/ How to

VS Code – How to Change Font: Customizing Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a popular open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. It comes with many customization options that allow you to tailor the editing experience to your preferences. One of the most common customizations is changing the font and adjusting font-related settings like size, family, ligatures, and line height.

Why Change the Font in VS Code

The default VS Code font may not be suitable or comfortable for all developers. Those with visual impairments often need larger fonts, while some may prefer fonts optimized for coding with programming ligatures. Changing the font can:

  • Improve readability and reduce eye strain
  • Enable font ligatures for easier scanning of code
  • Fit more or less code on the screen
  • Accommodate vision accessibility needs
  • Suit personal aesthetic preferences

How to Change Font Family in VS Code

The steps to change the font family are:

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for “font family”
  3. Under “Editor: Font Family”, replace the default font with your desired font family
  • Use comma-separated fallbacks like 'JetBrains Mono', Consolas, 'Courier New', monospace
  1. Press enter or click the save icon to save

Some good programming fonts to try are Fira Code, JetBrains Mono, Cascadia Code, Source Code Pro, and Monaco.

How to Change Font Size in VS Code

To change the font size:

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for “font size”
  3. Under “Editor: Font Size”, replace the default size with your desired size in pixels
  • Common sizes are between 12 and 18px
  1. Save the change

You can also use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + (plus) and Ctrl + (minus) to temporarily increase/decrease the font size by 1px.

Configuring Font Ligatures in VS Code

Many programming fonts offer font ligatures, which replace certain character combinations like == into special symbols ≠ that are easier to distinguish at a glance. To enable ligatures:

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for “font ligatures”
  3. Under “Editor › Font Ligatures”, check the box or set the value to true
  4. Save the change and ligatures should now be enabled

Adjusting Line Height Between Lines

The line height controls the vertical spacing between lines of text. Increasing line height can improve readability for some fonts and font sizes. To configure line height:

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for “line height”
  3. Under “Editor › Line Height”, set your desired height in pixels
  • Try between 32px and 48px, depending on font size
  1. Save change

Changing Terminal Fonts and Size

The integrated terminal in VS Code can also have its font family and size configured independently from the editor:

  1. Go to File > Preferences > Settings
  2. Search for “terminal font” or “terminal font size”
  3. Modify the “Terminal › Integrated › Font Family” and “Terminal › Integrated › Font Size” as desired
  4. Save changes

Additional Tips

  • Experiment with different fonts and sizes to find your ideal coding environment
  • Use the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P) to access settings as an alternative
  • Try extensions like Custom CSS and JS Loader to further customize VS Code’s UI

With these steps, you can fully configure your preferred font settings in VS Code. Optimizing fonts can go a long way towards improving daily productivity and comfort when coding. Don’t hesitate to tweak VS Code to best suit your needs.

Related Posts