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VSCodium turns off the editor telemetry enabled by default in Microsoft’s VS Code distribution, but it is not simply the same VS Code with one privacy switch changed. Its default extension gallery is Open VSX, so an extension you rely on from Microsoft’s Visual Studio Marketplace may be missing or may not work in VSCodium. And turning off editor telemetry does not automatically stop every extension or online service from communicating.
That trade-off matters most if your workflow depends on a particular extension, Microsoft’s Marketplace, or telemetry-informed feature experiments. If you mainly want a different distribution with telemetry disabled by default, VSCodium may suit you; first check the extensions and services you actually use.
What VSCodium changes
VSCodium is a community-driven binary distribution built from the open-source VS Code codebase. The project says its binaries are MIT licensed and telemetry is disabled. It builds from Microsoft’s VS Code repository using VSCodium’s own scripts, with different branding and default service endpoints. VSCodium project
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →That makes VSCodium more than a telemetry toggle, but less than a guarantee that the editor and everything installed in it never sends data. The project documents defaults for settings including telemetry.telemetryLevel, telemetry.enableCrashReporter, telemetry.enableTelemetry, workbench.enableExperiments, and Natural Language Search. For a broader check, review settings tagged @tag:usesOnlineServices. VSCodium: Getting all telemetry out
#1 Best Overall
- 【Instant Snap-on Magnetic Attachment】- The Patented Magnetic Privacy Screen – Protected by U.S. Patents 9,829,669 and D844,012. Simply place the privacy screen along the top of your MacBook and let the magnets attach along the top. No need for tricky placement, messy tape, or damaging adhesive. Easily remove and reattach when you need it.
- 【Filter Dimensions】: Width: 12 3/16" (310 mm), Height: 6 7/8" (175 mm), Diagonal: 14" (355.6 mm) - There are two different 14 inch screen sizes, please select the correct one. SightPro Blackout Privacy Filter is engineered to be compatible with Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Samsung, and other laptop brands. Please verify your screen's width and height measurements before ordering. It's not recommended to make your selection based solely on your screen's diagonal size. [Not optimized for touchscreens.]
- 【Superior Privacy】- Our advanced multi-layered film filter blacks out your screen when viewing from the side, while maintaining a crystal clear screen straight-on. It also protects your eyes from harmful UV and blue light. [Note: It does not block visibility directly behind you, regardless of the distance.]
- 【Perfect for Travel and Open Workspaces】- The Laptop Privacy Screen Filter is the ideal solution for healthcare providers, mobile workers, commuters, students, and business travelers. Now you can stay compliant and safeguard sensitive corporate information while working in airplanes, subways, airports, and public areas.
- 【Package Contents】- Each package includes a magnetic privacy screen filter, magnetic stickers, a webcam privacy cover, a storage folder, and a cleaning cloth. Buy with confidence – located in the US, Sight Pro specializes in providing best-in-class privacy solutions to individuals, small businesses, corporations, government, and educational institutions. Our privacy screens are Section 889 and TAA compliant.
Does VSCodium still send telemetry?
Not all telemetry is controlled by the editor’s own defaults. VSCodium warns: “Please note that some extensions send telemetry data to Microsoft as well.” The project cannot control what individual extensions collect or transmit, so inspect an extension’s own settings and privacy documentation if its data practices matter to you. VSCodium: Getting all telemetry out
Network activity is also not synonymous with telemetry. Editors may contact online services for functions such as updates, extension downloads, Settings Sync, or settings search. VSCodium documents GitHub as its app-update URL and Open VSX as its default extension gallery; those connections do not by themselves establish that telemetry is being sent. Microsoft likewise distinguishes online services from VS Code telemetry. VSCodium: Getting all telemetry out Microsoft: Telemetry in Visual Studio Code
Rank #2
- Note: Not suitable for MacBooks released after 2023 or devices with a protruding front camera; Not applicable to full-screen or notch-style tempered glass screen protectors; Do not use on the rear camera of the phone.
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- ✅ 365 Days Protection — Our upgraded 3.0 adhesive ensures a strong hold that won't damage your equipment. Experience reliable, long-term privacy protection day in and day out.
Which VS Code extensions work in VSCodium?
