The most effective controls are built into Visual Studio Code: disable an extension globally or only for the current workspace, uninstall extensions you no longer need, turn off recommendation notifications with extensions.ignoreRecommendations, and use Profiles to maintain separate extension sets. Keep Workspace Trust enabled when opening unfamiliar code, and use the managed extensions.allowed application setting if an organization must restrict installations. These controls solve different problems, so choosing the right scope matters more than changing every setting.
The guide below shows what each control changes, where to find it, and how to avoid common surprises with profiles, synchronization, remote windows, and untrusted folders.
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Choose the control that matches the problem
Extension management commands and settings are not interchangeable. A gear-menu action changes an extension’s state; a setting changes VS Code’s behavior; a Profile changes the collection of settings and extensions used for a workflow.
| Goal | Best control | Scope | What happens | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pause one extension temporarily | Disable from the extension’s gear menu | All windows or current workspace | The extension remains installed but does not run in the selected scope | Yes |
| Remove unused code and files | Uninstall from the Extensions view | Installed copy | The extension is removed; reinstalling is required to use it again | Only by reinstalling |
| Test whether extensions cause a problem | Disable All Installed Extensions or an Empty Profile | Current VS Code environment | Provides a clean troubleshooting baseline | Yes |
| Stop recommendation notifications | extensions.ignoreRecommendations set to true |
User setting | Notifications are suppressed while recommendations remain available manually | Yes |
| Keep different sets for different work | Profiles | Profile selected for the window | Each profile can carry its own extensions and modified settings | Yes |
| Reduce automatic execution in an unfamiliar folder | Workspace Trust and Restricted Mode | Workspace | Untrusted folders limit features and extensions that do not support restricted workspaces | Yes, by choosing to trust later |
| Prevent unapproved installations across a company | extensions.allowed managed application setting |
Organization | Administrators define which extensions users may install | Administrator-controlled |
Disable or uninstall individual extensions
Disable globally
Use this when an extension is useful occasionally but should not load in normal projects.
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- Open the Extensions view in the Activity Bar.
- Find the installed extension and open its gear menu.
- Choose Disable. The global option applies outside any workspace-specific override.
- Reload VS Code if the extension or the editor requests it.
Disabling leaves the extension installed, along with its settings and downloaded package. That makes it the safest first step when you are diagnosing slow startup, unexpected language features, conflicting formatters, or a newly introduced error.
Disable only for the current workspace
A workspace-specific disable is useful when an extension belongs in most projects but conflicts with one repository or is unnecessary for a small codebase.
- Open the target folder or workspace.
- In Extensions, open the extension’s gear menu.
- Choose the command to disable the extension for the current workspace.
- Confirm that the extension page now shows the workspace-specific state.
The setting follows that project context rather than changing every folder you open. If you later open another project, the extension can remain enabled there.
Disable everything for a troubleshooting pass
The Extensions view includes Disable All Installed Extensions. This is a command, not a setting. Use it when you need to establish whether any extension is involved in a problem, then re-enable extensions selectively until the symptom returns. Because the action affects the installed set rather than deleting it, it is suitable for a temporary isolation test.
Uninstall extensions you have outgrown
Choose Uninstall from an extension’s gear menu when you no longer need it. Uninstalling removes the installed extension instead of merely preventing activation. Record any project-level dependency or team requirement before removing an extension from a shared development machine; a colleague may rely on the same tool even if you do not.
For the exact command names and current interface, see the Visual Studio Code extension documentation. Labels can change between releases, so use the gear menu on the extension’s own entry rather than relying on an old screenshot.
Stop recommendation notifications without hiding the marketplace
Recommendations are separate from installed extensions. If notifications are distracting, set extensions.ignoreRecommendations to true. This setting suppresses recommendation prompts; it does not uninstall extensions, disable extensions already installed, or prevent you from opening the Extensions view and browsing recommendations yourself.
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- Open Settings from the gear menu or with the standard Settings command.
- Search for
extensions.ignoreRecommendations. - Enable the option so its value is
true.
Use the Settings editor when you want a searchable description and scope selector. If you prefer JSON, open the appropriate user settings file and add the property:
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"extensions.ignoreRecommendations": trueKeep this change at user scope when you want quiet notifications in every project. A workspace-level value is appropriate only when the choice belongs to one repository and should travel with that project’s configuration. The option controls notification behavior, not an installation policy; organizations that need to control installs should use managed configuration instead.
Use Profiles to separate extension sets
A Profile bundles extensions and modified settings for a purpose. For example, a web-development profile can contain browser tooling and JavaScript support, while a data-science profile can contain notebook and Python-related tools. Switching profiles prevents every workflow from sharing one large, always-active extension collection.
Create a focused profile
- Open the Profiles menu from the Manage gear or the Accounts/Profile control, depending on the current VS Code layout.
- Choose the command to create a profile.
