To troubleshoot a reproducible VS Code problem that may involve an extension, keep the reproduction steps identical, test with extensions disabled, and then narrow the enabled set with Help: Start Extension Bisect. Confirm the result by re-enabling the suspected extension and repeating the same action. If the symptom remains with extensions off, compare an Empty Profile to separate extension effects from modified settings and VS Code itself.
These checks establish a useful cause-and-effect signal; they do not automatically prove that an extension is defective. A disappearing symptom can result from an interaction among extensions, settings, a profile, or the core editor, so record the conditions and verify the finding before uninstalling anything.
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Start with a controlled reproduction
Write down the smallest sequence that reliably demonstrates the problem before changing configuration. Include the workspace or folder, file type, language mode, command or shortcut, and the result you expected versus what actually happened. For example, “Open this workspace, edit a TypeScript file, save it, and observe that formatting does not run” is more useful than “the editor is broken.”
- Action: the exact command, keystroke, save operation, debug launch, or file change.
- Context: workspace, profile, file, language, and whether the issue occurs in one project or several.
- Expected result: what normally should happen.
- Actual result: the error, missing action, delay, wrong command, or other symptom.
- Repeatability: how many times the same steps produce the symptom.
Keep these conditions unchanged while testing. If you switch workspaces, edit a setting, update an extension, or use a different file at the same time as disabling extensions, you cannot tell which change affected the result.
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Also note the VS Code version, operating system, profile name, and whether the workspace is trusted. These details belong in the final report even when they do not turn out to be the cause.
Choose the isolation method
Use the method that matches the size of the suspected set and the kind of symptom. The following comparison helps you choose without making unnecessary changes.
| Method | Scope | Effort | What it distinguishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension Bisect | Enabled extensions | Repeated prompted checks; VS Code narrows the set by halves | Efficiently identifies a likely contributor in a large enabled set; depends on accurate feedback |
| Manual disable/re-enable | One extension at a time, globally or for the current workspace | Several reloads and retests may be needed | Simple confirmation when the suspect list is short or one extension is obvious |
Disable all or code --disable-extensions |
All installed extensions | One broad comparison, followed by selective restoration | Whether the symptom changes at all when extension code is absent |
| Empty Profile | Extensions and modified settings | Switch profile and repeat the reproduction | Whether an extension or a changed setting in the normal profile is involved |
| Keyboard shortcut troubleshooting | Shortcut dispatch | Enable logging and press the problematic shortcut | The key VS Code detected and the command it invoked, including competing bindings |
Run Extension Bisect for a large enabled set
Extension Bisect is the quickest built-in approach when many extensions are enabled. The VS Code team describes it as “Just like git-bisect, but for VS Code extensions.” The algorithm disables subsets of enabled extensions, asks whether the original problem still occurs, and uses your answer to select the next subset. It is documented under Resolving extension issues with bisect.
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- Reproduce the original symptom once more using your written steps.
- Open the Command Palette with
Ctrl+Shift+Pon Windows or Linux, orCmd+Shift+Pon macOS. - Run Help: Start Extension Bisect.
- Follow the prompts. VS Code disables a subset of enabled extensions and may reload the extension host or window.
- Perform the identical action, in the same workspace and file, and decide whether the original symptom is present.
- Report the result accurately in the prompt. Choose that the problem remains only when the same symptom is still reproducible; choose that it is gone only when the test genuinely no longer fails.
- Continue until VS Code identifies a likely extension or a small remaining set.
The answer at each stage is the input to the next split. Calling a transient delay, a different error, or a changed reproduction “gone” can send the search toward the wrong extension. If the symptom is intermittent, repeat the baseline several times and record that uncertainty rather than guessing at a prompt.
Confirm the bisect result
When Bisect points to an extension, do not stop at the label. Open the Extensions view, use that extension’s gear menu to disable it, and repeat the original steps. Then enable it again and repeat once more. A return of the same symptom after re-enabling is stronger evidence of involvement than a single disappearance during the bisect run.
An extension can also expose a conflict only in a particular language, workspace, setting, or combination with another extension. If disabling the candidate changes the behavior only in one of those contexts, include that condition in your diagnosis.
