Running VS Code on Windows

Installation

1. Download the Visual Studio Code installer for Windows.
2. Once it is downloaded, run the installer (VSCodeSetup-version.exe). This will only take a minute.
3. By default, VS Code is installed under C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code for a 64-bit machine.

You can also find a Zip archive here.

Note: .NET Framework 4.5.2 is required for VS Code. If you are using Windows 7, please make sure .NET Framework 4.5.2 is installed.

Tip: Setup will optionally 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.

Updates

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). If you'd rather control VS Code updates manually, see How do I opt out of auto-updates.

Next Steps

Once you have installed VS Code, these topics will help you learn more about VS Code:

• Additional Components - Learn how to install Git, Node.js, TypeScript and tools like Yeoman.
• User Interface - A quick orientation to VS Code.
• User/Workspace Settings - Learn how to configure VS Code to your preferences through settings.

Common Questions

Trouble with the installer

Try using the zip file instead of the installer. To use this, unzip VS Code in your Program Files folder.

Note: When VS Code is installed via a Zip file, you will need to manually update it for each release.

Icons are missing

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:

1. Open an Administrator Command Prompt.
2. Type REG ADD HKCR\.svg /f /v "Content Type" /t REG_SZ /d image/svg+xml.

Using the Registry Editor (regedit):

1. Start regedit.
2. Open the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT key.
3. Find the .svg key.
4. Set its Content Type Data value to image/svg+xml.
5. Exit regedit.