- Name it for the workflow, client, or project family it serves.
- Install or enable only the extensions needed for that profile, and adjust its settings.
- Switch profiles from the same menu when changing tasks.
Keep a small default profile for everyday editing and create additional profiles only when a workflow has genuinely different requirements. This avoids a single global environment accumulating tools for every language and framework you have ever tried.
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An Empty Profile disables extensions and modified settings. It is therefore a stronger isolation test than disabling one suspected extension: if the issue disappears in the empty profile, reintroduce extensions or settings in controlled groups. If the issue remains, the cause is less likely to be an extension or a user-modified setting and more likely to involve the project, VS Code itself, or another tool.
Decide what should be shared across profiles
Some settings or extensions can be applied across all profiles when that is intentional. Reserve that behavior for genuinely universal tools, such as a company-required accessibility aid or a formatter used in every language. A tool that is useful only in one workflow should stay inside that profile; otherwise the profile boundary loses its purpose.
The profile model, including profile creation, switching, and Empty Profiles, is documented in Profiles in Visual Studio Code.
Keep unfamiliar workspaces in Restricted Mode
Workspace Trust is a security boundary rather than an extension allowlist. When you open a folder you have not reviewed, leave it untrusted while you inspect its files and configuration. VS Code opens such a folder in Restricted Mode, which disables or limits features and limits extensions that have not declared support for untrusted workspaces.
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Why trust affects extension behavior
Project files can request tasks, debugging configurations, settings, and other actions. Restricted Mode reduces automatic execution exposure while you decide whether the repository is safe. It does not guarantee safety: the official documentation warns that Workspace Trust cannot prevent a malicious extension from executing code and ignoring Restricted Mode. Install extensions only from publishers you trust, and treat a repository’s request to enable trust as a decision that requires review rather than a routine click.
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Review the relevant trust settings
| Setting | Purpose | Practical guidance |
|---|---|---|
security.workspace.trust.enabled |
Turns Workspace Trust on or off | It is enabled by default; leave it enabled unless you have a specific, understood reason to change it. |
security.workspace.trust.emptyWindow |
Controls whether an empty window is trusted | Empty windows are trusted by default; remember that opening a folder changes the trust context. |
security.workspace.trust.untrustedFiles |
Controls how VS Code handles loose files that are not part of a trusted folder | Choose a behavior that matches your risk tolerance when opening downloaded or emailed files. |
extensions.supportUntrustedWorkspaces |
Overrides an extension’s declared support for untrusted workspaces | Avoid overrides unless you understand why the extension must run in Restricted Mode. |
Defaults and behavior can change with VS Code releases, so verify the current descriptions in the Settings editor. Do not treat an override as proof that an extension is safe; it only changes whether VS Code permits that extension in the untrusted context.
A safe review sequence
- Open the repository without granting trust.
- Read its documentation, configuration, and task or debug definitions.
- Inspect which extensions are installed or recommended for the folder.
- Check the publisher and permissions of any extension you are considering.
- Grant trust only when the source and expected commands are acceptable.
See the complete explanation of Restricted Mode and trust decisions in Workspace Trust documentation.
Control what Settings Sync carries between machines
Settings Sync can synchronize extensions and their global enablement state. That is convenient for a personal workstation, but it can also reintroduce an extension you intentionally removed on another machine.
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Exclude a specific extension
Use the extension’s action in the Extensions view to exclude it from synchronization, or add its identifier to settingsSync.ignoredExtensions. The exclusion concerns synchronization; it does not by itself uninstall the extension or disable it in the current window.
- Open the extension’s gear menu in Extensions.
- Choose the action for excluding the extension from Settings Sync, if shown.
- Alternatively, open user settings JSON and add the extension identifier to the
settingsSync.ignoredExtensionslist. - Verify the exclusion on the other signed-in machines after the next sync.
Keep the exclusion list deliberate. If an extension is required on one machine but inappropriate on another, documenting that exception prevents you from repeatedly “fixing” the same synchronization surprise.
Do not assume remote windows are covered
VS Code states that extension synchronization does not occur to or from remote windows such as SSH sessions, development containers, or WSL. A synchronized local extension list therefore does not describe every extension available in those environments. Review and manage remote-window extensions separately, especially when a container or server has different security and performance requirements.
The synchronization behavior and exclusion options are described in Settings Sync.
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The Settings editor can search by setting ID, extension name, or tag. Searching by the exact ID is the fastest route when documentation gives you a property such as extensions.ignoreRecommendations or security.workspace.trust.enabled.
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User settings versus workspace settings
User settings apply across your VS Code installation. Workspace settings belong to a specific folder or workspace and are saved with that project context in settings.json. Use user scope for a personal preference that should follow you everywhere; use workspace scope when a project’s tooling requires a different value.