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Manually disable extensions when the list is short
Manual testing is appropriate when you have one or two suspects, or when you need a quick broad check before starting Bisect. The Extensions view documentation describes both global and workspace-specific disablement.
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Disable one extension globally
- Open the Extensions view from the Activity Bar or with
Ctrl+Shift+Xon Windows and Linux, orCmd+Shift+Xon macOS. - Find the installed extension and open its gear menu.
- Choose Disable. This applies to the extension outside the current workspace as well.
- If VS Code asks to restart or reload the extension host, accept it.
- Repeat the exact baseline reproduction and record the result.
Disable only for the current workspace
Use the same gear menu and choose the workspace-specific disable option when available. This leaves the extension active in other folders and is safer when the problem appears in only one project. Retest in that same workspace; a global test in a different folder is not an equivalent comparison.
Disable everything as a broad check
Use the Extensions view command Disable All Installed Extensions for a fast yes-or-no comparison. Reload if prompted, run the baseline steps, and record whether the symptom changes. This check tells you that at least one extension, or an interaction involving extension code, may matter; it does not identify which one.
Restore extensions selectively rather than turning them all back on at once. Re-enable a small group, reload if requested, and repeat the same test. When the symptom returns, divide that group and test again until the behavior is attributable to a narrower set.
Separate extensions from modified settings with profiles
A normal profile can contain both extensions and changed settings. To test those categories together, create or switch to an Empty Profile. According to the VS Code profiles documentation, an Empty Profile disables all extensions and modified settings, giving you a clean comparison without deleting your normal configuration.
- Open the Command Palette and run the profile command, or use the profile control in the Manage menu.
- Select Empty Profile (or create one when the interface offers that choice).
- Open the same workspace and file used in the baseline.
- Repeat the exact action and compare the result.
If the problem remains in an Empty Profile, the cause is less likely to be an installed extension or a modified setting in your original profile; investigate the workspace, project tooling, file contents, or VS Code itself. If it disappears, restore configuration in a controlled order: first the settings you changed, then extensions in small groups. Retest after each meaningful change.
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Use a Temporary Profile for a reversible experiment
A Temporary Profile is useful when you want to try an extension or a configuration without altering the default profile. Perform the same reproduction there, note which extensions and settings you added, and then return to the original profile. This avoids accidentally treating a one-off experiment as a permanent fix.
Use the command line for repeatable checks
The VS Code command-line interface is useful for a clean launch and for recording an installed-extension inventory. The official switches are listed in the Command Line Interface documentation.
Launch with extensions disabled
From a terminal, run:
code --disable-extensionsOpen the same workspace and repeat the baseline steps. This starts VS Code with extensions disabled for that launch; it does not uninstall them. Close that window and start normally when the comparison is complete.
Record extension IDs and versions
Run:
code --list-extensions --show-versionsSave the output with your report. It provides the extension identifiers and installed versions, which is more precise than copying display names from memory. Version information matters because an update can change behavior even when the extension itself has not changed in purpose.
Launch a named profile
When you have a profile created for testing, launch it explicitly with the CLI’s profile switch:
code --profile "Profile Name"Replace Profile Name with the exact profile name. Keep the workspace and reproduction steps the same so the profile is the variable under test.
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Investigate keyboard shortcut conflicts separately
A shortcut that runs the wrong command, does nothing, or behaves differently by context needs dispatch logging rather than only extension disablement. VS Code includes a dedicated diagnostic command documented in Keyboard shortcuts for Visual Studio Code.
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- Run Developer: Toggle Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting.
- Press the problematic key combination once, using the same focus and editor context as the failure.
- Open the Output panel and read the keyboard-shortcut troubleshooting log.
- Record the detected key, the command VS Code invoked, and any context information shown.
- Run the toggle command again when you have finished logging.
To inspect competing assignments directly, open Keyboard Shortcuts and use Show Same Keybindings. This lists commands that share the key combination so you can see whether an extension command and a built-in command are both eligible. A duplicate binding is not automatically an extension bug; context rules can make one command win in one view and another command win elsewhere.
Retest after changing a binding
Change only one binding or remove one conflicting assignment, then press the same shortcut again with the same focus. If the command now dispatches correctly, preserve the troubleshooting log and the before-and-after keybinding entries in your report.
