Visual Studio Code is a lightweight and powerful code editor for web development, C#, JavaScript, Python and many other technologies. In this guide, you will learn how to download Visual Studio Code safely, install it on Windows and verify the installation after setup.
At Maximum Yazılım, we recommend using the official download page. Downloading from code.visualstudio.com is safer than using third-party download sites and helps you get the latest stable version.
Short answer
- Go to the official page: code.visualstudio.com/download
- Download the Windows User Setup installer.
- Run the downloaded VSCodeUserSetup file.
- Complete the setup with Next and Install.
- Restart your terminal and test the code . command.
Which installer should you choose?
For most beginners, Windows User Setup is the right choice. It usually does not require administrator permissions and provides a smoother update experience.
System Setup is useful when you want to install Visual Studio Code for all users on the computer. This option may require administrator permissions.
A ZIP archive is also available, but ZIP installations usually require manual updates. For a clean beginner setup, User Setup is more practical.
How to download Visual Studio Code
1. Open code.visualstudio.com/download in your browser. 2. Download the User Installer option under Windows. 3. After the download finishes, open your Downloads folder. 4. Find the .exe file that starts with VSCodeUserSetup. 5. Make sure you downloaded it from the official Visual Studio Code website.
Installation steps
1. Double-click the VSCodeUserSetup file. 2. Accept the license agreement and continue. 3. Keep the default installation folder unless you have a specific reason to change it. 4. On the additional tasks screen, keep Add to PATH enabled if it is selected. 5. Optionally enable Open with Code options. 6. Select Install and wait for the setup to finish. 7. Select Finish to complete the installation.
Verify the installation
After Visual Studio Code opens, close and reopen your terminal. Then open any project folder and run this command:
code .If everything is configured correctly, the current folder opens in Visual Studio Code. If the command is not recognized, restart the terminal. In some cases, restarting the computer may be required.
First settings after installation
- Open Extensions from the left menu and install extensions for the languages you use.
- For C#, review C# Dev Kit or the C# extensions.
- If you use Git, make sure Git is installed on your computer.
- Adjust theme, font size and Auto Save based on your workflow.
Common mistakes
- Avoid downloading Visual Studio Code from random third-party sites.
- Do not choose the ZIP version unless you are comfortable with manual updates.
- If the code . command does not work, restart the terminal before troubleshooting further.
- For C# or Node.js projects, Visual Studio Code alone is not enough; install the required SDK or runtime separately.
Conclusion
The safest and simplest way to install Visual Studio Code on Windows is to download the Windows User Setup installer from the official website and complete the setup with default options. After installation, test code . from the terminal to confirm that VS Code opens folders correctly.