Visual Studio Code
FreeA free, extensible code editor from Microsoft with debugging, Git support and a large extension marketplace.
About Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a lightweight but powerful source code editor from Microsoft. It supports many programming languages through extensions, and includes IntelliSense code completion, an integrated terminal, debugging, built-in Git controls and a command palette.
The editor runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and is built on the open source Code - OSS project, while Microsoft's own distribution is released under a Microsoft software licence rather than an open source licence. It is free to use, including for commercial work. A large marketplace provides themes, language support and tools for web, cloud and data development, and AI assistants are available through extensions.
It suits students, web developers and professionals who want one flexible editor across many languages without the weight of a full IDE. Some features rely on extensions, and heavy extension use can slow startup. Telemetry is on by default and can be turned off in settings. Its settings can be synced across machines, and workspace settings let teams share a consistent setup for a given project.
Pick extensions carefully and review telemetry settings. Do not confuse it with the full Visual Studio IDE.
Version history
1 release tracked- Windows: Bug fixes and performance improvements
Frequently asked
Is Visual Studio Code free?
Yes. It is free to download and use.
Does it need an account?
No. Signing in is optional for settings sync.
Is it open source?
The source is open at Code - OSS, but Microsoft's build uses a proprietary licence.
Where does the download link go?
Directly to code.visualstudio.com or the official app store for your platform. PlanetSofts never rehosts installers or adds wrappers, and these links were last verified Oct 6, 2026.