A collection of 150+ tips and customizations on using Visual Studio Code, the world's most popular code editor. These tips are almost entirely based on built-in features of VS Code – no extensions or external tools needed. You'll learn how to customize VS Code's UI, find and change settings you didn't know existed, use little-known features, and lots more.
Includes more than 150 tips across 346 pages (PDF version) with 450+ full-color, high-resolution screenshots and captions with clear instructions on every feature discussed. Nearly all features and screenshots are up to date with the latest version of VS Code as of January 2026.
There are tips in here for beginners, but most of the tips are little-known features that even advanced users don't know about. It doesn't matter if you're a Mac or Windows user, almost all the content is applicable to both operating systems. Much of the code examples are focused on front-end technologies (JS, HTML, CSS, TypeScript, etc.) but the concepts are applicable to any language used inside VS Code. Lots of unique content is covered, including:
- Using the Settings UI
- Little-known Terminal Tips
- The Code Snippets feature
- Editing Keyboard Shortcuts
- Using Zen Mode
- VS Code Workspaces
- Working with Profiles
- Extension Trust & Security
- Managing Tabs & Windows
- Customizing Labels & Buttons
- Using IntelliSense
- Accessibility Tips
- ... and lots more!
Some of the content includes links to animated GIFs so you can see the tip or customization in action. The GIFs aren't necessary to understand the content, but they are helpful if you're reading online.
