Where Does VS Code Store Settings and Extensions?
The settings.json file and extensions folder locations for VS Code, for syncing config by hand or inspecting what an extension installed.
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VS Code splits its data into two places: a User folder holding settings.json, keybindings, and snippets, and a separate .vscode/extensions folder holding every extension you've installed.
Most people never need to touch these directly. Settings Sync (built into VS Code, sign in with a Microsoft or GitHub account) covers cross-machine syncing, but they're useful to know when an extension misbehaves or you want to hand-edit settings.json.
Where Visual Studio Code stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json
Extensions install to %USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions. You can also just open settings.json from inside VS Code with Ctrl+Shift+P > "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)".
~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json
Extensions install to ~/.vscode/extensions.
~/.config/Code/User/settings.json
Extensions install to ~/.vscode/extensions, same as macOS.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between User and Workspace settings?
User settings (this file) apply globally to every project. Workspace settings live in a .vscode/settings.json inside a specific project folder and only override User settings for that project.
Can I just copy settings.json to a new machine?
Yes, that works fine for settings and keybindings. Extensions are better reinstalled through Settings Sync or the Extensions panel rather than copied file-by-file.
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