How do you format code in Visual Studio Code (VSCode)?

stackoverflow.com › questions › 29973357 › how-do-you-format-code-in-visual-studio-code-vscode

The code formatting is available in Visual Studio Code through the following shortcuts:

On Windows Shift + Alt + F
On Mac Shift + Option + F
On Linux Ctrl + Shift + I

Alternatively, you can find the shortcut, as well as other shortcuts, through the submenu View / Command Palette, also provided in the editor with Ctrl + Shift + P (or Command + Shift + P on Mac), and then searching for format document.

For unsaved snippets

Open command palette (Win: F1 or Ctrl + Shift + P)
Find "Change Language Mode"
Select language e.g. json. By now, the syntax should be highlighted.
Format document (e.g. Open Command Palette -> "Format Document")

Unformat

Select text
Command Palette -> Join Lines

'Show the pics'

Answer from npc2b on Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow

stackoverflow.com › questions › 29973357 › how-do-you-format-code-in-visual-studio-code-vscode

How do you format code in Visual Studio Code (VSCode)? - Stack Overflow

For unsaved snippets

Open command palette (Win: F1 or Ctrl + Shift + P)
Find "Change Language Mode"
Select language e.g. json. By now, the syntax should be highlighted.
Format document (e.g. Open Command Palette -> "Format Document")

Unformat

Select text
Command Palette -> Join Lines

'Show the pics'

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Code Formatting Shortcut:

Visual Studio Code on Windows - Shift + Alt + F

Visual Studio Code on MacOS - Shift + Option + F

Visual Studio Code on Ubuntu - Ctrl + Shift + I

You can also customize this shortcut using a preference setting if needed.

Code Formatting While Saving the File:

Visual Studio Code allows the user to customize the default settings.

If you want to auto format your content while saving, add the below code snippet in the work space settings of Visual Studio Code.

Menu File → Preferences → Workspace Settings

{
  // Controls if the editor should automatically format the line after typing
  "beautify.onSave": true,

  "editor.formatOnSave": true,

  // You can auto format any files based on the file extensions type.
  "beautify.JSfiles": [
      "js",
      "json",
      "jsbeautifyrc",
      "jshintrc",
      "ts"
  ]
}

Note: now you can auto format TypeScript files. Check my update.

Visual Studio Marketplace

marketplace.visualstudio.com › items

Prettier - Code formatter - Visual Studio Marketplace

January 21, 2026 - Extension for Visual Studio Code - Code formatter using prettier

Discussions

How to make vs code format my code constantly?

Not enough details. What language are you trying to format? Not all languages are supported by default. What VSCode Extensions are you using? Even if you have the proper VSCode extension, the extension might need to be configured to point to local software to do the linting. More on reddit.com

r/vscode

15

7

October 8, 2024

What's your approach to auto-formatting your project in VS Code?

Prettier plugin: DO NOT change any of the settings and setup a .prettierrc in your project. Set Prettier as your formatter and format on save. And then thankfully forget about formatting ever again, for you and your team. EDIT: Set your formatter with "Format document with..." > "Configure Default Formatter" More on reddit.com

r/react

13

2

March 17, 2023

Best code reformatting tool?

Mods, we should add a rule that requires people to specify what language they're talking about. OP, unfortunately there is no universal code formatting tool that I'm aware of. Some could be developed to format based on the textmate grammars that exist for all languages, but I don't think it would be very good. Most languages are formatted using extensions (often language servers). Within specific languages, people often debate the best formatter, and how to modify the settings of that tool. What languages do you care about that most? More on reddit.com

r/vscode

6

1

February 6, 2024

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