Visual Studio Code v1.50 Changelog

This update is all about making VS Code more flexible and easier to use for everyone. It matters a lot if you code on a lightweight device like a Raspberry Pi, if you rely on keyboard shortcuts, or if you spend a lot of time hunting down bugs in your code.

What's new

• Linux ARM support: VS Code is now officially available for Linux ARMv7 and ARM64. This means you can install and run it on ARM-based computers like a Raspberry Pi or a Chromebook.
• New IntelliSense shortcut: IntelliSense is VS Code's built-in code auto-completion feature. For years, you triggered it by pressing Ctrl+Space, but that key combo is used by Windows and Mac to switch keyboard languages. To fix this clash, they added a new shortcut: Ctrl+I on Windows and Linux, or Cmd+I on Mac.
• Webview Views for extensions: Extension creators can now build custom visual panels that live directly in the sidebar or the bottom panel, making add-ons more interactive.

Improvements

• Settings menu keyboard navigation: The settings menu now acts like a normal list. You can use your arrow keys to scroll through settings and press Enter to edit one, which is a huge win for people who prefer not to use a mouse or who use screen readers.
• Pinned tabs upgrades: Pinned tabs (tabs you want to keep open so they don't accidentally close) are better. You can now choose how they look—normal sized, shrunk, or compact (just showing an icon). They also added a new pin icon so you can unpin a tab with one click, and pressing Ctrl/Cmd+W will no longer close a pinned tab.
• Smoother extension recommendations: VS Code will now bother you less with pop-ups recommending extensions. It will only show one recommendation at a time and won't keep nagging you about ones you've already looked at.
• Better panel layout: The bottom panel (where the terminal and output windows live) now has a setting to always open maximized if you prefer it that way. Also, if the panel is on the bottom, you can make the whole VS Code window much narrower than before.
• Debugging hover details: When you are debugging (stepping through your code to find errors), hovering your mouse over a variable normally shows its current value. Now, if you hold down the Alt key while hovering, it will instead show the helpful documentation notes for that code, which used to be hidden during debugging.

Fixes

• Debug hover sizing: They fixed an issue with the debugging hover box so that it automatically sizes itself correctly, minimizing the need to scroll to read your code's values.
• Update 1.50.1: A follow-up patch was released to address various issues found shortly after the initial launch.

Breaking changes

• Mac Keychain prompt: VS Code changed how it accesses the Mac Keychain (where your saved passwords live). Because of this, Mac users will see a pop-up asking for permission to access the Keychain, even if you already granted it in the past. You just need to click to approve it once more.
• Renamed keyboard shortcuts: If you write custom keyboard shortcuts, a few background labels changed. For example, editorPinned is now called activeEditorIsNotPreview, and editorSticky is now activeEditorIsPinned. You will need to update your custom settings if you used the old names.