INSTALLATION OF VISUAL STUDIO CODE IDE

Installation

  1. Download the Visual Studio Code installer for Windows.
  2. Once it is downloaded, run the installer (VSCodeUserSetup-{version}.exe). This will only take a minute.
  3. By default, VS Code is installed under C:\Users\{Username}\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code
Alternatively, you can also download a Zip archive , extract it and run Code from there. 

    Note : Setup will 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.

User setup versus system setup :

VS Code provides both Windows user and system level setups.
The user setup does not require Administrator privileges to run as the location will be under your user Local AppData folder.

Since it requires no elevation, the user setup is able to provide a smoother background update experience. This is the preferred way to install VS Code on Windows. 

    Note: When running VS Code as Administrator in a user setup installation, updates will be disabled.

The system setup requires elevation to Administrator privileges to run and will place the installation under the system's Program Files. The in-product update flow will also require elevation, making it less streamlined than the user setup.

On the other hand, installing VS Code using the system setup means that it will be available to all users in the system.
See the Download Visual Studio Code page for a complete list of available installation options.


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). 

    Note: You can disable auto-update if you prefer to update VS Code on your own schedule.

Windows Subsystem for Linux :

Windows is a popular operating system and it can be a great cross-platform development environment. This section describes cross-platform features such as the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and the new Windows Terminal.


Recent Windows build :

Make sure you are on a recent Windows 10 build. Check Settings > Windows Update to see if you are up-to-date.


Windows as a developer machine :

With WSL, you can install and run Linux distributions on Windows. This enables you to develop and test your source code on Linux while still working locally on your Windows machine.

When coupled with the WSL Extension, you get full VS Code editing and debugging support while running in the context of WSL.

See the Developing in WSL Documentation to learn more or try the Working in WSL introductory tutorial.


New Windows Terminal :

Available from the Microsoft Store, the Windows Terminal (Preview) lets you easily open PowerShell, Command Prompt, and WSL terminals in a multiple tab shell.


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.
  • Tips - Lets you jump right in and learn how to be productive with VS Code.