While AI gets the headlines, Microsoft didn't forget the core user experience. VS Code now natively supports , allowing you to check out multiple branches from the same repository into different directories without losing context.
: macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and newer (Intel and Apple Silicon chips) Linux : Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, and SUSE Step-by-Step Installation Guide For Windows Users Download the .exe installer from the official site. Run the installer and accept the agreement.
: A new option allowed moving the Activity Bar to the top of the Side Bar to save horizontal screen space. Enhanced Audio Cues
+-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Activity Bar -> [ Source Control ] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | [✓] Commit Message: "Fix enterprise auth timeout" | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Changes (3) | | └── 📄 src/auth.ts [M] <-- Click to view diff | | └── 📄 src/index.ts [M] | | └── 📄 test/auth.test.ts [A] | +-----------------------------------------------------------+ Visual Diffing and Conflict Resolution Visual Studio Code v1.84.1- -2025- Microsoft en...
(Ctrl+Shift+X) to install language packs (e.g., Python, C#, JavaScript). Create Projects : You can start a new project by selecting File > New File or opening an existing folder to begin coding Microsoft Learn or finding a tutorial for a particular extension
, which includes advanced "agent-native" development features. Visual Studio Code Key Features from the 1.84 Update Series
Based on your search query for (likely from late 2023), this version is associated with several reported issues. While AI gets the headlines, Microsoft didn't forget
Moreover, there is a growing tension within the open-source community regarding Microsoft’s control. While the code base is open, the distribution channel (the Marketplace) and the telemetry (data collection) remain under Microsoft's purview. This has spurred the rise of community-driven "soft forks" like VSCodium, which strip out Microsoft branding and telemetry. These projects highlight a desire among purists to maintain the spirit of open source, even as the majority of the market embraces the convenience of the official Microsoft build.
Drag the icon into your Applications folder. Open the terminal and add it to your path if desired. For Linux Users
Use a Docker container as your primary, sandboxed development environment, ensuring identical software dependency versions across the entire engineering team. Run the installer and accept the agreement
The October 2023 release (version 1.84) introduced several significant features that transformed the developer experience:
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) continues to define the modern development experience, with each release providing crucial improvements in performance, usability, and AI integration. While Microsoft releases updates monthly, specific versions—such as the October 2023 release (version 1.84, with subsequent patches like 1.84.1)—stand out as milestones that established foundational features for the following years, including the landscape leading into 2025.
This comprehensive guide explores the core architecture, essential configurations, and enterprise capabilities of Microsoft's flagship code editor, tailored for developers utilizing modern deployment pipelines. 1. Core Architecture and Performance
allow users to add support for specific languages, themes, and debuggers NetCom Learning VS Code vs. Visual Studio
– Use command View: Toggle Maximize Editor Group (⌘K ⌘M) to expand the active editor group; double-click tab to maximize if setting is configured