How to install the code command in VS Code on Mac: Command Palette steps

What the code command does on a Mac

The code command is a launcher. You type it in Terminal, and it opens VS Code. Type code . inside a project folder, and the editor opens that folder as a workspace. Without the command, you open VS Code from Applications and hunt for the folder by hand.

VS Code ships weekly releases and updates itself. You set up the command once, then use it from any folder on your Mac. That is the whole point of the setup, so it is worth doing right the first time.

Check your Mac and your VS Code app first

You need the desktop app. The web version at vscode.dev runs in a browser and has no terminal, so it cannot give you a code command. Install the Mac app from the official download page first.

The download page lists Universal, Intel chip, and Apple silicon builds. Pick the build that matches your chip. If you are unsure, the Universal build covers both chip types. Not sure which chip you have? Choose Apple menu > About This Mac and read the chip name.

• VS Code sits in your Applications folder, not still inside the downloaded disk image.
• You have opened VS Code from Applications at least once.
• The Command Palette opens when you press ⇧⌘P in the VS Code window.
• You know whether you use zsh or bash, in case you need the manual steps.

Run the Shell Command from the Command Palette

The Command Palette holds most of VS Code's commands. Open it with ⇧⌘P while the VS Code window is active. A search box appears near the top of the window. Type shell command, and the list narrows to a few matches.

Pick Shell Command: Install 'code' and optionally 'copilot' commands in PATH. The official Mac setup page gives this as the current command. Press Return to run it.

What the Copilot CLI prompt means

After you run the Shell Command, VS Code may ask about GitHub Copilot CLI. Your answer decides what gets installed. Check the table, then pick the answer that matches what you need.

The success message only confirms the code command. The docs warn that Copilot CLI installs separately from PATH. Wait for the Copilot CLI terminal to finish before you assume it worked. If you do not use Copilot, choose No and skip the extra install.

Test the code command in Terminal

A new PATH value only takes effect in a new Terminal session. The docs say to restart the terminal, so do that now. Quit Terminal with Terminal > Quit Terminal or ⌘Q. Then reopen it from Applications > Utilities > Terminal.

Move into a folder. For example, run cd ~/Documents/my-project, and replace the path with your own folder. Then run code . and press Return. The dot stands for the current folder.

VS Code should open that folder as a workspace. Look at the window title and the file list on the left. If your project files appear, the command works.

The FAQ adds one detail. Typing code with no folder opens VS Code with your last workspace. Typing code . opens the folder you are standing in, which is the test you want.

Set up PATH by hand if the command is missing

Sometimes the Shell Command is missing from the list. You may see the older label, Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH. That label only appears when AI features are hidden or your organization disables Copilot CLI installation. In that case, the command skips the Copilot prompt.

The manual route adds VS Code's bin folder to your shell profile. Zsh reads ~/.zprofile. Bash reads ~/.bash_profile. Run echo $SHELL in Terminal to see which shell you use, then pick the matching file.

Add the export line to that file, then open a new Terminal window. Run which code. If it prints a path, the command is on PATH. Then run code . in a folder as before.

Common mistakes when you install the code command

• Forgetting to restart Terminal, so the old PATH stays loaded in the open window.
• Adding the export line twice. Check the file with cat before you edit it again.
• Keeping an old code alias from an earlier VS Code version in your shell profile.
• Typing code in Insiders when the Insiders command is code-insiders.
• Opening vscode.dev and looking for a terminal that the web version does not have.

VS Code Insiders, the web version, and other edge cases

VS Code Insiders is a separate preview build. Its command is code-insiders instead of code. The docs say to use that name for Insiders builds. If you run both editions, you can keep both commands and test each one by its own name.

Shell profiles cause the most confusion. If you are not sure which file your Terminal reads, add the line to the file that matches your shell. Then open a new window and check with which code. A blank result means the line did not load.

The web version runs in your browser. The docs say the terminal is not available there, and the browser sandbox limits what code can run. That is why this command is a desktop feature. This is an inference from the web docs, not a line the docs state directly.

How many developers use VS Code on Mac

In the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, 75.9% of all respondents said they use Visual Studio Code. Visual Studio, a different product, came in at 29%. The IDE question drew 26,143 responses, which the survey lists as 53.3% of respondents.

Those numbers measure general use. They say nothing about how many people run the code command. Treat them as context only, not as proof that the command setup is easy.

Next steps after the code command works

Keep your test folder. Run code . there whenever the command stops working. That check tells you fast whether PATH still holds after an update or a new Terminal setup.

If you want to change how the editor looks next, read how to change the color theme in VS Code on Mac. For notebooks and Python work, see VS Code for data scientists on Mac.