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The most effective controls are extension-level Disable commands, Profiles, Workspace Trust, Settings Sync exclusions, and—on managed devices—the extensions.allowed application setting. Disable an extension globally or only in the current workspace when you may need it again; uninstall extensions you have retired; set extensions.ignoreRecommendations to true when recommendation notices are distracting; and use separate Profiles for different toolchains. Keep Workspace Trust enabled for unfamiliar folders, because it reduces automatic exposure but is not an extension allowlist.
Choose the control that matches the problem
VS Code has several controls that look similar but operate at different layers. Choosing the narrowest one avoids turning a temporary troubleshooting step into a permanent change.
| Goal | Use | Scope | What changes | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pause one extension while keeping it installed | Extension gear menu → Disable | Global or current workspace | The extension remains installed but does not activate in the selected scope | Yes |
| Remove an extension you no longer use | Extension gear menu → Uninstall | Installed copy | Removes the extension from VS Code | Yes, by reinstalling |
| Temporarily test VS Code without extensions | Disable All Installed Extensions command | Current VS Code installation | Disables every installed extension for troubleshooting | Yes |
| Stop recommendation notifications | extensions.ignoreRecommendations = true |
User setting | Suppresses recommendation prompts; it does not disable or uninstall anything | Yes |
| Keep different extension sets for different work | Profiles | Profile | Bundles extensions and modified settings for a workflow | Yes |
| Limit what an organization permits users to install | extensions.allowed |
Managed application policy | Applies an administrative installation control | Administrator-controlled |
The extension-management commands and recommendation setting are documented in the VS Code Extension Marketplace documentation. Profiles are described in the Profiles documentation.
Disable or uninstall extensions from the Extensions view
Disable one extension globally
- Open the Extensions view with the Extensions icon or
Ctrl+Shift+Xon Windows and Linux (Cmd+Shift+Xon macOS). - Find the installed extension and open its gear menu.
- Choose Disable. This applies to the extension generally, so it stays off when you open other workspaces.
Disabling is the right first move when an extension is slow, conflicts with another tool, or is suspected of causing an error. Your extension files and configuration remain available, so you can re-enable it from the same menu.
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Disable an extension only in the current workspace
- With the target folder open, open the Extensions view.
- Open the extension’s gear menu.
- Choose the workspace-specific disable command, shown as Disable (Workspace) in current VS Code builds.
This leaves the extension available in other projects. Workspace scope is useful when a repository uses a competing formatter, language server, or test runner, or when a project must remain lightweight.
Uninstall an extension you have retired
Use the extension gear menu and choose Uninstall when you no longer need the extension. Uninstalling removes the installed extension rather than merely preventing activation. If you later need it, install it again from the Extensions view. Do not use uninstall as the first diagnostic step when you are still determining whether the extension caused a problem; disabling preserves a fast rollback.
Disable everything for a diagnostic pass
Run Disable All Installed Extensions from the Command Palette. If the symptom disappears, re-enable extensions in small groups until the cause is identified. This command is a broad switch for investigation, not a replacement for setting a deliberate global or workspace scope afterward.
Decide between global and workspace scope
Use global Disable when the extension is unsuitable everywhere on that installation, such as a tool you have replaced. Use workspace Disable when only one repository has a conflict or when a project specifies a different formatter or language server. Check the active workspace before changing the setting: the same gear menu can present both choices, and selecting the wrong one can make an extension appear to have vanished from unrelated projects.
Silence recommendation prompts without changing installed extensions
Recommendation notices are controlled separately from extension enablement. In the Settings editor, search for extensions.ignoreRecommendations and turn it on, or open the appropriate JSON settings file and add:
{"extensions.ignoreRecommendations": true}
This setting suppresses recommendation notifications while leaving the Recommendations view available when you choose to inspect it. It does not remove installed extensions, prevent an extension from running, or block an administrator from applying an installation policy. If you want to reduce activation or resource use, disable or uninstall the relevant extension instead.
