Published May 1, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT
Zunaid Ali first became interested in technology after using a computer for the first time in 2006. He's been producing how-to content since 2018, reaching thousands of people in the process.
As a kid, Zunaid used to read tech tutorials and troubleshooting guides on popular blogs. That made him want to start his own writing career. After the coronavirus pandemic, he finally decided to jump into the tech writing world. Before joining How-To Geek, he had written for HecticGeek, Distroid, and UbuntuPIT, among others.
Zunaid first tried Linux when he wanted to learn Web Development in 2021. Due to his inexperience, he messed up his laptop trying to dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows. Frustrated, he went all-in with Linux and removed Windows completely. And that's when he fell in love with it. He's been actively experimenting with Linux since then.
After finding his first writing gig on Linux in April 2022, he decided to specialize in it so he could share his knowledge and insights with fellow open-source enthusiasts. He joined How-To Geek in September 2023 and has been writing as a freelance contributor since then.
Zunaid is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Information & Communication Technology. When he's not writing, he's reading tech blogs, coding fun projects, or learning about new technologies. Other than Linux, he also has an interest in Android Development and Cybersecurity. He has experience in C/C++, Java, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and Python. You can find some of his hobby projects on his GitHub.
VS Code is a fantastic editor until you realize that some of the default settings aren't optimized for most of us coders. I've been tweaking VS Code settings to see how I could turn this favorite code editor of ours into a more refined version that causes less annoyance while coding. These changes take about 10 minutes to set up. But once you do, VS Code feels faster, calmer, and much easier to trust.
To follow along, you'll be tweaking the "settings.json", a JSON file of VS Code. To do that, open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac. In the search bar, type "JSON" without the quotes. Click on "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)." Any JSON you see in the upcoming sections, you'll paste them inside the curly braces in this JSON file.
Auto save
No need to have a saving OCD after typing every line
If you’re hitting Ctrl+S every few seconds, you’re not alone. It’s muscle memory at this point. But it’s also unnecessary friction. Auto Save removes that completely. Here's the setting:
"files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
"files.autoSaveDelay": 1000Now your files save automatically after a short pause. You write code, pause for a second, and it’s saved. It sounds small, but it changes how coding feels.
There have been instances where I forgot to save a file in a large codebase. As a result, my new code was not working in my tests. I was doing everything I could to fix the problem, only to discover that there were unsaved files. That's when I learned how useful auto-save can be.
If you prefer a bit more control, you can use:
"files.autoSave": "onFocusChange"This saves files when you switch tabs or leave the editor. It's great if you’re working with scripts or tasks where timing matters.
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Format on save
Clean code automatically
Messy formatting is one of those things you notice just enough to be annoyed by but not enough to fix every time. That’s where format on save comes in.
"editor.formatOnSave": trueNow every time you save a file, VS Code formats it for you. Indentation, spacing, alignment, it just fixes itself. This is great when you're writing HTML pages, and the indentation can make these really hard to read. Manually fixing them is time-consuming and cumbersome.
If you’re using Prettier (which I highly recommend for frontend development), you can make it your default formatter:
"[javascript]": {
"editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
}Auto-formatting removes the need for manual cleaning so that you can code consistently. You can stop thinking about style entirely.
Word wrap
Never scroll sideways again
Horizontal scrolling is one of the fastest ways to break your flow. You’re reading a long line, it disappears off the screen, and suddenly you’re dragging the scrollbar back and forth trying to piece things together.
Just turn on word wrap:
"editor.wordWrap": "on"Long lines now wrap naturally within the editor window, making everything easier to read, especially JSON, logs, markdown, and JSX. The next time you need to read a long line, no need to reach out for your mouse again. If you don’t want it on all the time, there’s also a quick toggle. Turn it off using Alt+Z.
Reduce visual noise
VS Code tries to be helpful by showing you everything: a minimap, breadcrumbs, inline hints, and more. But more information isn’t always better. Sometimes it’s just noise. If your editor feels visually busy, try turning a few things off:
"editor.minimap.enabled": false,
"breadcrumbs.enabled": false,
"editor.inlayHints.enabled": "off"This strips the interface down to what actually matters: the editor and your code. If you prefer a minimalist setup, this can be a game-changer.
That said, this one is personal. Some people love the minimap or breadcrumbs. But if you’ve never questioned them, it’s worth trying a cleaner setup. You might find it surprisingly refreshing.
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IntelliSense control
Make autocomplete less annoying
Autocomplete is great, until it isn’t. By default, VS Code can be a bit over-eager. Suggestions pop up while you’re typing strings, writing comments, or just thinking through something. It starts to feel less like help and more like an interruption.
You can tone it down with:
"editor.quickSuggestions": {
"other": true,
"comments": false,
"strings": false
},
"editor.suggestOnTriggerCharacters": falseThis keeps suggestions where they’re useful, like the actual code, and removes them where they’re distracting, such as comments and strings. The result? Autocomplete feels more intentional. It shows up when you need it.
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Make VS Code feel like your editor
None of these settings is revolutionary. They’ve been there the whole time. But together, they remove a surprising amount of work. Interestingly, VS Code has many other such hidden features that make coding more enjoyable and make you a better programmer.