---
title: "VSCodium"
category: "Code editors"
tagline: "Visual Studio Code built from its open-source code, without Microsoft's telemetry."
source: "Flathub"
package: "com.vscodium.codium"
website: "https://vscodium.com/"
code: "https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium"
---

## What it is

VSCodium is Visual Studio Code built straight from Microsoft's open-source code, with the telemetry turned off and released under the MIT license. It's the same editor: the same interface, settings and keyboard shortcuts.

Extensions come from Open VSX, an open registry, rather than Microsoft's marketplace. Most popular extensions are on both; a few Microsoft-only ones, such as Live Share and the remote development tools, aren't available.

## Why it's here

- **VS Code without the tracking.** No usage data sent to Microsoft.
- **Free software.** Built in the open, from the open-source code.
- **No relearning.** Anyone who knows VS Code knows VSCodium.

## On CoreDesktop

VSCodium is installed from Flathub, instead of VS Code. Open it from the app menu. For an extension only Microsoft's marketplace has, such as Remote-SSH, install VS Code yourself with `flatpak install flathub com.visualstudio.code`, and `update` leaves it alone. Machines that had VS Code from an earlier CoreDesktop have it removed once; its settings stay in `~/.var/app/com.visualstudio.code`. Some of its extensions run local servers; `audit` lists their ports and shows that only this computer can reach them.

`update` keeps VSCodium current with the rest of the Flatpaks.