That distinction is useful when a repository contains a recommendation file you do not want to follow automatically. Ignoring recommendations changes the prompts you see; it does not alter the repository or stop you from installing a recommended extension manually later.
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Use Profiles to separate extension sets by workflow
A Profile packages a set of extensions and modified settings for a particular kind of work. For example, you can keep a small default profile for editing and create another profile for web development, data science, or a language-specific toolchain. Switching profiles avoids repeatedly enabling and disabling the same collection of extensions.
Create and switch profiles
- Open the Manage menu (the gear icon) and choose Profiles.
- Create a profile, give it a purpose-specific name, and choose whether to start from the current configuration or an empty setup.
- Install or enable only the extensions needed for that profile, then switch profiles from the same Profiles menu when your task changes.
An Empty Profile disables extensions and modified settings. It is a clean way to determine whether a fault belongs to an extension or setting rather than VS Code core. If the problem vanishes in an Empty Profile, return to the normal profile and re-enable components methodically.
Profiles are organizational boundaries, not security boundaries. A setting or extension can be made available across all profiles when that is intentional; check the profile controls before assuming a change is isolated. The official workflow and profile behavior are covered at code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/profiles.
Keep a profile maintainable
Name profiles for their purpose rather than for a single project, such as “web” or “data.” Keep broadly useful tools in the lean default profile and put language- or stack-specific extensions in the corresponding profile. This makes an extension’s presence easier to explain when you switch tasks and reduces the temptation to install every tool globally. If a setting really should be identical in every profile, apply it across profiles deliberately; otherwise, verify which profile is active before troubleshooting behavior.
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Workspace Trust is the control to use when you do not yet trust a folder or repository. An unfamiliar folder opens in Restricted Mode while you inspect it. In that mode, VS Code disables or limits features that could execute project content, and extensions that have not declared Workspace Trust support may be disabled or constrained.
Review a repository before trusting it
- Open the folder without granting trust.
- Read the Restricted Mode notice and inspect the repository’s configuration, tasks, launch files, scripts, and extension recommendations.
- Review which installed extensions are active and whether each is appropriate for the project.
- Only after that review, use the Workspace Trust command to trust the folder if its contents and origin are acceptable.
Workspace Trust is a security boundary, not an extension allowlist. The official documentation explicitly warns that “Workspace Trust can’t prevent a malicious extension from executing code and ignoring Restricted Mode.” Keep extensions limited to publishers and projects you trust even when the folder is untrusted. See Workspace Trust in VS Code for the current behavior.
Trust-related settings to understand
security.workspace.trust.enabledcontrols whether the Workspace Trust feature is enabled. It is enabled by default; leaving it enabled preserves the Restricted Mode boundary.security.workspace.trust.emptyWindowcontrols trust handling for an empty window. Empty windows are trusted by default.security.workspace.trust.untrustedFilescontrols how VS Code handles loose files that are not opened as part of a trusted folder.extensions.supportUntrustedWorkspacesreflects an extension’s declared support for untrusted workspaces. Overriding that behavior should be reserved for a clear, understood reason.
Defaults and exact behavior can change with the VS Code version in use, so verify these settings in your installation before relying on a particular default. Trust settings reduce automatic execution exposure; they do not prove that an extension is safe.
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Trust is separate from extension selection
A trusted folder can still contain an extension you do not want, and an untrusted folder can still be opened in a window where unrelated user extensions are installed. Treat the trust decision and the extension decision as two reviews: first decide whether the project may run its normal features, then decide which extensions belong in that project or profile. Do not enable an extension merely because a repository recommends it.
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Settings Sync can synchronize extensions and their global enablement state between VS Code installations. That is convenient for a personal workstation and a laptop, but it can also reintroduce an extension you deliberately disabled elsewhere.
