An integrated development environment (IDE) makes it easy to write code.

Visual Studio Code is an IDE that works well with a variety of programming languages, including Java ☕.

This tutorial describes how to set up Visual Studio Code and write your first Java program.

Step 1: Install Java

1. Download the OpenJDK LTS release.
2. Double-click the file.
3. Accept all defaults during the installation process.

Step 2: Install Visual Studio Code

1. Download the Visual Studio Code installation program for your operating system.
2. Double-click the file.
3. Accept all defaults during the installation process.

Step 3: Creating a Java Project

1. Start Visual Studio Code:

   

2. Click the extensions icon, circled in red:

   

3. Enter Extension Pack for Java in the text box to find the extension pack, then click the Install button to install the extension:

   

4. Click the files icon in the top-left, then click the Create Java Project button in the bottom-left:

   

5. Click No build tools to create a simple Java project in Visual Studio Code:

   

6. Select a folder location for your Java project. Select Desktop, then click the Select the project location button:

   

7. In the text box, type a project name, for example: myjavaproject. Then press the Enter key.

   

8. If prompted to trust the authors, click the checkbox to trust the authors, then click the Yes button to trust the authors:

   

9. If the Java Help Center window appears, click the x button to dismiss it. Then in the left window pane, expand MYJAVAPROJECT > src and click App.java to show the program in the editor window. App.java is a sample program that Visual Studio Code provides when you create a new Java project:

   

10. Wait a few seconds, then you will see Run and Debug links above the main() method declaration in the editor window. Click the Run button to run the Java program:

    

11. Note the output of the program in the terminal window below the editor window:

    

12. To create a new Java program in the project, right-click the src folder and click New File. Type a program filename, e.g., HelloWorld.java and press the Enter key. Now edit your new Java program in the editor window.

    

🏆 Congratulations!

You are now ready to develop Java programs using Visual Studio Code. This IDE has advanced features such as inline documentation, auto-complete, syntax checking, a debugger, and more. Java program development will be much easier now!

Thanks for reading. 😃

Follow me on Twitter @realEdwinTorres for more programming tips and help.