How to Make VS Code Faster: Speed Optimization Tips

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is one of the most popular code editors in the world. It is lightweight, versatile, and has an extensive library of extensions. Yet, over time, some users notice that VS Code can become slow, especially with large projects, many extensions, or heavy files.

If you have wondered how to make VS Code faster, this guide will walk you through practical strategies to speed up your workflow. From tweaking settings to managing extensions and optimizing your system, these tips help you get the most out of VS Code without losing functionality.

1. Understand Why VS Code Slows Down

Before making changes, it is important to understand why VS Code can feel sluggish. Common reasons include:

• Too many extensions – Each extension consumes memory and may run background processes.

• Large projects – Projects with thousands of files can slow down search, IntelliSense, and file indexing.

• Heavy files – Opening very large files can impact performance.

• High system load – CPU and RAM usage by other programs can affect VS Code speed.

• Unoptimized settings – Default settings may not be ideal for your workflow or system.

By identifying the source of slowdown, you can focus on the changes that will make the biggest impact.

2. Disable or Remove Unnecessary Extensions

Extensions are a major cause of VS Code slowdowns. Each installed extension may run background processes or watch files, consuming resources.

Steps to manage extensions:

• Open the Extensions panel (Ctrl+Shift+X or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac).

• Review all installed extensions and remove those you rarely use.

• Disable extensions for specific workspaces instead of uninstalling them completely.

• Use the command Developer: Show Running Extensions to see which extensions consume the most CPU and memory.

Fewer active extensions mean faster startup and lower resource usage.

3. Adjust VS Code Settings for Performance

VS Code allows you to tweak settings that directly affect speed.

Recommended settings to improve performance:

• File Watcher Settings: By default, VS Code watches all files in your workspace, which can be costly for large projects. Exclude folders you don’t need:

• Disable Unnecessary Features: Features like automatic TypeScript validation or code lens can slow performance in large projects. Adjust them if not needed:

• Reduce Editor History: Large undo/redo stacks can affect memory usage. Limit history size:

Tweaking settings tailored to your project and system makes VS Code more responsive.

4. Optimize IntelliSense

IntelliSense is one of VS Code’s best features, but it can slow down projects with many files or dependencies.

Tips to optimize IntelliSense:

• Limit which files are indexed by using files.exclude and search.exclude settings.

• Reduce unnecessary TypeScript or JavaScript processing in large projects.

• Consider disabling full project IntelliSense for very large workspaces.

Optimized IntelliSense improves both autocomplete speed and file navigation.

5. Enable VS Code’s Built-In Performance Features

VS Code includes features that help manage memory and CPU usage:

• Hot Exit allows VS Code to restore unsaved files without slowing startup.

• Workspace Trust lets VS Code skip certain extensions or tasks for untrusted projects, which can improve performance.

• Lazy Loading for extensions ensures they load only when needed.

Check that these options are enabled to ensure your editor is running efficiently.

6. Manage Workspace and Project Size

VS Code performance depends on the size and complexity of your workspace. Large workspaces with many files can slow down search, file indexing, and IntelliSense.

Tips to reduce load:

• Split large projects into smaller folders or workspaces.

• Exclude unnecessary directories from indexing using files.watcherExclude and search.exclude.

• Close folders or workspaces not actively used.

Smaller, focused workspaces are easier for VS Code to handle and improve responsiveness.

7. Optimize File Handling

Opening large files or multiple tabs can impact VS Code’s performance.

Ways to optimize file handling:

• Avoid opening extremely large files unless necessary.

• Use the Large File Optimizer extension if you must work with huge files.

• Close tabs you are not using; VS Code keeps open files in memory.

• Enable tab limit:

Managing tabs and file handling reduces memory usage and prevents slowdowns.

8. Disable Git Integration When Not Needed

VS Code integrates with Git, which is convenient but can slow performance in large repositories.

If you do not need real-time Git information:

• Open settings and disable automatic Git features:

• Alternatively, disable Git features for specific large repositories.

This simple change can noticeably improve speed for projects with thousands of files or complex Git histories.

