Installing Extensions

Your Extensions Folder

VS Code looks for extensions under your extensions folder .vscode/extensions. Depending on your platform it is located:

  • Windows %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions
  • Mac $HOME/.vscode/extensions
  • Linux $HOME/.vscode/extensions

If you want to load your extension or customization each time VS Code runs, copy your project to a new folder under .vscode/extensions.

    $HOME/.vscode/extensions/myextension

Sharing Privately with Others (Side-loading)

If you want to share your extension or customization with others privately, you can simply send them a copy of the output from the generator and ask them to add it under their .vscode/extensions folder.

Install a Packaged Extension (.vsix)

You can manually install an VS Code extension packaged in a .vsix file. Simply install using the VS Code command line providing the path to the .vsix file.

code myExtensionFolder\myExtension.vsix

The extension will be installed under your user .vscode/extensions folder. You may provide multiple .vsix files on the command line to install multiple extensions at once.

You can also install a .vsix by opening the file from within VS Code. Run File | Open File... or kb(workbench.action.files.openFile) and select the extension .vsix.

If you want to share your extension with others in the Gallery, you can use the vsce publishing tool to package it up and submit it.

Next Steps

Common Questions