# How to open VS Code from the command line

> 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.

Author: [Flavio Copes](https://flaviocopes.com/about/) | Published: 2020-03-02 | Updated: 2026-08-07 | Topics: [Tools](https://flaviocopes.com/tags/tools/) | Canonical: https://flaviocopes.com/vscode-command-line/

To open VS Code from the terminal you use the `code` command. On macOS that command is not installed by default: you install it from inside VS Code, through the Command Palette entry called `Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH`.

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](https://flaviocopes.com/vscode) (my favorite editor!).

I am so used to typing `code foldername` in the [terminal](https://flaviocopes.com/macos-terminal-setup/) 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-shift-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.

On Windows and Linux you usually don't need this step. The installer adds `code` to the PATH for you.

## What you can do with the code command

The one I use the most opens the current folder as a project:

```bash
code .
```

You can control which window is used. `-n` forces a new window, `-r` reuses the current one:

```bash
code -n ~/dev/blog
code -r notes.md
```

You can open a file at a specific line with `-g`:

```bash
code -g server.js:25
```

This drops the cursor right on line 25. Great when an error message gives you a file and a line number.

You can also compare two files side by side:

```bash
code --diff notes-old.md notes.md
```

And you can manage extensions without touching the UI:

```bash
code --list-extensions
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
```

## When the command breaks

On macOS the install step creates a symlink that points inside the VS Code app bundle. If you later move the app out of the Applications folder, or rename it, the symlink breaks and `code` stops working.

The fix is the same as the setup: open the Command Palette and run `Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH` again.

Happy coding!