9. Use Lightweight Themes and Icons

Visual customization can impact rendering performance. Some themes and icon packs are more resource-intensive than others.

Tips:

• Use simpler, lightweight themes.

• Avoid animated icons or heavy icon packs.

• Stick to system fonts for faster rendering.

These changes have a small but cumulative effect, especially on lower-end machines.

10. Reduce or Disable Extensions That Run in the Background

Some extensions continuously monitor files or perform background tasks. Examples include linters, formatters, and language servers.

Strategies to reduce overhead:

• Configure background tasks to run only on save instead of continuously.

• Disable real-time linting in large projects.

• Use workspace-specific settings to load heavy extensions only when necessary.

Managing background processes prevents VS Code from being bogged down by constant updates.

11. Adjust VS Code’s Electron Settings

VS Code is built on Electron, which uses Chrome’s rendering engine. Some Electron settings affect performance:

• Enable GPU acceleration if your system supports it:

• Close unnecessary panels, terminals, or sidebars that may cause extra redraws.

Electron-based apps benefit from efficient UI management, so minimizing heavy rendering helps speed up VS Code.

12. Monitor Resource Usage

VS Code provides tools to check CPU and memory usage:

• Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and select Developer: Show Running Extensions.

• Monitor which extensions use the most CPU and memory.

• Investigate slow processes with Developer: Open Process Explorer.

Knowing which processes consume resources allows you to take targeted actions and improve performance.

13. Optimize Settings Sync

VS Code syncs settings, extensions, and snippets across devices. While convenient, this can cause delays on startup.

Tips:

• Limit sync to only the settings you need.

• Avoid syncing large amounts of snippets or extensions unnecessarily.

• Pause sync temporarily if you are noticing slow startups.

Efficient sync ensures that VS Code loads faster while still keeping important settings consistent.

14. Keep VS Code Updated

VS Code is actively maintained, and each update often includes performance improvements.

• Check for updates regularly.

• Enable automatic updates to get new features and bug fixes.

• Update extensions to benefit from their performance enhancements.

An up-to-date editor generally performs better and fixes known speed issues.

15. Optimize VS Code Startup

Startup speed affects productivity.

Tips to improve startup:

• Limit the number of folders and workspaces opened on launch.

• Disable extensions that you rarely use but load on startup.

• Use the --disable-extensions flag to test startup performance.

Faster startup means less waiting and more coding time.

16. Use Remote Development Wisely

VS Code supports remote development over SSH or containers. While convenient, it can slow down performance if network latency is high or the remote system is under heavy load.

• Use lightweight remote containers.

• Optimize SSH connections.

• Avoid editing large projects remotely if the network is slow.

Proper remote setup ensures that VS Code feels responsive even when working on remote systems.

17. Minimize Live Share Sessions

Live Share is a useful feature for collaboration, but it consumes CPU and memory.

• Only run Live Share when necessary.

• Close sessions immediately after collaboration ends.

• Limit the number of simultaneous participants if possible.

Reducing Live Share usage when idle improves overall editor responsiveness.

18. Regularly Restart VS Code

Sometimes performance issues accumulate over time due to memory leaks or long-running processes.

• Restart VS Code periodically to free up memory.

• Close and reopen large workspaces occasionally.

• Restart after updating extensions or settings for changes to take effect.

Regular restarts prevent VS Code from becoming sluggish during long coding sessions.

19. Clean Up Your System

VS Code performance depends on your system resources.

• Close unused applications that consume memory or CPU.

• Monitor background processes for high usage.

• Consider upgrading hardware if your system is underpowered for large projects.

A clean and responsive system provides the foundation for a faster VS Code experience.

Conclusion

If you want to know how to make VS Code faster, the key is to combine editor tweaks, extension management, and system optimization. Start by identifying what slows down your workflow, then apply targeted strategies.

VS Code is flexible and powerful, but performance depends on how you use it. By following this guide, you can improve startup speed, editor responsiveness, and file handling. A faster VS Code means more productive coding sessions and less frustration during development.

Optimizing your environment not only helps you work efficiently today but also prepares your workflow for future projects, bigger codebases, and advanced features.