1. Launch the Extensions Marketplace by the button in the sidebar, as shown in the image above.
2. Type the word Setting into the search bar at the top.
3. Identify the Settings Sync entry in the list and click Install.

Next, you will connect the extension to GitHub.

Settings Sync will display setup instructions in the Editor Window when it has installed.

1. Click the LOGIN WITH GITHUB button as shown in the image above.

Next, you will open GitHub inside VS Code.

Settings Sync needs to access GitHub from within VS Code.

1. Click the Open button as shown in the image above.

GitHub needs you to authorize Settings Sync.

1. Click the Authorize shanalikhan button as shown in the image above.

Sync Settings should now be installed. As this is a first-time installation*, there’s no existing Gist to select.

1. Check that the Success! message has appeared in your web browser and close the tab.
2. A message with the heading Select Your Existing Gist will appear in the VS Code Edit Window. Click the blue SKIP button.

A new Gist will be created automatically in Step 7.

1. Click the Manage button on the VS Code sidebar.
2. Choose Command Palette from the pop-up menu.

1. Type sync into the Command Palette search bar.
2. Click the command Update/Upload Settings.

The extension will automatically create a record of your current VS Code settings and upload it to a new secret Gist at GitHub.

In the next step, you will check that the new file has been created.

Settings Sync works by creating a JSON file that lists information about your VS Code environment. The file is rebuilt from the current environment when you issue the Update/Upload command (see Step 7). You should do this every time that you make a significant change to your setup.

The simplest way to verify the file is to open it in GitHub.

1. Sign-in to GitHub and click the account avatar in the top right of the UI.
2. Select Your gists from the dropdown menu.
3. Find a recent entry for cloudSettings and open the file. Check the date and the metadata to make sure it is a correct record of your setup.

Because the settings are stored on GitHub, installing them in VS Code on multiple machines is easy.

1. Install VS Code and follow the steps in this guide until Step 5. You should then see a list of existing settings files retrieved from GitHub.
2. Choose a file (usually the most recent). Your current machine’s VS Code will be updated with your preferred settings.

For additional help, refer to the extension’s notes.

We hope that this guide has saved you some serious VS Code hassle! Don’t forget to let your friends know how easy it is to keep your settings safe, whatever happens.