them.

Extensions to avoid

• Bracket Pair Colorizer – VS Code has this built in and enabled by default since late 2022
• Path Intellisense – built into VS Code for most cases
• Auto Close Tag / Auto Rename Tag – built into VS Code for HTML and JSX
• Any extension that hasn't been updated in over a year – check the "Last Updated" date in the extension details