So, what is VSCode? Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a popular, free, and open-source code editor that offers a multitude of features to enhance your experience. If you're new to the Mac ecosystem and looking to set up a reliable development environment, installing VSCode should be your first move. coding Prerequisites macOS version 10.10 or later An Internet connection Administrative privileges for software installation Downloading the Installer Step 1: Visit the Official Website Open your web browser and navigate to the . Visual Studio Code website Step 2: Download for macOS You'll see a prominent "Download for Mac" button on the homepage. Click it, and a file will start downloading automatically. .zip Step 3: Locate the File Once the download completes, navigate to your 'Downloads' folder to locate the file. .zip Extracting and Installing the Application Step 4: Unzip the File Double-click the file to extract it. macOS will automatically create a new folder containing . This process may take a few seconds to a minute, depending on your system's performance. .zip the VSCode application Step 5: Drag and Drop to Applications Folder Open a new Finder window. Navigate to the folder, which is where installed applications reside. Applications Drag and drop the VSCode application from the new folder to the folder. Applications Verifying the Installation Step 6: Launch VSCode After installing, you can launch VSCode in several ways: : Open the folder and double-click on . Method 1 Applications Visual Studio Code : Use Spotlight Search by pressing and then typing 'Visual Studio Code'. Method 2 Cmd + Space Step 7: First Run Verification The first time you run the application, macOS will ask you to confirm that you want to open it. Click to proceed. Open Step 8: Welcome Screen Upon successful installation and verification, you will be greeted by VSCode's Welcome screen, indicating that the application is ready for use. Setting Up the Integrated Terminal Step 9: Open the Terminal Inside VSCode You can either navigate to from the top menu or press `Ctrl + `` to pull up the terminal panel at the bottom of the VSCode window. View > Terminal Step 10: Choose Your Preferred Shell macOS typically uses Bash or Zsh as the default shell. If you wish to change this, execute the following terminal command: chsh -s /bin/zsh Replace with the path to your preferred shell if it's different. /bin/zsh Step 11: Verify Terminal Functionality To make sure the terminal is functioning as expected, type and execute a simple command like: echo "Hello, World!" If you see "Hello, World!" printed in the terminal, it's working correctly. Installing Extensions Step 12: Navigate to the Extensions Marketplace Click on the square Extensions icon on the sidebar or press to open the . Cmd + Shift + X Extensions Marketplace inside VSCode Step 13: Search and Install Extensions Type the name of the extension you wish to install in the search bar. Click next to the desired extension. For instance, if you work with Python, you might want to install Microsoft's Python extension. To do this from the terminal, execute: Install code --install-extension ms-python.python You've successfully installed Visual Studio Code on your Mac and configured its integrated terminal.