Visual Studio Code Review 2026

AI-powered code editor with GitHub Copilot integration for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications. Available free on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is Microsoft's free, open-source code editor that has evolved into the de facto standard development environment for millions of programmers worldwide. Originally launched in 2015 as a lightweight, cross-platform alternative to full-fledged IDEs, it has been redefined as an AI-powered code editor that positions itself as a 'home for multi-agent development.' At its core, VS Code combines the speed and simplicity of a text editor with the rich functionality typically found in heavier integrated development environments, including IntelliSense code completion, integrated Git version control, debugging tools, and an integrated terminal.

The defining feature of modern VS Code is its deep integration with GitHub Copilot, Microsoft's AI pair-programming assistant. Through Copilot, developers can generate code from natural-language prompts, receive context-aware autocompletions, refactor existing code, write tests, explain unfamiliar codebases, and increasingly delegate larger tasks to autonomous agents that can plan, edit across multiple files, run terminal commands, and iterate on results. Copilot Chat, inline edits, and the newer agent mode allow developers to interact with their codebase conversationally, while the editor itself remains responsive and unobtrusive. VS Code supports multiple AI models behind Copilot, giving users flexibility in choosing which model handles a given task.