Visual Studio Code v1.61 Changelog

This update is all about making your coding workspace more flexible and easier on the eyes. It matters most to developers who work with complex files and need to compare code side-by-side, but it also gives everyday users much better visual cues—like highlighting matching brackets and clearly marking files that can't be edited.

What's new

• Split View for a Single File: You can now use the "Split in Group" command to view two parts of the exact same file side-by-side. This is super handy if you're working on a long document and need to look at the top and bottom at the same time without creating a messy window layout.
• Locked Editor Groups: VS Code lets you organize your open files into "groups" (window panes). You can now lock specific groups so that when you click a new file, it won't accidentally open over the file you're trying to keep pinned there.
• Bracket Pair Guides: When you're coding, you use a lot of brackets like { } or ( ). VS Code can now draw faint vertical lines connecting matching pairs, making it much easier to see where a block of code starts and ends. You have to turn this on in your settings.
• Fixed Terminal Dimensions: If you use the built-in command-line terminal, you can now manually set its exact width and height. This is great if you need your terminal to look exactly the same every time you record a tutorial or test an app.
• Jupyter Notebook Upgrades: If you use these interactive coding notebooks, you now get a handy Table of Contents to easily jump to different sections, plus full debugging support to step through your code and fix errors.
• Platform-Specific Extensions: Creators of add-ons (extensions) can now publish different versions of their tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux, so you get the exact right version for your computer.

Improvements

• Clearer File Labels: If a file gets deleted from your computer while you still have it open in VS Code, the tab will now show red text with a line through it. If a file is "read-only" (meaning you can't save changes to it), a little lock icon appears on the tab.
• Better File Comparisons: When you compare two files to see what changed, VS Code used to clutter the screen with long folder paths. Now it just shows the file names, making it much easier to read.
• More Control Over Telemetry: Telemetry is the data the app sends back to Microsoft about how it's being used. You now have a single, simple setting to choose exactly what gets sent: all usage data ("on"), just crash reports ("error"), or absolutely nothing ("off").
• Minimap Transparency: The minimap is that tiny map of your code on the right side of the screen. You can now make its background transparent independently of the text, so it's less distracting.
• Mac File Menu Cleanup: On Mac computers, the "File" menu was a bit confusing. There is now a clear "Open Folder..." option, and "Open Workspace..." was renamed to "Open Workspace from File..." so you know exactly what it does.
• Help Menu Updates: The Help menu got a slight rename to make things easier to find. "Introductory Videos" is now "Video Tutorials," and "Interactive Playground" is now "Editor Playground."

Fixes

• The release notes mention that this update includes general fixes and patches (specifically in updates 1.61.1 and 1.61.2) to address issues found after the initial launch, making the software more stable.

Breaking changes

No breaking changes in this release.