While using the software for this course, your computer’s keyboard language must be set to English. If needed, please follow these instructions to change your keyboard language.
Preliminary notes:
If you already have a version VS Code on your current laptop and you have used it to write Java code, you don’t need to reinstall it. Instead, you should return to Lab 0 and complete the final task.
If you run into any issues with the following method of installing VS Code, see below for an alternative method.
You are also welcome to use a different IDE for Java if you prefer.
Here are the steps:
If you already have a version of VS Code on your laptop but you have not yet used it for Java, begin by uninstalling your current installation of VS Code along with any versions of Java that may be on your machine.
Click on the following link to download the installer: https://aka.ms/vscode-java-installer-win
Go to your Downloads folder and find the downloaded file. Its name should begin with JavaCodingPack.
Double-click the icon for the downloaded file to start the installer. If prompted to do so, click Run.
Important:
If you receive a message indicating that Windows is preventing the app from starting, click the link for More info and then click the Run anyway button.
If you receive a message indicating that you need go to the Microsoft Store to find the necessary app, you may be running in S mode, which you should unlock by following the steps found here.
If you receive this message and you are not running in S mode, you may need to allow Windows to download apps from outside the Microsoft Store. Use the Start button to search for Installing apps and select the option for Choose where to install apps. In the resulting screen, choose either Anywhere or Anywhere, but warn me....
You should be able to use all of the default settings that the installer gives you. Wait for it to complete the installation and then click Finish. You can now delete the installer program.
The installer should put a shortcut for Visual Studio Code on your Desktop, or you can use the Windows button in the lower-left corner of your Desktop to search for Visual Studio Code. Either option can be used to run the program.
If you already have a version of VS Code on your laptop but you have not yet used it for Java, begin by uninstalling your current installation of VS Code along with any versions of Java that may be on your machine.
Follow steps similar to the ones given above to download and install just VSCode (without Java support): https://code.visualstudio.com/sha/download?build=stable&os=win32-x64-user
Then, once VSCode is fully installed, install the Extension Pack for Java by clicking here.
Once the Extension Pack is installed, exit VS Code and restart it before you attempt to use it for coding in Java.
Last updated on September 12, 2025.