Installing VS Code

Last updated on 2026-08-27 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • How do I install VS Code on my operating system?
  • How do I install the Remote-SSH extension?

Objectives

  • Install VS Code on Windows, Mac, or Linux
  • Install and enable the Remote-SSH extension
  • Enable the critical DUO MFA setting

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Code

VS Code is free and available on all major operating systems.

Windows

  1. Visit code.visualstudio.com
  2. Click the Windows download button (Windows x64 Installer)
  3. Run the downloaded installer and follow the wizard (defaults are fine)
  4. Verify: open PowerShell and type code --version

Mac

  1. Visit code.visualstudio.com
  2. Click the Mac download button (choose Intel or Apple Silicon)
  3. Open the .zip and drag “Visual Studio Code.app” to Applications
  4. Verify: open Terminal and type code --version

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

BASH 

sudo apt update
sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget
wget -q https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main"
sudo apt update && sudo apt install code

Verify: code --version

Linux (Fedora/RHEL)

BASH 

sudo rpm --import https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc
sudo sh -c 'echo -e "[code]\nname=Visual Studio Code\nbaseurl=https://packages.microsoft.com/yumrepos/vscode\nenabled=1\ngpgcheck=1\ngpgkey=https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc" > /etc/yum.repos.d/vscode.repo'
dnf check-update && sudo dnf install code

Step 2: Install Remote-SSH Extension

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Click the Extensions icon on the left sidebar (four squares icon)
  3. Search for “Remote-SSH”
  4. Find Remote - SSH by Microsoft (the official one)
  5. Click Install

You should now see a “Remote Explorer” icon in the left sidebar.

Step 3: Enable Login Terminal for DUO

Callout

Essential: Enable Login Terminal for DUO Authentication

Before connecting, you MUST enable one critical setting:

  1. Open Settings: File > Preferences > Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,)
  2. Search for: remote.SSH.showLoginTerminal
  3. Check the checkbox to enable this setting

Why this matters: Sagehen HPC requires DUO MFA. Without this setting, DUO prompts appear in an invisible terminal and you cannot authenticate. This is the number one reason people cannot connect initially.

Challenge

Challenge: Verify Your Installation

  1. Run code --version in your terminal. Do you get a version number?
  2. Open VS Code and check Extensions. Is “Remote - SSH” installed?
  3. In Settings, search remote.SSH.showLoginTerminal. Is it checked?
  1. code --version should print a version like 1.87.2. If “command not found,” VS Code is not installed or not in your PATH.
  2. Remote - SSH should appear in Extensions with an “Installed” badge.
  3. The checkbox should show a checkmark next to “Show Login Terminal”.
Key Points
  • Install VS Code from code.visualstudio.com for your operating system
  • Install the Remote-SSH extension by Microsoft from the Extensions sidebar
  • Enable remote.SSH.showLoginTerminal in settings – this is required for DUO