Installing Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free code editor we will use to write and view code throughout the workshop.

Estimated time: 5–10 minutes

Mac

Step 1: Download VS Code

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com/download
2. Click the Mac download option
3. A .dmg file will appear in your Downloads folder when it’s finished

Step 2: Install VS Code

1. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the .dmg file
2. A window will open — drag the Visual Studio Code icon into the Applications folder
3. Once copied, close the window

Step 3: Open VS Code

1. Open Finder, click Applications, and double-click Visual Studio Code
2. If you see a warning saying “Visual Studio Code can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”:
   1. Click Done to dismiss the warning
   2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
   3. Scroll down and click Open Anyway next to the VS Code message
   4. Enter your Mac password if prompted

Step 4: Add VS Code to your PATH (recommended)

This lets you open VS Code from the Terminal, which we’ll use during the workshop.

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Command + Shift + P to open the Command Palette
3. Type shell command and click Shell Command: Install ‘code’ command in PATH
4. You may be asked to enter your Mac password — this is normal

Windows

Step 1: Download VS Code

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com/download
2. Click the Windows button — this downloads the User Installer, which is recommended for most users as it does not require administrator access
3. The .exe file will appear in your Downloads folder when it’s finished

Step 2: Run the installer

1. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the .exe file
2. Accept the license agreement and click Next
3. On the Select Additional Tasks screen, make sure Add to PATH is checked — this lets you open VS Code from the command line
4. Click Next, then Install
5. When complete, click Finish — VS Code will open automatically

Step 3: Verify the installation

1. Open Command Prompt (press Start and search for it)
2. Type the following and press Enter:

   code --version

3. You should see a version number printed — this confirms VS Code is installed and available from the command line