VSCodium uses Open VSX by default, not Microsoft’s Visual Studio Marketplace. The project cautions that some Marketplace extensions may not be available from Open VSX, and availability can change as maintainers publish or update their packages. Its documentation puts the practical concern plainly: “Since that is a rather new project, you will likely miss some extensions you know from the Visual Studio Marketplace.” VSCodium: Extensions + Marketplace
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Missing from the default gallery does not always mean impossible to install. The project suggests asking maintainers to publish to Open VSX, helping arrange publication, or installing a VSIX from an extension’s source release when one is available. Those options depend on the extension’s publisher and release terms; they are not a universal workaround.
Rank #3
- 【Instant Snap-on Magnetic Attachment】- The Patented Magnetic Privacy Screen – Protected by U.S. Patents 9,829,669 and D844,012. Simply place the privacy screen along the top of your MacBook and let the magnets attach along the top. No need for tricky placement, messy tape, or damaging adhesive. Easily remove and reattach when you need it.
- 【Filter Dimensions】: Width: 11 15/16" (304 mm), Height: 7 1/2" (190 mm), Diagonal: 14.1" (358.14 mm) - SightPro Blackout Privacy Filter is engineered to be compatible with Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Samsung, and other laptop brands. Please verify your screen's width and height measurements before ordering. It's not recommended to make your selection based solely on your screen's diagonal size. [Not optimized for touchscreens.]
- 【Superior Privacy】- Our advanced multi-layered film filter blacks out your screen when viewing from the side, while maintaining a crystal clear screen straight-on. It also protects your eyes from harmful UV and blue light. [Note: It does not block visibility directly behind you, regardless of the distance.]
- 【Perfect for Travel and Open Workspaces】- The Laptop Privacy Screen Filter is the ideal solution for healthcare providers, mobile workers, commuters, students, and business travelers. Now you can stay compliant and safeguard sensitive corporate information while working in airplanes, subways, airports, and public areas.
- 【Package Contents】- Each package includes a magnetic privacy screen filter, magnetic stickers, a webcam privacy cover, a storage folder, and a cleaning cloth. Buy with confidence – located in the US, Sight Pro specializes in providing best-in-class privacy solutions to individuals, small businesses, corporations, government, and educational institutions. Our privacy screens are Section 889 and TAA compliant.
Some extensions are restricted to Microsoft’s official build
VSCodium’s documentation names Microsoft debugging tools and Remote Development extensions as examples that may be limited to the official VS Code build. Microsoft says its Marketplace offerings are intended for the Visual Studio family of products and services, and that it does not support extensions in forks of Code – OSS. This is a compatibility and terms issue for particular tools—not evidence that all VS Code extensions fail in VSCodium. VSCodium: Extensions + Marketplace Microsoft: Visual Studio Code FAQ
Check before changing distributions
- List the extensions your work depends on, especially debugging, remote-development, and organization-specific tools.
- Search for each one in Open VSX and check its publisher’s documentation for build restrictions or required services.
- If it is absent, check whether the maintainer offers an Open VSX release or a VSIX from its source release, and whether your organization permits that installation path.
- Test the actual workflows you need—such as debugging or connecting to a remote environment—before moving a project or team to VSCodium.
VSCodium vs. VS Code with telemetry off
Microsoft’s VS Code setting telemetry.telemetryLevel offers all, error, crash, and off. Setting it to off disables VS Code’s own crash, error, and usage telemetry going forward. It does not govern telemetry implemented separately by extensions. Microsoft: Telemetry in Visual Studio Code
Rank #4
- 【Instant Snap-on Magnetic Attachment】- The Patented Magnetic Privacy Screen – Protected by U.S. Patents 9,829,669 and D844,012. Simply place the privacy screen along the top of your MacBook and let the magnets attach along the top. No need for tricky placement, messy tape, or damaging adhesive. Easily remove and reattach when you need it.
- 【Filter Dimensions】: Width: 13.56" (344.5 mm), Height: 8.49" (215.6 mm), Diagonal: 16" (406 mm) - SightPro Blackout Privacy Filter is engineered to be compatible with Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Samsung, and other laptop brands. Please verify your screen's width and height measurements before ordering. It's not recommended to make your selection based solely on your screen's diagonal size. [Not optimized for touchscreens.]
