How to install Visual Studio Code's `code` command permanently?
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I just followed the top-voted answer here and successfully installed Visual Studio Code's code
command in my terminal.
However, the code
command fails to launch Visual Studio Code every time after I restart my MacBook Pro.
~ code
zsh: command not found: code
Is it possible to install code
permanently so that I don't have to install it every time I turn on my MacBook Pro?
~ where code
/usr/local/bin/code
~ ls -l /usr/local/bin/code
lrwxr-xr-x 1 myName admin 167 Aug 5 13:41 /usr/local/bin/code -> /private/var/folders/bh/525lnbns1213cx2651s97my00000gp/T/AppTranslocation/EA379FC4-05D2-4739-BE49-1D8870E47B8A/d/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/bin/code
I also find out that the folder EA379FC4-05D2-4739-BE49-1D8870E47B8A
get deleted after I restart my laptop.
This is the reason that I cannot run code
after the laptop is restarted.
Why is code
installed in a temporary folder?
My MacBook Pro's version is macOS Sierra version 10.12.6
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asked Aug 5 '17 at 6:11
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-
Simplest solution i found is here stackoverflow.com/a/39604469/5650332 – Sunil Kumar Singh Nov 9 '20 at 0:24
5 Answers
17
Looks like your whole Visual Studio got installed in a temporary folder.
-
Remove the current link with
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/code
-
Start Visual Studio from within
/Applications
-
Reinstall
code
as described in https://stackoverflow.com/a/29971430:Now open the Command Palette (F1 or ⇧⌘P on Mac) and type
shell command
to find theShell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH
command.
If it still doesn't work you can also link manually by running
sudo ln -fs "/Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/bin/code" /usr/local/bin/
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1
answered Aug 5 '17 at 6:29
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1
Thank you. The solution works. I found that my
Visual Studio Code.app
was inDownloads
folder. Thecode
command is installed in/Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/bin/code
after I dragged it toApplications
folder. – Brian Aug 5 '17 at 6:43 -
1
Moving VSCode from
/Downloads
to/Applications
and re-running the VSCode pallette command did the trick for me too. – Lauren Aug 8 '18 at 21:54
3
If you're on Mac OS Catalina, you need to edit your .zprofile
instead of .bash_profile
.
- Edit your ~/.zprofile file:
vim ~/.zprofile
- Add the following code in it, on it's own line:
code () { VSCODE_CWD="$PWD" open -n -b "com.microsoft.VSCode" --args $* ;}
- Save the file:
:wq
- Re-run the updated file:
source ~/.zprofile
. - Test that running
code .
opens your current folder in VS Code!
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answered Nov 13 '19 at 21:14
3122 bronze badges
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OK, it seems "ln" command not work for me (I use this command set up sublime text). But I got an another solution.
-
edit your ~/.bash_profile file.
-
add the following code in it.
code () { VSCODE_CWD="$PWD" open -n -b "com.microsoft.VSCode" --args $* ;}
-
after save. do not forget to run
source ~/.bash_profile
. -
Finished and test it, type
code
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answered May 5 '18 at 2:00
12111 bronze badge
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For zsh, we probably want to edit
.zshrc
instead of.bash_profile
, though. That way, we don't need tosource ~/.bash_profile
each time we need the settings... – Richard Ambler Dec 1 '19 at 14:07
1
GOOD TO KNOW:
Since Catalina update, MacOS uses zsh bash environment by default*
*Resource about zsh and terminal
ALTERNATIVE APPROACH:
Personnal settup: currently using macOS with Catalina:
- bash file & location: .zshrc, ~/.zshrc
-
.zshrc existance:
ls -la
> and look for .zshrc file- if no .zshrc file:
touch .zshrc
- if no .zshrc file:
-
open & write ––
alias code="open -a 'Visual Studio Code'"
.
Which will behave like what Monomeeth mentioned above:
opens your VSCode from your folder Applications.
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answered Mar 24 '20 at 20:16
1122 bronze badges
0
One thing I noticed was that my Visual Studio Code.app
was in Downloads/
, not Applications/
.
If this is the case, run mv /Users/moi/Downloads/Visual\ Studio\ Code.app /Applications
and try again!
Good luck
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answered May 29 '20 at 14:57