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How to Install Visual Studio Code on Windows 10/11 (2 Methods)

How to download and install Visual Studio Code on Windows 10 and 11

To install Visual Studio Code on Windows 10 or 11, download the user installer from code.visualstudio.com, run the .exe, accept the licence agreement, tick “Add to PATH” and “Open with Code” during the Additional Tasks step, and click Install. The user installer needs no admin rights and finishes in under a minute. Or run winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode from any terminal for the same result.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 30, 2026

How to Download and Install VS Code on Windows 10 and 11

Key Takeaways

  • Visual Studio Code is free, open source, and works identically on Windows 10 22H2 and every Windows 11 build.
  • The User Installer (default) does not need admin rights and installs into your user profile; the System Installer is for shared/multi-user PCs.
  • Tick “Open with Code” and “Add to PATH” during install — those two boxes save real time afterwards (right-click any folder to open it in VS Code, run code . from any terminal).
  • One-line install via WinGet: winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode — same end result as the GUI installer.

Quick Steps

  1. Download the User Installer from code.visualstudio.com.
  2. Run the .exe, accept the licence, click Next through the location and Start Menu folder.
  3. On the Additional Tasks screen, tick all four boxes: “Add Open with Code” (folders + files), “Register as default editor”, and “Add to PATH”.
  4. Click Install, then Finish.
  5. On first launch, pick a colour theme and install the language pack and extensions VS Code suggests for your stack.

Method 1: Install via the Official Installer

Visual Studio Code official download page on Windows showing the Download for Windows button highlighted
  1. Open code.visualstudio.com/Download in any browser.
  2. Click the blue Windows button. The User Installer downloads automatically. If you want the System Installer (for multi-user PCs), use the small dropdown.
  3. Locate the file in %USERPROFILE%\Downloads and double-click it.
  4. Accept the licence agreement → Next.
  5. Accept the default install location (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Microsoft VS Code) → Next.
  6. Accept the Start Menu folder → Next.
  7. On Additional Tasks, tick all four boxes:
    • Create a desktop icon (optional)
    • Add “Open with Code” action to Windows Explorer file context menu
    • Add “Open with Code” action to Windows Explorer directory context menu
    • Register Code as an editor for supported file types
    • Add to PATH (already ticked by default)
  8. Click Install, wait ~30 seconds, click Finish.
VS Code setup wizard installing Visual Studio Code on Windows with progress bar visible

Method 2: One-Line Install via WinGet

If you prefer the terminal or are setting up multiple machines, WinGet handles the same install in one line:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

This pulls the latest user-installer from Microsoft’s repository, accepts the licence non-interactively, and adds VS Code to PATH. For the System Installer instead:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --scope machine

For a GUI front-end to WinGet that lets you queue up VS Code with other tools (Git, Node.js, Python), use UniGetUI.

First-Time Setup

VS Code Get Started welcome page on Windows 11 showing theme picker and recommended extensions

VS Code opens the Get Started walkthrough on first launch:

  • Pick a theme — Light, Dark, or one of the high-contrast variants. You can always change it later via Ctrl+K, Ctrl+T.
  • Sign in to sync settings (optional) — uses your Microsoft or GitHub account to sync extensions, keybindings, and snippets across devices.
  • Install language packs — VS Code suggests extensions based on the file types you open. The official Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C/C++, and Java packs are the right starting points.

Recommended First Extensions

  • Prettier — Code formatter — auto-formats JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, YAML, Markdown.
  • GitLens — inline blame, history, and visual diffs on any tracked file.
  • Error Lens — highlights warnings and errors inline next to the offending line.
  • GitHub Copilot (free for individuals on the free tier as of 2025) — AI completion in every editor.
  • Roo Code — agentic AI assistant if you want a Claude/Anthropic-powered alternative to Copilot. See my Roo Code guide.

Tip: Open the integrated terminal with Ctrl+` (the backtick key, top-left of the keyboard). It defaults to PowerShell on Windows but you can switch to Command Prompt or WSL via the dropdown next to the + button.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Visual Studio Code free?

Yes. VS Code is free, open source under the MIT licence, and developed by Microsoft. There is no paid tier — the only thing Microsoft sells alongside is GitHub Copilot, which is a separate subscription extension.

Do I need administrator rights to install VS Code?

No, not for the User Installer (the default download). It installs into your user profile and works without admin. The System Installer requires admin and installs into Program Files for all users.

How do I update VS Code?

VS Code auto-updates by default. To check manually, click the gear icon in the bottom-left → Check for Updates. Or run winget upgrade Microsoft.VisualStudioCode from the terminal.

Will VS Code work on older Windows 10 builds?

VS Code requires Windows 10 22H2 or later as of 2025. If you are still on an older build, update Windows first. Windows 7 and 8.1 support was dropped in early 2023.

What’s the difference between VS Code and Visual Studio?

VS Code is a lightweight, cross-platform code editor — fast, extensible, language-agnostic. Visual Studio (the bigger Microsoft IDE) is Windows-only, more heavyweight, and built around .NET, C++, game development, and enterprise debugging tools. For web, Python, scripting, and most language work in 2026, VS Code is the right choice.

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