Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a freeware code editor that is developed and maintained by Microsoft. It is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It has lots of amazing features that makes it one of the best choices for editing and writing code. Features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git.
By default, Visual Studio code can be used as a simple code editor. However, its functionality can be further extended by installing extensions and making it a powerful Integrated Development Environment (IDE). For instance, you can install Python extension in VS Code to make it a lightweight python IDE. And this is what I do to write my python programs. So, let me walk you through very simple steps to install VS Code in Windows 10.
Download & Install VS Code in Windows 10
Step 1: Visit VS Code official website and download the stable Build for Windows 10.
Step 2: After the download is finished, run the VS Code installer/exe file and accept the license agreement. Click Next.
Step 3: This is the default directory where VS Code will be installed. Should you want to use a directory of your own choice, click the Browse button. In my case, I will choose to install VS Code in a default folder. Click Next.
Step 4: By default, when you install VS Code, it creates a folder in Start Menu. You can change the name of the Folder name. In addition, you can also choose not to create any folder under Start Menu. Since I want to keep the name as is and I also want a folder under Start Menu. I will simply Click Next.
Step 5: Here you can choose to select additional tasks with VS Code installation. You can check all the boxes if you require. Just make sure Add to PATH checkbox is selected. This is helpful if you want to run VS Code from anywhere in the system. You don’t have to specify the full path. Click Next.
Note
With the default settings and installation, it will install VS Code under
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code
Step 6: Here you can verify the installation parameters that you have selected. Click Install.
Step 7: Click Finish. VS Code has been installed successfully.
Verify VS Code Installation
Open Start Menu and Scroll Down to see Visual Studio Code Folder. Click on it and run the program.
Note
Since we have added VS Code to PATH Environment variable. You should be able to open VS Code from anywhere in your system. Verify it.
Use “WindowsKey + R” to open the run dialog box.
Type “cmd”
Type code & press Enter.
The Bottom Line
- Visual Studio Code is a freeware code editor managed by Microsoft which can be run on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
- Numerous extensions are available to install inside VS Code that further extend its functionality.
- VS Code can work as a powerful IDE for languages. For instance, installing Python extension will give you an amazing and feature-rich experience with writing python programs.