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Use the result as evidence with a defined scope:
- Symptom persists with all extensions disabled: an extension is not required for this occurrence. Check modified settings, workspace configuration, project tools, files, or VS Code behavior.
- Symptom disappears with all extensions disabled: one extension or an interaction involving extensions is implicated. The broad test does not identify the contributor.
- Empty Profile fixes it but disabling extensions alone does not: a modified setting, profile state, or the combination of settings and extensions is a stronger lead.
- Bisect identifies a candidate and re-enabling it reproduces the same symptom: the candidate is supported as a contributor under the tested conditions. Phrase the report as “reproduces in this workspace and configuration,” not as a universal claim that the extension is defective.
- The issue appears only with two extensions enabled: test each extension alone and then the pair. Some conflicts are interactions rather than a fault in either extension by itself.
- The issue is intermittent: collect more baseline runs and state the observed frequency or uncertainty. A single successful run with extensions disabled is weak evidence for a nondeterministic failure.
Do not uninstall an extension merely because a disablement test changed the symptom. Disablement is reversible and gives you a chance to report a reproducible case to the extension author or VS Code team.
Common pitfalls and recovery steps
Changing several variables at once
Updating VS Code, changing a setting, switching workspaces, and disabling extensions in one attempt destroys the comparison. Return to the original workspace and profile, restore the setting, and repeat the baseline before testing one variable.
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Bisect’s narrowing logic depends on your “problem present” or “problem absent” response. If the symptom is not the same, stop and establish a reliable reproduction rather than selecting an answer to continue.
Testing a different file or language
Language-specific activation can make an extension appear harmless in one file and involved in another. Use the same file type, language mode, and project each time.
Forgetting workspace scope
An extension disabled only for one workspace can remain active elsewhere. Record whether the gear-menu action was global or workspace-specific, and do not compare the two scopes as if they were identical.
Restoring everything at once
After a successful broad disablement, re-enable extensions in small, documented groups. If the symptom returns, disable half of the last group and repeat; this recreates a smaller manual bisect without losing the evidence.
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Leaving diagnostic logging enabled
Keyboard shortcut troubleshooting is intended for a focused capture. Toggle it off after collecting the relevant Output-panel lines so later normal use is not confused with a diagnostic session.
Prepare a precise issue report
A good report lets someone else reproduce the same comparison instead of guessing at a cause. Include:
- VS Code version and operating system.
- Workspace path or project type, profile name, and whether the issue is workspace-specific.
- The exact reproduction steps, including file, language mode, command, or shortcut.
- Expected and actual behavior, plus whether the symptom is consistent or intermittent.
- Output from
code --list-extensions --show-versions, or at least the IDs and versions of extensions involved in the test. - Results with all extensions enabled, with the suspected extension disabled, with all extensions disabled or
code --disable-extensions, and in an Empty Profile when used. - For shortcut cases, the detected key and invoked command from the Keyboard Shortcuts Troubleshooting log, along with any duplicate bindings shown by Show Same Keybindings.
- The exact condition under which the symptom returned after re-enabling an extension.
Use neutral wording such as “The save action fails in workspace X when extension ID Y version Z is enabled; it succeeds in an Empty Profile and fails again when Y is re-enabled.” That records evidence without claiming a defect beyond the tested configuration.
A compact decision path
- Can you reproduce the symptom with fixed steps? If not, make the reproduction more precise before changing extensions.
- Does
code --disable-extensionsor Disable All Installed Extensions change it? If no, investigate settings, workspace files, and core behavior first. - If yes and many extensions are enabled, run Help: Start Extension Bisect and answer each prompt from the same reproduction.
- If only a few extensions are plausible, disable and re-enable them one at a time, globally or for the workspace as appropriate.
- If extension-only testing is inconclusive, compare an Empty Profile to include modified settings in the isolation.
- For key combinations, capture the dedicated shortcut log and inspect duplicate bindings.
- Repeat the original action after the suspected change and document the exact conditions in the report.
This process narrows a configuration problem while preserving a reversible path back to normal work. Its strongest conclusion is conditional: a particular extension or interaction contributes to the symptom under the tested VS Code version, platform, workspace, profile, and reproduction steps.
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