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Personalize VS Code

VS Code is highly customizable. You can change the look of the editor with color and icon themes and assign the keyboard shortcuts you're most familiar with. Settings enable you to configure nearly every part of VS Code's editor, user interface, and functional behavior.

This article covers the following topics:

Configure settings

Almost every aspect of VS Code can be customized via settings. Settings let you configure editor options such as enabling word wrapping or showing the minimap, setting up language-specific debugger settings, enabling Workspace Trust, and more. When you install extensions from the Visual Studio Marketplace, they might add their own extension settings.

The Settings editor (⌘, (Windows, Linux Ctrl+,)) provides a graphical interface to modify settings. When you modify settings, VS Code stores them in the settings.json file. Optionally, you can edit the settings.json file directly.

Screenshot that shows the Settings editor, with the settings filtered by 'wordwrap'.

VS Code provides two types of settings. User settings apply globally to any VS Code instance, while workspace settings are stored with your project and apply only to that project. In the Settings editor, you can switch between user and workspace settings by using the corresponding tabs.

To modify a setting in VS Code with the Settings editor:

  1. Open the Settings editor via the File > Preferences > Settings menu or press ⌘, (Windows, Linux Ctrl+,).

  2. Search for the setting you want to change by using the tree view or by typing in the search bar.

  3. Modify the setting in the Settings editor.

    Tip

    To show the settings you've modified, select the modified filter value in the Settings editor search bar.

Get more details about configuring settings in VS Code, such as configuring language-specific settings or syncing settings across machines.

Change default keyboard shortcuts

VS Code lets you perform most tasks directly from the keyboard. When you install VS Code, it comes with a set of default keyboard shortcuts. Hover over a UI element in the VS Code interface to see its keyboard shortcut, if one's available. The Command Palette also shows the keyboard shortcut for commands that have a shortcut.

You can customize these default shortcuts or add new ones for your favorite commands and actions by using the Keyboard Shortcuts editor (⌘K ⌘S (Windows, Linux Ctrl+K Ctrl+S)).

Video that shows how to open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor, search for commands, and modify shortcuts.

To change a keyboard shortcut in VS Code with the Keyboard Shortcuts editor:

  1. Select File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts or use the ⌘K ⌘S (Windows, Linux Ctrl+K Ctrl+S)shortcut to open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor.
  2. Select the pencil icon next to the command you want to change.
  3. Press the keys you want to assign as a shortcut for the command.

A keymap extension enables you to modify the VS Code shortcuts to match those of your preferred editor. Select the Preferences: Keymaps command from the Command Palette to see a list of keymap extensions.

Get more details about configuring keyboard shortcuts in VS Code, such as specifying keyboard rules or running multiple commands.

Change the look of VS Code with themes

Themes let you modify VS Code's appearance to match your preferences. VS Code comes with several built-in themes. You can install more themes from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

Color themes enable you to modify the colors in the Visual Studio Code user interface to match your preferences and work environment. A theme affects both the VS Code user interface elements and the editor highlighting colors. VS Code supports both light and dark color themes to suit different lighting environments and personal preferences.

Video that shows how to preview color themes from the Command Palette.

To change the color theme in VS Code:

  1. Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P)).
  2. Type color, and then select Preferences: Color Theme.
  3. Use the Up and Down keys to preview color themes and use Enter to select one.
  4. Optionally, select Browse Additional Color Themes to browse the Visual Studio Marketplace for more color themes.

There are more theming options available in VS Code, such as File Icon themes or creating your own themes. Get more details about themes in VS Code.

Change the display language

Visual Studio Code ships by default with English as the display language. You can change the display language by installing a Language Pack extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

VS Code detects the operating system's UI language and prompts you to install the appropriate Language Pack, if available on the Marketplace.

To change the current display language:

  1. Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P)).
  2. Select the Configure Display Language command.
  3. Select your preferred language from the list.
  4. Restart VS Code when prompted.

Get more details about changing the display language in VS Code.

Next steps

After personalizing VS Code, you can:

02/06/2025