Visual Studio C For Mac

C/C++ support for Visual Studio Code is provided by a Microsoft C/C++ extension to enable cross-platform C and C++ development on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Getting started

Build and run code on a remote machine or Windows Subsystem for Linux and browse, edit, and debug from within Visual Studio. Use CMake to target multiple platforms from the comfort of a single IDE. Development applications – Get Started. Components – Visual Studio C core features – Windows Universal C Runtime – Visual C for Linux. Download Visual Studio Community, Professional, and Enterprise. Try Visual Studio IDE, Code or Mac for free today.

Microsoft Visual Studio For Mac

C/C++ compiler and debugger

The C/C++ extension does not include a C++ compiler or debugger. You will need to install these tools or use those already installed on your computer.

Popular C++ compilers are:

This topic applies to installation of Visual Studio on Windows. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight, cross-platform development environment that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. The Microsoft C/C for Visual Studio Code extension supports IntelliSense, debugging, code formatting, auto-completion. Visual Studio for Mac doesn't support Microsoft C, but does support.NET. Visual Studio Code is free and available on your favorite platform - Linux, macOS, and Windows. Download Visual Studio Code to experience a redefined code editor, optimized for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications. Visual Studio for Mac documentation. Learn how to use Visual Studio for Mac to develop apps and games for iOS, Android, and web using.NET.

GCC on Linux
GCC via Mingw-w64 on Windows
Microsoft C++ compiler on Windows
Clang for XCode on macOS

Make sure your compiler executable is in your platform path so the extension can find it. You can check availability of your C++ tools by opening the Integrated Terminal (⌃` (Windows, Linux Ctrl+`)) in VS Code and try running the executable (for example g++ --help).

Install the Microsoft C/C++ extension

Open VS Code.
Click the Extensions view icon on the Sidebar (⇧⌘X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)).
Search for c++.
Click Install.

Hello World tutorials

Get started with C++ and VS Code with Hello World tutorials for your environment:

Documentation

You can find more documentation on using the Microsoft C/C++ extension under the C++ section, where you'll find topics on:

Remote Development

VS Code and the C++ extension support Remote Development allowing you to work over SSH on a remote machine or VM, inside a Docker container, or in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

To install support for Remote Development:

Install the VS Code Remote Development Extension Pack.
If the remote source files are hosted in WSL, use the Remote - WSL extension.
If you are connecting to a remote machine with SSH, use the Remote - SSH extension.
If the remote source files are hosted in a container (for example, Docker), use the Remote - Containers extension.

Feedback

If you run into any issues or have suggestions for the Microsoft C/C++ extension, please file issues and suggestions on GitHub. If you haven't already provided feedback, please take this quick survey to help shape this extension for your needs.

Installation

Download Visual Studio Code for macOS.
Open the browser's download list and locate the downloaded archive.
Select the 'magnifying glass' icon to open the archive in Finder.
Drag Visual Studio Code.app to the Applications folder, making it available in the macOS Launchpad.
Add VS Code to your Dock by right-clicking on the icon to bring up the context menu and choosing Options, Keep in Dock.

Launching from the command line

You can also run VS Code from the terminal by typing 'code' after adding it to the path:

Launch VS Code.
Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P)) and type 'shell command' to find the Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH command.

Restart the terminal for the new $PATH value to take effect. You'll be able to type 'code .' in any folder to start editing files in that folder.

Note: If you still have the old code alias in your .bash_profile (or equivalent) from an early VS Code version, remove it and replace it by executing the Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH command.

To manually add VS Code to your path, you can run the following commands:

Visual C++

Start a new terminal to pick up your .bash_profile changes.

Note: The leading slash is required to prevent $PATH from expanding during the concatenation. Remove the leading slash if you want to run the export command directly in a terminal.

Note: Since zsh became the default shell in macOS Catalina, run the following commands to add VS Code to your path:

Touch Bar support

Out of the box VS Code adds actions to navigate in editor history as well as the full Debug tool bar to control the debugger on your Touch Bar:

Mojave privacy protections

After upgrading to macOS Mojave version, you may see dialogs saying 'Visual Studio Code would like to access your {calendar/contacts/photos}.' This is due to the new privacy protections in Mojave and is not specific to VS Code. The same dialogs may be displayed when running other applications as well. The dialog is shown once for each type of personal data and it is fine to choose Don't Allow since VS Code does not need access to those folders. You can read a more detailed explanation in this blog post.

Updates

VS Code ships monthly releases and supports auto-update when a new release is available. If you're prompted by VS Code, accept the newest update and it will get installed (you won't need to do anything else to get the latest bits).

Note: You can disable auto-update if you prefer to update VS Code on your own schedule.

Preferences menu

You can configure VS Code through settings, color themes, and custom keybindings and you will often see mention of the File > Preferences menu group. On a macOS, the Preferences menu group is under Code, not File.

Next steps

Once you have installed VS Code, these topics will help you learn more about VS Code:

Additional Components - Learn how to install Git, Node.js, TypeScript, and tools like Yeoman.
User Interface - A quick orientation around VS Code.
User/Workspace Settings - Learn how to configure VS Code to your preferences settings.

Common questions

Visual Studio C++ For Mac

Why do I see 'Visual Studio Code would like access to your calendar.'

If you are running macOS Mojave version, you may see dialogs saying 'Visual Studio Code would like to access your {calendar/contacts/photos}.' This is due to the new privacy protections in Mojave discussed above. It is fine to choose Don't Allow since VS Code does not need access to those folders.

VS Code fails to update

Visual Studio Download For Mac

Visual Studio C++ Download For Mac

If VS Code doesn't update once it restarts, it might be set under quarantine by macOS. Follow the steps in this issue for resolution.