So, what is VSCode?
Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a popular, free, and open-source code editor that offers a multitude of features to enhance your coding experience. If you're new to the Mac ecosystem and looking to set up a reliable development environment, installing VSCode should be your first move.
Prerequisites
- macOS version 10.10 or later
- An Internet connection
- Administrative privileges for software installation
Downloading the Installer
Step 1: Visit the Official Website
Open your web browser and navigate to the
Step 2: Download for macOS
You'll see a prominent "Download for Mac" button on the homepage. Click it, and a .zip
file will start downloading automatically.
Step 3: Locate the File
Once the download completes, navigate to your 'Downloads' folder to locate the .zip
file.
Extracting and Installing the Application
Step 4: Unzip the File
Double-click the .zip
file to extract it. macOS will automatically create a new folder containing the VSCode application. This process may take a few seconds to a minute, depending on your system's performance.
Step 5: Drag and Drop to Applications Folder
- Open a new Finder window.
- Navigate to the
Applications
folder, which is where installed applications reside. - Drag and drop the VSCode application from the new folder to the
Applications
folder.
Verifying the Installation
Step 6: Launch VSCode
After installing, you can launch VSCode in several ways:
- Method 1: Open the
Applications
folder and double-click onVisual Studio Code
. - Method 2: Use Spotlight Search by pressing
Cmd + Space
and then typing 'Visual Studio Code'.
Step 7: First Run Verification
The first time you run the application, macOS will ask you to confirm that you want to open it. Click Open
to proceed.
Step 8: Welcome Screen
Upon successful installation and verification, you will be greeted by VSCode's Welcome screen, indicating that the application is ready for use.
Setting Up the Integrated Terminal
Step 9: Open the Terminal Inside VSCode
You can either navigate to View > Terminal
from the top menu or press `Ctrl + `` to pull up the terminal panel at the bottom of the VSCode window.
Step 10: Choose Your Preferred Shell
macOS typically uses Bash or Zsh as the default shell. If you wish to change this, execute the following terminal command:
chsh -s /bin/zsh
Replace /bin/zsh
with the path to your preferred shell if it's different.
Step 11: Verify Terminal Functionality
To make sure the terminal is functioning as expected, type and execute a simple command like:
echo "Hello, World!"
If you see "Hello, World!" printed in the terminal, it's working correctly.
Installing Extensions
Step 12: Navigate to the Extensions Marketplace
Click on the square Extensions icon on the sidebar or press Cmd + Shift + X
to open the Extensions Marketplace inside VSCode.
Step 13: Search and Install Extensions
Type the name of the extension you wish to install in the search bar. Click Install
next to the desired extension. For instance, if you work with Python, you might want to install Microsoft's Python extension. To do this from the terminal, execute:
code --install-extension ms-python.python
You've successfully installed Visual Studio Code on your Mac and configured its integrated terminal.