How to open VS Code from the 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 (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-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:

code .

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

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

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

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:

code --diff notes-old.md notes.md

And you can manage extensions without touching the UI:

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!