- 【Superior Privacy】- Our advanced multi-layered film filter blacks out your screen when viewing from the side, while maintaining a crystal clear screen straight-on. It also protects your eyes from harmful UV and blue light. [Note: It does not block visibility directly behind you, regardless of the distance.]
- 【Perfect for Travel and Open Workspaces】- The Laptop Privacy Screen Filter is the ideal solution for healthcare providers, mobile workers, commuters, students, and business travelers. Now you can stay compliant and safeguard sensitive corporate information while working in airplanes, subways, airports, and public areas.
- 【Package Contents】- Each package includes a magnetic privacy screen filter, magnetic stickers, a webcam privacy cover, a storage folder, and a cleaning cloth. Buy with confidence – located in the US, Sight Pro specializes in providing best-in-class privacy solutions to individuals, small businesses, corporations, government, and educational institutions. Our privacy screens are Section 889 and TAA compliant.
Microsoft also says disabling usage telemetry disables A/B experimentation for that user and may delay access to a feature until it is generally available. That is a specific cost of turning off usage data in Microsoft’s VS Code distribution; it does not mean every feature rollout is delayed. Microsoft: Telemetry in Visual Studio Code
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Choice | Privacy controls | Extensions and services | Experiments |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSCodium | Telemetry is disabled by default in the project’s binaries; extensions and online-service settings still need separate attention. VSCodium | Open VSX is the default gallery; some Marketplace extensions may be absent or restricted. VSCodium | VSCodium’s cited documentation does not state a comparable experiment-access policy. |
Microsoft VS Code with telemetry.telemetryLevel set to off |
Disables VS Code’s own crash, error, and usage telemetry; extensions may have separate telemetry. Microsoft | Uses Microsoft’s distribution and Marketplace integration. Microsoft says Marketplace offerings are intended for the Visual Studio family of products and services. Microsoft | Disabling usage telemetry disables A/B experimentation for the user and can delay feature rollout until general availability. Microsoft |
The distributions also differ in licensing and product integration. Microsoft describes Code – OSS as MIT licensed, while its VS Code distribution is a Microsoft-licensed product with additional customizations. It says its Marketplace is for Visual Studio products and services. Those distinctions help explain why switching telemetry off inside Microsoft VS Code does not make it identical to VSCodium. Microsoft: Visual Studio Code FAQ
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Compatible Models: Width: 13 9/16" (13.5 inch/344 mm), Height: 7 5/8" (7.6 inch/194 mm), Diagonal: 15.6" (396.24 mm) widescreen laptops which have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Not touchscreen compatible !!! Not fit for 16:10.Do NOT rely solely on your laptop’s diagonal size when ordering. Use a ruler to measure your screen’s visible area (excluding the black bezels). If the width reads 344mm and height reads 194mm, this filter is a perfect match for your device.
- Keep Information Privacy: Effective "black out" privacy from side views outside the 60-degree viewing angle. Designed for optical clarity when viewing from the front, a person not at the front of the screen can only see the dark side of the screen, so it protects buisness secrets and personal privacy
- Eye and Screen Protection: Privacy filter does not only protect your private life but also protects your eyes by blocking 30% of blue light , blocking the harmful blue light between 380 - 495nm, it filters out the blue light and relieves eye strain. Our laptop privacy screen also helps keep your screen safe from dust and scratches
- Perfect For Open Workspaces: Great for maintaining screen privacy in high traffic areas such as open work spaces, airports, airplanes, commuter trains, coffee shops and other public places, etc
- Easy Installation: Choose between 2 simple Options; Slide-On/Off or Mounted. Not touchscreen compatible
How to choose
- Consider VSCodium if you want a community-built distribution with telemetry disabled by default and your required extensions are available and compatible through Open VSX or another permitted route.
- Stay with Microsoft VS Code and adjust telemetry if you depend on a Marketplace-only or official-build extension, or want to retain access to Microsoft’s telemetry-informed experiments while controlling editor telemetry separately.
- Evaluate both in your real workflow if you are unsure: extension availability and service requirements are the practical variables, not a blanket rule that one build supports every extension and the other does not.
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