I had the same problem described here, new install of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. I installed VS Code from conda.

Discovered that if you run the following

code --verbose

It will tell you what is going on with Code. In my case

code --verbose
[main 20:19:26] Startup error: 
Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/home/<user>/.config/Code/CachedData'

sure enough the folder ~/.config/Code had root access permissions for some reason. Deleted the folder using sudo.

rm -rf /home/<user>/.config/Code 

Tried again to run code and it working fine.

Answer from Robin G on askubuntu.com
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Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › supporting › troubleshoot-terminal-launch
Troubleshoot Terminal launch failures
November 3, 2021 - You can check and disable compatibility mode by right-clicking on the VS Code executable, select Properties, and then uncheck the Run this program in compatibility mode option in the Compatibility tab.
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Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › setup › linux
Visual Studio Code on Linux
November 3, 2021 - When you see this notification, it indicates that the VS Code file watcher is running out of file handles that are needed to implement file watching. Most often this can happen when opening a workspace that is large and contains many files.
Discussions

Why can't I open Visual Studio Code on Linux? - Stack Overflow
From the VSCode website "The code ... already open in the current directory will not bring VS Code into the foreground. This is a feature of the OS which can be disabled using ccsm." I know you said centos, but I'd check to see if its running minimized somewhere anyway ... Did you use the official Microsoft repo: linuxize.com/post/how-to-install-visual-studio-code-on... More on stackoverflow.com
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visual studio code 1 fails to launch on ubuntu using xrdp - Stack Overflow
I've installed vscode 1.0 on ubuntu 14.4 LTS. It works fine if I log in locally with unity desktop and type the "code" command in the terminal. However, when I rdp into the box I have to use xfce4 More on stackoverflow.com
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Visual Studio Code installed but won't open?

Run the Terminal app then launch Visual Studio Code from the command line via the command code. Does that work? My guess is your container is not running and sometimes you have to launch Terminal first to get it to fire up. If Terminal won't open as well then you should try restarting Termina VM via crosh with the comand vmc stop termina and vmc start termina. Then launch Terminal, then launch code. If it starts from the shell it should launch from the icon in the Launcher. If all that fails try a power off and cold start and try again.

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August 2, 2018
Visual Studio Code can't run in Ubuntu 18.04 - Stack Overflow
I have been using VSCode for a while and never had any big problem with it. Today I tried to start my VSCode from left taskbar on my Ubuntu 18.04 and it not showing up. Also, I tried to run in term... More on stackoverflow.com
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 67954669 › why-cant-i-open-visual-studio-code-on-linux
Why can't I open Visual Studio Code on Linux? - Stack Overflow
This is a feature of the OS which can be disabled using ccsm." I know you said centos, but I'd check to see if its running minimized somewhere anyway ... Did you use the official Microsoft repo: linuxize.com/post/how-to-install-visual-studi...
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Arch Linux Forums
bbs.archlinux.org › viewtopic.php
[SOLVED] VS Code not starting up / Newbie Corner / Arch Linux Forums
January 9, 2020 - I once had that folder as well, filled with an extension folder and an argv.json file. After removing /usr/data starting code-oss worked. Seems like I tried running it with sudo, so the files where created in /usr and since then code tried to load the config from there. I used visual-studio-code-bin (from the AUR) previously.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/crostini › visual studio code installed but won't open?
r/Crostini on Reddit: Visual Studio Code installed but won't open?
August 2, 2018 -

Hey guys, I'm new to this (just got my chromebook yesterday and have zero experience with linux). I've just installed Visual Studio Code using the commands from the wiki on this sub and it installed just fine, but won't open. It shows up in my launcher but when I click it it appears blacked out with a perpetual loading symbol on the shelf. From there the only thing I can do is close it. Anyone know a fix for this? I need Visual Studio Code for my university and I'd rather not lug my heavy/shitty windows laptop with me to and from uni (I walk and my windows laptop weighs about 10 pounds). Thanks in advance.

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GitHub
github.com › microsoft › vscode › issues › 72214
VS Code Does Not Open Ubuntu 18.04 VM · Issue #72214 · microsoft/vscode
April 12, 2019 - VS Code will not open via code command nor icon. When I run code --version I receive the following message: /snap/code/6/electron-launch: line 28: /snap/code/6/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gdk-pixbuf-2.0/gdk-pixbuf-query-loaders: No such file or directory /snap/code/6/usr/share/code/bin/code: line 35: /snap/code/6/usr/share/code/bin/../code: No such file or directory
Author   t-mccawley
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GitHub
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VS Code not opening in Ubuntu 20.04 · Issue #129978 · microsoft/vscode
August 2, 2021 - Thereafter, I closed VS Code and tried opening another project, only to see nothing. I disabled all extensions but still, same. When I code . --verbose, I got : /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgvfsdbus.so: undefined symbol: g_date_time_format_iso8601 Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgvfsdbus.so (code:289448): Gtk-WARNING **: 17:25:40.420: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:1511:23: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid property name (code:289448): Gtk-WARNING **: 17:25:40.425: Theme parsing error: gtk.css:3437:25: 'font-feature-settings' is not a valid proper
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GitHub
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VS code doesn't launch in Ubuntu 1804 · Issue #64011 · microsoft/vscode
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VS Code not responding on launching · Issue #188397 · microsoft/vscode
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Super User
superuser.com › questions › 1822375 › i-can-not-start-microsoft-visual-code-on-ubuntu-22-04-anymore
linux - I can not start Microsoft Visual Code on Ubuntu 22.04 anymore - Super User
December 19, 2023 - The problem is with Ubuntu 22.04 windowing system. You need to change from Wayland to X11 aka Xorg in the Ubuntu login window at the beginning of your session. Before you login change to Xorg in the setting wheel located in the right corner.
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Stack Overflow
stackoverflow.com › questions › 74333015 › visual-studio-code-is-not-launching-in-linux-even-though-it-is-in-the-path
visual studio code is not launching in linux even though it is in the path - Stack Overflow
My Display was not set.It was unset while doing other debugging. reverting it make the window app launch from terminal. DISPLAY is part of your linux serverx, usually the linux terminal doesn't support launching the window applications from terminal until the display is configured.
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GitHub
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October 6, 2023 - Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes/No VS Code Version: 1.83.0; e7e0370; x64 OS Version: Ubuntu: 20.04.6 LTS (Focal Fossa) Steps to Reproduce: Install vscode-1.81.1 Upgrade via software updates from the Ubuntu st...
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Manjaro Linux
forum.manjaro.org › support › software & applications
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December 5, 2023 - I’ve installed Manjaro Gnome almost 2days Ago and I also installed the VS- Code as well, but yesterday when i tried to open VS-code it did not open and run at all it IDK why but I’m very upset as i’m a beginner with Manj…
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 3854225 › every-time-i-open-the-visual-studio-code-applicati
Every time I open the visual studio code application it asks me to install linux - Microsoft Q&A
May 21, 2025 - That error is usually caused by having the Windows Sub-system for Linux (WSL) enabled on your PC, if so, disable WSL and that should resolve the popup in VS Code.
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GitHub
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Visual Studio Code will not start on Debian 8.5 over VNC · Issue #9016 · microsoft/vscode
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Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com › docs › configure › command-line
Command Line Interface (CLI)
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