- Extensions provide functionality and customization, and are easily managed in both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.
- Properly managing and updating extensions improves performance, security, and productivity in both environments.
- There are key differences between user and administrative extensions, as well as advanced options such as packages and cross-device syncing.
The Extensions In both environments, they are small packages of code that are integrated into the IDE to add, enhance, or customize functionality. For example, you can find real-time collaboration tools like Live Share, code writing assistants such as GitHub Copilot or simple improvements in file management and syntax. In addition, in the process to Install extensions and plugins in Visual Studio, it is advisable to explore the available options and learn how to properly manage extensions.
There are official extensions, maintained and published by Microsoft, and thousands of third-party developers They've uploaded their own creations to the corresponding marketplaces. This opens the door to extreme customization in both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code.
How to find, install, and manage extensions in Visual Studio (Windows)
Visual Studio (the full version of the IDE, not the Code editor) offers a powerful Extension Manager Integrated. Thanks to it, you can install and control all your extensions from a single location:
- Open Visual Studio and go to the menu Extensions > Manage extensions.
- You can also search for “Extensions” in the search bar and select the appropriate option.
The left panel classifies extensions into several categories, such as:
- Browse: Extensions available in the Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Installed: The extensions you already have in your environment.
- Updates: Those that have a new version pending installation.
- roaming: A list of all the extensions you've used on different computers or installations, making it easy to keep your favorites in sync.
Steps to install an extension from the Marketplace
- In the Extension Manager, find the extension you're interested in using the search box. You can type its name or a related keyword.
- Click on the Install.
- In most cases, the installation is programmed- You'll see a notification (at the top or bottom, depending on the version) indicating that the changes will take effect the next time you close Visual Studio.
- If the extension depends on other extensions, the administrator will notify you and ask you to install their dependencies first.
Install extensions manually (.vsix)
Some extensions come in packages with extension .vsix, which you can find outside the Marketplace, for example in private repositories, corporate resources, or the developer's website:
- Double-click on the downloaded .vsix file or select it and press Enter.
- If you encounter permission issues, run Visual Studio as an administrator.
- Follow the installation wizard and, once complete, control the extension from the usual manager.
Uninstall or disable extensions
Do you no longer need an extension or is it causing a conflict? to disable (it remains installed but not active) or uninstall.:
- Find the extension in the list of installed extensions.
- Choose Disable o uninstall and confirm the operation.
- In many cases you will need to restart Visual Studio for the change to take effect.
How to install extension packages in Visual Studio
An advanced feature of Visual Studio is the ability to create extension packs that group several extensions under a single installer, ideal for maintaining consistency in development teams or facilitating a customized configuration:
- Create a new project with the template VSIX and adds elements of type Extension pack.
- Include in the configuration file (ExtensionPack1.vsext) the IDs of the extensions to be bundled. These IDs are obtained from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
- Build and publish to the Marketplace or install manually.
- Managing, installing, and uninstalling packages is done just like any other extension, even allowing you to select which of the included extensions you want to install or remove.
Difference between administrative and user extensions
In Visual Studio, there are two types of extensions depending on the installation location and required permissions:
- Extensions per user: They go to the folder %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\\Extensions\ and are loaded only with standard permissions. If you start Visual Studio as an administrator, they may be disabled unless you change the settings.
- Administrative extensions: They are installed in the root folder of the program (\Common7\IDE\Extensions\) and are available globally.
This separation serves to prevent security and stability issues by limiting the impact of potential bugs or unsafe code on user extensions.
Restrict extensions per user when running as administrator
- Accede to Tools > Options > Environment > Extensions.
- Uncheck the box Load extensions per user when running as administrator.
- Please restart the IDE for this to take effect.
Updating and maintaining extensions
The extensions in Marketplace se automatically update when they detect new versions. You can customize this behavior:
- To disable automatic updates for all extensions, change the corresponding option in the general extension settings.
- If you only want to disable the update for a specific extension, use the option Automatically update this extension in the extension details panel within the manager.
This way, the next time you open Visual Studio, you'll have the latest updates and improvements.
Notifications and troubleshooting with extensions
The system push notifications Visual Studio alerts you if any extensions are causing crashes or slowing down the interface. When this happens, you have several options:
- Disable the problematic extension.
- Ignore the notification and don't show it again.
- See more detailed information about the problem detected.
- Temporarily dismiss the notification.
These features help maintain a stable environment, especially when testing new extensions or having many extensions installed.
Managing examples and sample packages
The extension manager also makes it easy to install example packages, useful for learning development technologies or patterns. They can be kept up-to-date, disabled, or deleted from the same manager.
Install, manage, and uninstall extensions in Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code, although lighter, stands out for its extensive ecosystem of extensions. Its management is intuitive and fast:
- Open VS Code and click the extensions icon in the left sidebar.
- Search for plugins by name, feature, or developer.
- Select an extension to view details and press Install.
- Generally, after installation, it is recommended to restart VS Code to activate the extension.
- To uninstall, select the extension and click the trash can or cross icon.
The installed extensions panel allows you to manage specific updates and preferences. The graphical interface has made managing them very easy for years, although you can also use the palette of commands (F1 o Ctrl + Shift + P) and search for “install” to quickly access related features.
Advanced Installation and Customization in Visual Studio Code
The terminal, you can install extensions with the command code –install-extension This is useful for copying settings between computers or automating the process. For example:
code --install-extension ms-vscode.cpptools
Additionally, many extensions offer support for specific technologies — for example, code snippets for specific languages or debugging tools for platforms like Node.js or Python. You can also consult the Differences between video file extension types to better manage your multimedia resources in the development environment.
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