You can read this article or you can watch a video of me going over my vs code setup

This is my 2025 VS Code setup—clean, minimal, and optimized for productivity. No unnecessary clutter, just the tools that help me code faster and better.

THEME & UI SETUP

Alright, first things first—the look. If I’m staring at my editor for hours, it better look good and help me focus.

Theme: Monokai Pro

 I’m rocking Monokai Pro specifically the filter risterro version. i’d sometimes switch between different version but i mostly use the filter risterro version—it’s easy on the eyes and keeps things smooth, it is high contrast but not too contrasty to distract your eyes. One cool thing about this theme is that it makes syntax highlighting really intuitive, so you can spot functions, variables, and keywords instantly.

Icon Pack: Material Icon Theme

Now if you know me you’ll know i’m really obsessed about Icons, i genuinely can’t stand ugly icons. i’ve tried different icon packs for VScode but Material Icon Theme is the only one that satisfies my obsession.
it gives files and folders clean, distinct visuals so I can spot what I need instantly. I really like how it makes different file types easy to differentiate without me even having to look hard.

Font Choice: Iosevka

Now this is a one for some reason nobody talks about but your font matters more than you think. Vs code comes default with either Consolas or Menlo depending on your operating system. but just like icons i really can’t stand the default fonts of vscode

I’m using Iosevka —it’s clean, sharp, and has ligatures that make my code way easier to read. Aside from the ligatures One thing I love about this font is how gameified it looks, it just makes writing code fun!

MUST-HAVE EXTENSIONS

Alright, let’s talk extensions. These are the ones I install on day one whenever I set up VS Code:

1. Bracket Pair Colorizer

In my early days i used to get lost in nested code all the time until i heard about Bracket Pair Colorizer. It color-codes your brackets so you hardly lose track of scope. One thing I love is that it makes debugging way easier—just follow the colors, and you’ll always know which bracket belongs where.

2. Error Lens

Now this is one i literally installed 2 weeks ago that completely changes how i debug code. The default error panel? just has too much clicking involved. Error Lens shows errors right in your code—no extra steps. Spot it, fix it, move on. i used to hate at first because it was distracting visually but that’s kinda the point to distract you until you fix the error.

3. GitHub Copilot

We all have it we all use it. AI-assisted coding is a cheat code and it’s here to stay. Copilot helps me autocomplete entire functions before you even think of them. It’s like having an extra brain while coding. if i’m being real, i havent been using it much lately because it takes away the excitement of figuring things out when coding. sure it has context of your code and can predict what you’re going to do next and suggest it for you but that took away the fun of me doing it because at this point i’m no longer coding i’m just accepting suggestions.

4. Prettier + ESLint

Nobody has time for ugly code right. Prettier and ESLint are like Batman and Robin.

Prettier auto-formats everything. ESLint keeps your syntax clean. Install them, turn on Format on Save, and never think about it again. I love how this makes collaboration easier—your code is always formatted consistently, no matter what.

5. GitLens

I feel like this one is a no brainer for everyone who uses git especially if you collaborate with a team , GitLens is a must. It shows who wrote what, when, and why—inside VS Code. No more switching to GitHub for commit history. One thing I really appreciate is how you can see when a line was last edited, which is a game-changer when debugging.

PRODUCTIVITY HACKS

Now that VS Code looks good and has the right extensions, let’s make it work smarter.

1. Multi-Cursor Magic

If you need to edit multiple places at once? Hold Alt (Windows) / Option (Mac) and click where you need. Boom, multi-cursor editing. this is amazing for making quick refactors across multiple lines.

2. Auto-Save & Format on Save

Now this aint for everybody but if you hate pressing Cmd + S every two minutes. Turn on Auto-Save and Format on Save—your code stays clean automatically. I like this because it keeps my workflow smooth—I never have to worry about forgetting to save or format.

4. VS Code Snippet Generator (Cmd + Shift + P → Snippets: Configure User Snippets)

this is the one that when i found out about it i was too excited but in vs code you can create snippet generators that generate code snippets for you. for example “afetch” automatically generate an asynchronus fetch function for me. “eh” generate an error handler snippet for me. all you need to do is hit cmd + shit + p and search “configure snippets” then click create global snippet file if you havent done this before and you can literally customize this json file to generate any kind of snippet you want. i dont know i still find it crazy you can do that.

But yeah that’s my 2025 VS Code setup!
Clean, minimal, and crazy efficient. What are some must-have tools in your setup? Drop them in the comments—I’m always looking for new ways to optimize my own setup. Thank you guys for watching an i’ll see you guys in the next one.

Watch youtube video