VS Code Supercharged: Pro Settings & 15+ Extensions for Developers

Today, we're going to enhance your VS Code to ensure that you've got the most efficient workspace available. This article covers the best settings, themes, and more than 15 essential extensions guaranteed to boost your development productivity.

When you first install VS Code, you might feel underwhelmed by its appearance. It probably doesn't look like the polished setups you've seen in articles and tutorials. No need to worry—we'll run through several key settings to get your editor looking sleek and professional.

Fine-Tuning Your Workspace: Essential Settings

Let's start with a sample TypeScript file to see the changes in action:

// test.typescript
function greet(name: string): string {
    return `Hello, ${name}!`;
}

const user = "Developer";
console.log(greet(user));

1. Adjust the Interface Size

The default text size can be small. To make the interface more readable, you can easily increase its size. On macOS, press Command and + simultaneously. This enlarges everything, including the text and side panel icons, making navigation easier.

2. Enable the Minimap

The standard scrollbar is adequate for small files, but for larger codebases, the minimap is a far superior navigation tool. To enable it, simply right-click the scrollbar and select the Minimap option.

A small map of your code will appear on the right. You can click and drag it to scroll through your file quickly. The minimap is incredibly powerful because it also visualizes errors. If your file has hundreds of lines and multiple errors, they will be highlighted directly on the map, allowing you to jump to them instantly. Enabling the minimap should be one of the first things you do.

3. Install a Custom Theme

A good theme makes your code more appealing and easier on the eyes. To install one, navigate to the Extensions panel and search for a theme you like. A popular choice is Pale Knight.

Click Install, and the theme will be applied immediately. Your code will now have a new color scheme, making it more readable and visually pleasing.

4. Customize Cursor Animation

By default, the cursor blinks. A subtle but elegant alternative is the expand animation. In your settings, search for Cursor Blinking and change the value to expand. Now, when you click in your file, the cursor will smoothly expand into view.

5. Enable Smooth Typing Animation

To make your typing feel more fluid, enable the smooth caret animation. Search for Cursor Smooth Caret Animation in your settings and turn it On. This adds a subtle ease-in-ease-out effect as you type, making the text appear more smoothly.

6. Turn On Word Wrap

Word wrap prevents long lines of code from running off the screen. In your settings, search for Word Wrap and set it to On. Now, if you resize your window, the text will automatically wrap to fit within the new dimensions. This eliminates the need for horizontal scrolling and ensures all your code remains visible.

7. Ensure Bracket Pair Colorization is Active

This feature assigns unique colors to matching brackets, which is invaluable for identifying nested structures in complex code. Search for Bracket Pair Colorization in your settings and make sure the box is checked. Each matching pair of brackets will get a distinct color, helping you visually distinguish different code blocks. This feature is typically enabled by default, but it's always wise to confirm.

Unlocking Peak Productivity: Over 15 Essential Extensions

The true power of VS Code lies in its extensive marketplace of extensions. Here are over 15 of the most essential extensions for modern developers.

Peacock

The Peacock extension allows you to change the color of your workspace, making it easy to visually distinguish between multiple open projects. This is especially useful when working with separate frontend and backend repositories or different environments like production and development. It helps prevent accidental edits in the wrong project and improves workflow organization.

GitHub Copilot

You've undoubtedly heard of GitHub Copilot. It's an AI code assistant that enhances productivity by providing real-time code suggestions, chat-based assistance, and CLI support. You can ask coding questions, let the AI iterate on code, detect errors, and even apply auto-fixes. A key feature is its auto-validation, which runs builds and tests after implementation. Incorporating an AI assistant like Copilot into your workflow is a must.

Live Server

Live Server creates a local development server with live reload capabilities. It automatically refreshes the browser whenever you save an HTML, CSS, or JavaScript file, eliminating manual reloads. This streamlines the development process by providing immediate visual feedback, saving you from a tedious, repetitive task.

Docker

The Docker extension simplifies the management and deployment of containerized applications directly within your editor. You can easily create, start, stop, inspect, and remove containers. It also offers one-click debugging for Node.js, Python, and .NET applications, making container management significantly more manageable.

Prettier

Prettier is a popular code formatter that ensures consistent styling across your project. It automatically formats your code based on predefined rules, either on save or with a manual shortcut. It works with JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, and more, and integrates with ESLint to maintain both style and code quality.

GitLens

GitLens supercharges the built-in Git capabilities in VS Code, providing deeper insights into your project's history. You can see who last modified a line of code with inline blame information, view detailed commit histories for files and branches, and search through commits and branches with ease. Its appearance is highly customizable to fit your workflow.

Import Cost

Import Cost helps you monitor the size of your dependencies by displaying the size of each imported package directly in the editor. This makes it easier to optimize your app's performance and avoid unnecessary bloat. You can configure it to ignore certain imports or adjust how sizes are displayed.

Code Runner

This versatile extension allows you to run code snippets or entire scripts in numerous programming languages directly within VS Code. It simplifies testing small chunks of code without leaving the editor. You can execute code with a single click or keyboard shortcut and view the output in the integrated terminal.

Remote - SSH

Remote - SSH allows you to connect to remote machines and work on code as if it were stored locally. This extension enables seamless development on remote systems like cloud servers or virtual machines. You can edit files, run commands, and access the remote terminal without leaving your local VS Code environment, all while using your preferred extensions.

Quokka.js

Quokka.js is a live scratchpad for JavaScript and TypeScript that runs code and shows results instantly within the editor. It's an excellent tool for quickly testing snippets, debugging, and experimenting with logic in real time. It displays variable values and execution results inline next to your code.

Live Share

Live Share enables real-time collaboration by allowing you to share your coding sessions. Multiple people can work on the same codebase, debug together, and chat, all within VS Code. It's incredibly handy for team projects, allowing for collaborative editing, shared debugging sessions, and integrated terminal access.

Polacode

While a bit gimmicky, Polacode generates beautiful, Polaroid-style images of your code snippets. You can customize the background, text, and formatting to create visually appealing snapshots for presentations, social media, or documentation.

JavaScript (ES6) code snippets

This extension provides a set of predefined code templates to speed up JavaScript development. It includes snippets for common constructs like functions, loops, and conditionals that can be inserted with simple shortcuts, reducing repetitive typing.

Material Icon Theme

The Material Icon Theme replaces the default file and folder icons with icons inspired by Google's Material Design. It provides a clean, modern look and assigns unique icons to different file types, enhancing the visual organization of your workspace and making it easier to identify files at a glance.

VSCode PDF

This simple extension allows you to view and interact with PDF files directly within the VS Code editor. It's useful for reading documentation or reference materials without having to switch to another application, keeping everything you need in one place.

Rainbow CSV

Rainbow CSV provides syntax highlighting for CSV and TSV files, making it much easier to read and edit tabular data. It supports custom delimiters and includes advanced search and manipulation features, which is especially helpful when working with large data files.