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GET SET UPStep 2 of 6About 10 min

Install a code editor

By the end of this step you have VS Code installed and know how to open a folder and a terminal inside it.

Quick check: already have VS Code (or Cursor, or another editor you like)? Skip to the next step.

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1. Download and install

  1. Go to code.visualstudio.com.
  2. Click the big Download button. It picks the right version for your computer.

On Windows

  1. Open the file you downloaded (it's in your Downloads folder).
  2. Accept the agreement and click Next through the screens. The defaults are fine.
  3. On the "Select additional tasks" screen, tick Add "Open with Code" action. It lets you right-click any folder and open it in VS Code.
  4. Click Install, then Finish.

On macOS / Linux

  1. Open the .zip file you downloaded. It unpacks into Visual Studio Code.
  2. Drag Visual Studio Code into your Applications folder.
  3. Open it from Applications. If macOS asks "Are you sure you want to open it?", click Open.

2. Open a folder

VS Code works on folders, not single files. A folder with all the files of one project in it is what developers call a project.

  1. In VS Code, click File → Open Folder… (on Mac: File → Open…).
  2. Pick your Documents folder for now, and click Select Folder (Mac: Open).
  3. If it asks "Do you trust the authors of the files in this folder?", click Yes, I trust the authors. It's your own folder.

The folder's files appear in the panel on the left.

3. Open the terminal inside VS Code

Click Terminal → New Terminal in the top menu. (The shortcut is Ctrl + `, the key above Tab.)

A terminal opens at the bottom of the window, already inside the folder you opened. This is the terminal you'll use most in the course: your code above, your commands below.

If it didn’t work

Windows: "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway. This appears for many downloaded installers; VS Code is from Microsoft.

There's no Terminal menu. The window may be too narrow and the menu is hidden behind ☰ (top left). Or use the shortcut Ctrl + `.

VS Code is in a language you don't read. Press Ctrl + Shift + P (Mac: Cmd + Shift + P), type Configure Display Language, and choose English.

Next: Install Python