The Command Palette provides commands to open user or workspace JSON settings directly. Check the file path and scope before saving: changing a user value when you intended a workspace exception can alter every project, while changing a workspace value may be committed or shared with teammates depending on the repository’s configuration.
Inspect extension-contributed settings
An extension’s Marketplace page and installed-extension details list settings that the extension contributes. Open the extension’s page, read the setting descriptions, and change only the values you understand. This is preferable to copying a block of configuration from an unrelated project, because setting names and supported values can vary by extension version.
Reference material for scope and JSON editing is available in User and workspace settings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Organization-wide installation controls
Individual users can organize their own environment, but those choices are not an enterprise policy. In a managed deployment, administrators can use the extensions.allowed application setting to control which extensions may be installed. The enterprise documentation also covers private marketplaces and deploying extensions to users’ machines.
When an allowlist is appropriate
- Security policy requires approval before executable editor components are installed.
- A support team needs a predictable set of extensions across managed devices.
- Licensing, data residency, or compliance rules restrict which publishers may be used.
- The organization wants centralized deployment instead of relying on each developer to install tools manually.
A workspace preference such as disabling an extension is not equivalent to an administrative installation rule. Ask the administrator which managed configuration applies to your edition and deployment method; users generally cannot override a centrally enforced policy.
See Manage extensions in enterprise environments for the documented application-level control, private marketplace options, and deployment guidance.
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A practical extension-control workflow
Use this sequence when your installation has become crowded or an extension is causing trouble.
- Identify the symptom. Decide whether you are addressing notifications, performance, a workspace conflict, security of an unfamiliar repository, or organizational compliance.
- Choose the smallest scope. Start with a workspace-specific disable for a local conflict; use a global disable for a system-wide issue; use a Profile when the entire workflow differs.
- Disable before uninstalling. A reversible disable preserves the extension while you confirm that it is responsible.
- Use an Empty Profile for uncertain causes. Reproduce the problem with extensions and modified settings disabled, then reintroduce components methodically.
- Review trust before enabling project features. Keep unfamiliar folders in Restricted Mode while inspecting tasks, debug settings, and recommended extensions.
- Check synchronization if a change “comes back.” An extension or global enablement state may have arrived from another synced machine; add an intentional exception to
settingsSync.ignoredExtensions. - Remove genuinely obsolete tools. Uninstall extensions that no project or workflow still requires.
- Document exceptions. Record why a workspace disable, profile-specific tool, or synchronization exclusion exists so it is not mistaken for accidental drift.
Troubleshooting common control failures
The extension still appears after I disabled it
Disabled and uninstalled are different states. A disabled extension remains listed so you can re-enable it. Check whether the disable applies globally or only to the current workspace, then open another project to confirm the intended scope. If the extension still contributes behavior, reload VS Code and verify that a second extension is not providing the same feature.
Recommendations keep appearing
Confirm that extensions.ignoreRecommendations is set to true in the scope that is producing the notifications. A workspace value can be overridden by a user value or vice versa, so inspect the setting’s scope indicators. Remember that the option suppresses notifications only; it does not alter installed or enabled extensions.
An Empty Profile fixes the problem
That result points to an extension or modified setting, not necessarily to one specific extension. Add your usual extensions back in small groups, reproducing the issue after each change. When the symptom returns, narrow the group further. Keep the resulting profile focused instead of restoring every extension to the default environment.
An extension will not run in a downloaded repository
Check whether the folder is in Restricted Mode. Read the extension’s declared support for untrusted workspaces before changing anything. Do not use extensions.supportUntrustedWorkspaces as a reflex; overriding the declaration can increase exposure, and Workspace Trust cannot stop a malicious extension from ignoring restrictions.
An extension reappears on another computer
Review Settings Sync and the extension’s global enablement state. If the extension should remain absent on that machine, exclude it with the Extensions view action or settingsSync.ignoredExtensions. Remote SSH, container, and WSL windows are not synchronized to or from local windows, so inspect those environments independently.
A company policy blocks installation
Do not attempt to work around a managed setting. Contact the administrator and ask whether the extension is absent from the organization’s extensions.allowed policy or whether a private marketplace deployment is required. The administrator can decide whether the extension meets security and compliance requirements.
Keep the setup maintainable
- Use workspace disables for exceptions, not as a substitute for organizing unrelated tools into Profiles.
- Prefer disabling to uninstalling while diagnosing; uninstall only after confirming the extension is no longer needed.
- Keep Workspace Trust enabled and review unfamiliar repositories before granting trust.
- Use exact setting IDs in the Settings editor so you change the intended option and scope.
- Audit synchronized extensions and remote environments separately.
- In managed environments, treat the administrative allowlist as the source of truth.
These controls work together: commands handle the installed extensions you have today, Profiles keep workflows separate, trust limits what unfamiliar projects can activate, synchronization explains cross-machine changes, and managed settings enforce organizational policy.
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