Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.

com/docs/setup/mac

🚀 Get GitHub Copilot Free (vscode://github.copilot-chat?referrer=vscode-updatebanner) in VS

Code!
×

TOPICS macOS

IN THIS ARTICLE Installation

(https://vscode.dev/github/microsoft/vscode-docs/blob/main/docs/setup/mac.md)

Visual Studio Code on macOS

Installation

1 Download and install Visual Studio Code

Note
VS Code ships monthly releases and supports auto-update when a new release is available.

2 Install additional components (/docs/setup/additional-components)

Install Git, Node.js, TypeScript, language runtimes, and more.

3 Install VS Code extensions from the Visual Studio Marketplace (https://

marketplace.visualstudio.com/VSCode)

Customize VS Code with themes, formatters, language extensions and debuggers for your favorite
languages, and more.

4 Set up AI-assisted coding with GitHub Copilot (/docs/copilot/setup-simplified)

Tip
If you don't yet have a Copilot subscription, you can use Copilot for free by signing up for the
Copilot Free plan (https://github.com/github-copilot/signup) and get a monthly limit of
completions and chat interactions.

5 Get started with the VS Code tutorial (/docs/getstarted/getting-started)

1 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43

Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

Discover the user interface and key features of VS Code.

Install VS Code on macOS

1 Download Visual Studio Code (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=534106) for macOS.

2 Open the browser's download list and locate the downloaded app or archive.

3 If archive, extract the archive contents. Use double-click for some browsers or select the
'magnifying glass' icon with Safari.

4 Drag Visual Studio Code.app to the Applications folder, making it available in the macOS
Launchpad.

5 Open VS Code from the Applications folder, by double clicking the icon.

6 Add VS Code to your Dock by right-clicking on the icon, located in the Dock, to bring up the context
menu and choosing Options, Keep in Dock.

Launch VS Code from the command line

To run VS Code from the terminal by typing code , add it the $PATH environment variable:

Configure the path with VS Code

1 Launch VS Code

2 Open the Command Palette ( Cmd+Shift+P ), type 'shell command', and run the Shell Command:
Install 'code' command in PATH command.

3 Restart the terminal for the new $PATH value to take effect.

You can now type 'code .' in any folder to start editing files in that folder.

Note
If you still have the old code alias in your .bash_profile (or equivalent) from an early VS Code

2 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43

Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

version, remove it and replace it by running the Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH
command.

Manually configure the path

To manually add VS Code to your path:

1 Run the following commands:

Zsh:

cat << EOF >> ~/.zprofile Copy

# Add Visual Studio Code (code)
export PATH="\$PATH:/Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/ap
p/bin"
EOF

Bash:

cat << EOF >> ~/.bash_profile Copy

# Add Visual Studio Code (code)
export PATH="\$PATH:/Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/ap
p/bin"
EOF

Note
The leading slash \ is required to prevent $PATH from expanding during the concatenation.
Remove the leading slash if you want to run the export command directly in a terminal.

2 Start a new terminal to pick up your changes.

You can now type 'code .' in any folder to start editing files in that folder.

Updates

VS Code ships monthly releases (/updates) and supports auto-update when a new release is available. If
you're prompted by VS Code, accept the newest update and it will get installed (you won't need to do
anything else to get the latest bits).

Note
You can disable auto-update (/docs/supporting/faq#_how-do-i-opt-out-of-vs-code-autoupdates) if
you prefer to update VS Code on your own schedule.

3 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43

Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

Touch Bar support

Out of the box, VS Code adds the following Touch Bar actions:

• To navigate in the editor history

• The full Debug tool bar to control the debugger on your Touch Bar:

Mojave privacy protections

On macOS Mojave, you might see dialogs saying "Visual Studio Code would like to access your {calendar/
contacts/photos}." This is due to the new privacy protections in Mojave and is not specific to VS Code. The
same dialogs might be displayed when running other applications as well. The dialog is shown once for
each type of personal data and it is fine to choose Don't Allow, since VS Code does not need access to
those folders.

Next steps

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

• VS Code tutorial (/docs/getstarted/getting-started) - A quick hands-on tour of the key features of

VS Code.
• Tips and Tricks (/docs/getstarted/tips-and-tricks) - A collection of productivity tips for working with

4 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43

Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

VS Code.
• AI-assisted coding (/docs/copilot/overview) - Learn about using GitHub Copilot in VS Code to help
you write code faster.

Common questions

Why do I see "Visual Studio Code would like access to your calendar."
If you are running macOS Mojave version, you may see dialogs saying "Visual Studio Code would like to
access your {calendar/contacts/photos}." This is due to the new privacy protections in Mojave discussed
above. It is fine to choose Don't Allow since VS Code does not need access to those folders.

VS Code fails to update

If VS Code doesn't update once it restarts, it might be set under quarantine by macOS. Follow the steps in
this issue (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/7426#issuecomment-425093469) for resolution.

Does VS Code run on Apple silicon machines?

Yes, VS Code supports macOS Arm64 builds that can run on Macs with the Apple silicon chipsets. You can
install the Universal build, which includes both Intel and Apple silicon builds, or one of the platform-
specific builds.

Was this documentation helpful?

Yes No

02/06/2025

Subscribe(/feed.xml) Ask questions(https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/vscode)

Follow @code(https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=533687)

Request features(https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=533482)

Report issues(https://www.github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues)

Watch videos(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs5Y5_7XK8HLDX0SLNwkd3w)

5 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43

Visual Studio Code on macOS https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac

(https://
www.microsoft.com)

(https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=533687)
(https://github.com/microsoft/vscode) (https://www.youtube.com/@code)

Support (https://support.serviceshub.microsoft.com/supportforbusiness/create?sapId=d66407ed-3967-
b000-4cfb-2c318cad363d)
Privacy (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=521839)
Terms of Use (https://www.microsoft.com/legal/terms-of-use) License (/License)

6 sur 6 18/02/2025 22:43