Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is Microsoft's code editor for developers on Windows, macOS, Linux and the web, with a debugger, Git and an extension marketplace.

Visual Studio Code is where a developer writes, runs, debugs and commits code in one window, whatever language the project uses. Microsoft builds it and ships it under Microsoft licence terms, on top of the open source Code - OSS code base. It runs as a desktop app on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the same editor opens in a browser tab at vscode.dev. Language support arrives through extensions, so one installation moves from a Python service to a C++ library without a second tool. IntelliSense suggests completions from language semantics and an analysis of the source, while Go to Definition, Peek and Go to References move through a code base by symbol. Refactorings such as Rename Symbol, Extract Method and Extract Variable rewrite code in place, across files where the language extension supports it. The Run and Debug view sets breakpoints, watches variables and steps through the call stack, with named launch configurations saved in launch.json. Test Explorer discovers, runs and debugs tests, and the built-in JavaScript debugger records CPU profiles, heap profiles and heap snapshots. The Source Control view handles Git commits, branches and merge conflicts, and the Extension Marketplace adds languages and tools from inside the editor. Its users range from developers on private projects to companies that deploy it across an internal corporate network. Web developers get rich JavaScript and TypeScript support out of the box, while Python, Java, C# and C++ developers add the extensions for their stack. Teams that build inside containers, on remote machines or under WSL use the Remote Development extension pack, so the code runs elsewhere while the interface stays local. Each developer installs it from a direct download, and its AI chat, inline suggestions and agent sessions run on GitHub Copilot or on model keys the developer supplies. A working day often crosses several jobs inside one window: stopping a Node.js service at a breakpoint, re-running a failing Pytest or Jest suite, then settling a merge conflict before a pull request goes to GitHub. Opened inside a Docker dev container or over SSH, the editor treats that environment as a full development machine for the project. The Agents window lists agent sessions in a sidebar, the chat panel works beside the code and a browser preview, and MCP servers give agents outside tools. Visual Studio Code fits developers whose week spans several languages, machines and repositories, and who want one editor that behaves the same on all of them.