How to Use the VS Code Terminal Effectively

· Category: VS Code & Developer Tools

Short answer

The integrated terminal in VS Code supports multiple tabs, splits, and custom shells. Learning its shortcuts keeps you in the editor instead of switching windows.

Steps

  1. Open the terminal with Ctrl+`.
  2. Create a new terminal tab with the plus icon or Ctrl+Shift+5.
  3. Split the terminal horizontally or vertically using the split button.
  4. Switch between tabs with Alt+Left and Alt+Right arrow keys.
  5. Toggle the terminal panel visibility with Ctrl+`.

Tips

  • Pin frequently used terminal tabs by renaming them.
  • Use the terminal.integrated.defaultLocation setting to open tabs in editor areas.
  • Scrollback is unlimited by default, but you can limit it in settings.

Common issues

  • The terminal may use the wrong shell if your OS default changed.
  • Copy-paste shortcuts differ from the editor; use Ctrl+C after selecting text.