How to open VS Code from the command line

By Flavio Copes

Learn how to open VS Code from the terminal with the code command, by installing the shell command from the Command Palette so you can run code foldername.

I am writing this blog post because I am setting up a new Mac and I run into the little things that I take for granted but they are not available by default when you first install VS Code (my favorite editor!).

I am so used to typing code foldername in the terminal to open a folder in VS Code. Or code filename to open a file.

Today I did this, automatically, but the command was not found!

I had to go into VS Code, press cmd-option-P (or from the menu, View -> Command Palette and I searched “command” and there it was:

Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH

I pressed enter, and the command was now available in the terminal.

Happy coding!

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