VS Code Desktop

Please note: VS Code Desktop Support is currently in beta If you experience any issues, or have feedback, please get in touch.

With VS Code Desktop Support, you can keep your local IDE configurations¹ and benefit from Gitpod’s high-spec servers & automated prebuilds. As you would expect, your code executes in an ephemeral Gitpod workspace which keeps each of your projects nicely isolated from one another.

To get started:

1. Start a new Gitpod workspace (learn how in the docs).
2. Open the command palette (⇧⌘P or Ctrl+Shift+P)
3. Type “Open in VS Code” and hit Enter.

This command will open your local VS Code, connect to the Gitpod workspace and let you develop, test & debug your application as if the code was running locally.

VS Code desktop support installs, manages and runs the Local Companion app under-the-hood so you don’t have to. However, if you’re currently using the local companion, you can can continue to use it independently.

¹ Yes this also means you get to keep your keyboard shortcuts just the way you prefer them. You know, Ctrl/Cmd + W to close an editor tab 😉.

Managing extensions

VS Code runs extensions in one of two places: locally on the UI / client side, or remotely on your Gitpod workspace.

For further details, please refer to the official VS Code docs on how to manage extensions.

Installing custom fonts

The process of installing fonts matches how you typically install custom fonts locally:

1. Download the desired font to your local machine and install it locally on your operating system.
2. Open the editor’s user settings (e.g. File > Preferences > Settings > User)
3. Configure your font with the editor.fontFamily setting:

   {
     "editor.fontFamily": "Your custom font name"
   }