VS Code – How to Change Font

It’s easy for a developer to underestimate the importance of their work environment. No, we’re not discussing your chair, desk, or wall color. We’re talking about your virtual work environment.

Making your Visual Studio code editor feel like home is essential for work efficiency. The font covers a large chunk of the overall VS feel. In this article, we’ll teach you how to edit fonts in various parts of the VS Code editor.

Reasons to Change the Font in VS Code

Even if you are a developer working with VS for a long time, you might not know it has font-changing options.

If you don’t care about why choosing your font is essential, jump straight to the tutorial a few paragraphs below. Remember, though, that the reasons for changing your font (outlined below) can help your decision.

Why are fonts so important in VS? If aesthetics isn’t enough for you (and trust us, after hours and hours spent in a code editor, it starts to matter), it’s also about functionality. So, what makes a font “appropriate” for VS?

Primarily, you’ll want the distinction between similar characters to be notable. For instance, distinguishing the number “1” from the “l” (lowercase L) can significantly speed up your coding and save you time.

Then, there’s the fact that some developers like to use ligatures. Ligatures are a few symbols joined together, usually called “glyphs.” Those can mean many things when coding.

How to Change the Font Family in VS Code

Without further ado, here’s how to change the font family in VS:

1. Open the VS editor.
   
2. Navigate to the upper part of the screen and select “File.”
   
3. Now, in the dropdown menu, go to “Preferences > Settings.”
   
4. You’ll now see the “Commonly Used” section with a menu on the right side of the screen. If it appears, you can access and change “Font Family” from this page or continue with the steps below.
   
5. Click “Text Editor > Font,” and look for the default entry “Consolas, ‘Courier New’, monospace.”
   
6. Then, instead of “Consolas…,” input the name of your preferred font.
   

This should automatically change the font family.

How to Change Font Size in VS Code

Even if you have perfect eyesight, you’ll want to keep your eyes as comfortable as possible when writing lines of code. Discrepancies between similar characters are essential when choosing a font family. However, using a suitable font size for coding can make it easier on the eyes and help you work more efficiently.

There isn’t a magical formula to identify the best font size for coding. Ideally, you’ll want to see the characters as clearly as possible, but you’ll also need the line to fit the VS window. So, try different font sizes and find the perfect one that fits your coding needs.

Here’s how to change the font size in VS Code:

1. Navigate to the “File -> Preferences -> Settings.”
   
2. Look for the “Font Size” section and type in your preferred font size.
   

How to Change the Font of Explorer in VS Code

The Explorer feature in VS Code works like other file browsers in most other apps. It is used to manage, browse, and open files and folders to work on your project. Since VS coding is based on folders and files, VS Code Explorer makes it easy to start your project. All you do is open the file/folder using VS Code. It’s as simple as that.

You can expect to be using the VS Code Explorer a fair bit. If the Explorer’s font size doesn’t suit you, you’ll be happy to know that you can change it.

1. Go to “File -> Preferences -> Settings.”
   
2. Find the “Font Size” section and change the size to suit your needs.
   

How to Change Terminal Font Style in VS Code

Instead of switching windows or changing the existing terminal’s state, VS Code allows you to use an integrated terminal found at your project’s/workspace’s root. Of course, you might want to change the font for ease of use. Here’s how to go about changing the VS Code Terminal font:

1. Navigate to the “root folder” of your project/workspace.
2. Open the “settings.json” file using VS Code. Alternatively, in VS Code, press “Ctrl + Shift + P” in Windows or “Command + Shift + P” in Mac, and then find the “settings.json” file.
   
3. Change the corresponding three lines to this:
   “terminal.external.osxExec”: “iTerm.app”,
“terminal.integrated.shell.osx”: “/bin/zsh”,
“terminal.integrated.fontFamily”: “D2Coding”,
   Note that D2Coding is an example. You can also choose any other font you prefer.
4. Save the settings when finished.

To change the VS Terminal font size after changing the style, navigate to the “terminal.integrated.fontSize”: entry and set it to suit your preference.

How to Change Font for Comments in VS Code

Code comment entries are, by default, in the same font as the rest of the code. Changing this makes them stand out, which can often prevent wasted work hours. It’s easy to miss a comment when it has the same font as everything else in VS. As simple as this may seem, the solution is a bit more complex than you’d expect. Also, the results might not be ideal, as this might cause some alignment issues. Still, it doesn’t hurt to try:

1. Go to your device’s “root installation” folder for VS Code.
2. Navigate to the “touch style.css” entry in the terminal. This will create a stylesheet.
3. Now, it’s time to add the font rule. Here’s an example of a style:
   .mtk3 {

font-family: "iosevka";

font-size: 1em;

font-style: italic;

}
4. Open “settings.json” and add this entry:
   "vscode_custom_css.imports":
"file:///Users/username/.vscode/style.css"],
5. Now, download the “Custom CSS and JS Loader“ plugin.
6. Once installed, press “Ctrl + Shift + P” and ensure the plugin is enabled.
7. Restart VS Code.
8. The comments should now have a new font.

How to Change Sidebar Font Size in VS Code

No setting in VS Code enables the user to change the terminal’s font size. However, a workaround exists, and it involves the mentioned Custom CSS and JS Loader plugin.

1. In the plugin, carefully navigate to the extension details and follow the tutorial section.
2. Use the following logic:
   "vscode_custom_css.imports": ["[insert custom file URL]"]
3. Do this for each custom file.

The result should make for a better and aesthetically pleasing VS Code sidebar.

How to Change the Font Using Different Operating Systems

If you’re coding in VS, you’re using a Windows computer, a Mac, or a Linux system. Although these three aren’t identical in terms of VS, the differences mostly boil down to the Ctrl/Cmd key option and the default locations of the VS Code files. So, the principle of font changing in VS Code remains pretty much the same across all devices.

FAQs: Changing Visual Studio Fonts

Why can’t I change the font in VS Code?

You can make many mistakes in VS Code. Changing the font is not as straightforward as doing so in MS Word. As you’ll be using a lot of coding to change the actual VS Code font, you should know about the most common oversight people make. Make sure that quotation marks surround each entry. For example, “vscode_custom_css.imports”: [“file:///Users/username/.vscode/style.css”] won’t work unless you use the quotation marks. Additionally, be sure to use spaces between the commands.

Which font is used for code in VS Code?

By default, the font used for coding in VS Code is Consolas. If you follow this guide, you can change most fonts in VS Code, whether we’re talking about the code itself, the terminal, the comments, or the explorer feature.

However, if you’re talking about the font found on the VS Code’s official website images, no one can tell you which one was used. Unless VS Code developers explicitly reveal which font was used, there is no way of finding out.

How do I hack a VS Code font?

Initially, to hack meant to modify, but if by this you mean adding the Hack font to VS, you can add it via the Hack’s website. Download the TrueType font from Hack. Extract the downloaded zip file. Install the extracted files. Then, go to Tools, followed by Options. In the Options menu, select Environment, and then navigate to Fonts and Colors. Open the Font dropdown menu and select the Hack entry.

What font do hackers use?

As a rule of thumb, every coder, including hackers, uses a font they like. An excellent example of a popular font allegedly being a “hacker’s choice” would be Ray Bluetens, also known as Lawn Dart Fonts.

Changing Font Options in VS Code

Dealing with font options in VS Code is not as straightforward as changing fonts in a text editor program. However, considering we’re talking about coding software here, VS offers a wide variety of options compared to its competition. Follow the instructions in this article and make your coding experience as personalized, user-friendly, and smooth as possible.