How to Install, Disable, Update, and Uninstall VS Code Extensions

You install, disable, update, and uninstall extensions from the Extensions view in VS Code. Open it by clicking the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (macOS).

Extensions add languages, debuggers, themes, and tools to VS Code. They come from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

Every extension has a publisher and an identifier shown as publisher.extension. For example, ms-python.python is the Python extension from Microsoft. You will see this identifier on the extension's details page.

How to install an extension

You can also install an extension from the Command Palette. Open it with Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS), run Extensions: Install Extensions, and pick from the list.

To install without syncing across machines (when Settings Sync is on), right-click the extension and choose Install (Do not Sync).

To install a specific older version, right-click the extension and choose Install Another Version.

To install a pre-release version, click the dropdown arrow on the Install button and choose Install Pre-Release Version.

Install from the command line

Use the code command in your terminal:

bash

code --install-extension ms-python.python

The argument is the full publisher.extension identifier. You can pass the flag multiple times to install several extensions at once.

How to disable an extension

Disabling an extension stops it from running but keeps it installed. Your settings for that extension are preserved.

A disabled extension moves to the Disabled section of the list and shows a Disabled label. It stays disabled across all VS Code sessions until you re-enable it.

To disable all extensions at once, run Extensions: Disable All Installed Extensions from the Command Palette.

How to re-enable a disabled extension

In the Extensions view, find the extension in the Disabled section. Click the gear icon and select Enable (global) or Enable (Workspace). Click Restart Extensions when prompted.

How to update extensions

VS Code checks for extension updates and installs them automatically by default. After an update, you see a Restart Extensions prompt.

By default, VS Code waits 2 hours after an update is published before installing it. This delay is controlled by the extensions.autoUpdateDelay setting. Set it to 0 to install updates immediately.

Check for and install updates manually

If you turned off auto-update, or want to update right now:

Change auto-update behavior

| Change auto-update behavior | |---|---| | Disable auto-update for all | Command Palette: Extensions: Disable Auto Update for Extensions | | Enable auto-update for all | Command Palette: Extensions: Enable Auto Update for Extensions | | Toggle auto-update for one extension | Right-click the extension and toggle Auto Update | | Stop checking for updates | Set extensions.autoCheckUpdates to false in Settings | | Change update delay | Set extensions.autoUpdateDelay (in hours, default 2) |

Disabled extensions are not auto-updated. They update the next time you enable them.

How to uninstall an extension

Uninstalling removes the extension completely from your machine.

Uninstall from the command line

Run this command, using the full publisher.extension identifier:

bash

code --uninstall-extension ms-python.python

The extension is removed immediately. VS Code prompts you to restart the extension host to complete the process.

List installed extensions from the command line

To see every extension you have installed:

bash

code --list-extensions

The output is a plain list of publisher.extension identifiers, one per line. To see extension versions alongside names, add the --show-versions flag:

bash

code --list-extensions --show-versions

Extensions view filters at a glance

Combine filters. For example, @installed @category:themes shows all installed theme extensions.

What to do when something goes wrong

If you cannot install any extension and see a connect ETIMEDOUT error, your machine may be behind a proxy. Configure the proxy in VS Code settings under Http: Proxy. See the proxy server documentation for details.

If an extension causes problems after an update, try temporarily disabling it first. If the issue continues, you can use the Extension Bisect utility from the More Actions menu (...) to isolate which extension is causing the problem.

If an extension shows the error Cannot install extension because Visual Studio Code cannot verify the extension signature, exercise caution. This is a security warning. You can learn more in the article on checking whether an extension is safe. If you received an extension as a file instead of from the Marketplace, read the guide on installing from a VSIX file.