Exclude a particular extension from Settings Sync
From the extension’s menu in the Extensions view, choose the action to exclude it from synchronization. You can also maintain an exclusion list in settings with settingsSync.ignoredExtensions. An illustrative JSON entry is:
{"settingsSync.ignoredExtensions": ["example.publisher-extension"]}
Use the extension’s actual identifier in your configuration. Excluding an extension from synchronization does not uninstall it locally; it prevents that extension’s synchronized state from being carried between installations.
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VS Code states that extension synchronization does not occur to or from remote windows such as SSH sessions, development containers, or WSL. A synchronized local list therefore is not a complete inventory for every environment. Review extensions installed in each remote context separately, especially when a team uses different trust and network boundaries.
A practical consequence is that a local disable or ignored-extension entry may not explain what you see in a container or SSH window. Check the Extensions view while that remote window is active and apply its workspace or remote-context controls there. Record remote installations separately if you need a repeatable team setup.
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The synchronization rules and exclusions are documented at VS Code Settings Sync.
Use an organization-wide allowlist when policy is required
Individual users can organize their own profiles and workspace settings, but those choices are not an administrative installation policy. In a managed environment, the relevant application-level control is extensions.allowed. Administrators can use it to control which extensions users may install, together with the enterprise deployment mechanisms documented by VS Code.
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This distinction matters: disabling an extension in one workspace does not stop a user from installing another extension, and setting extensions.ignoreRecommendations only changes notifications. If your organization needs an allowlist, ask the administrator which managed configuration is applied and whether a private marketplace or centrally deployed package is used. The supported options are described in Manage extensions in enterprise environments.
What users should clarify with administrators
- Which publisher and extension identifiers are approved.
- Whether the policy applies to local installations only or also to remote development environments.
- Whether extensions are installed from the public Marketplace, a private marketplace, or a centrally deployed package.
- Who handles exceptions, updates, and removal of an extension that is no longer approved.
These are administrative questions, not settings that a workspace can override. Profiles remain useful for organizing approved tools, but they do not replace the managed application policy.
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The Settings editor can search by a setting ID, an extension name, or a tag. When a setting offers both user and workspace values, the scope determines who sees the change:
- User settings apply across the VS Code installation and its workspaces.
- Workspace settings apply to the current project context and are normally stored with that workspace’s configuration.
Use the Command Palette to run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) or Preferences: Open Workspace Settings (JSON) when you need to edit JSON directly. The user and workspace file locations and scope rules are documented in User and workspace settings.
For extension controls, inspect the extension’s own page in the Extensions view. That page exposes settings contributed by the extension; those are different from the built-in management commands in the gear menu. Keeping that distinction clear prevents a common mistake: searching for a Disable command as if it were a JSON setting.
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Verify the effective value
When behavior does not match your change, search the setting again and inspect whether a workspace value overrides the user value. Check the active profile and whether the window is local or remote. For an extension, look at its gear menu and status in the current workspace rather than relying on another window’s state. These checks explain most apparent inconsistencies without requiring a reinstall.
Practical control plans
When one extension is slowing a project
- Disable the extension for the current workspace.
- Reload the window if VS Code requests it and reproduce the problem.
- If the problem remains, use an Empty Profile or Disable All Installed Extensions to test whether another extension is involved.
- Re-enable extensions in groups, then narrow the cause to one extension before deciding whether to uninstall it.
When you work across unrelated stacks
- Create a lean default Profile with only broadly useful tools.
- Create separate Profiles for groups such as web development and data science.
- Keep project-specific enablement in the workspace or profile rather than changing the global state repeatedly.
- Use Settings Sync with an intentional ignored-extension list so the same profile does not carry unsuitable tools into every machine.
When opening a repository from an unknown source
- Open it in Restricted Mode.
- Inspect tasks, launch configurations, recommended extensions, and the extensions that claim support for untrusted workspaces.
- Disable or remove extensions you do not recognize before granting trust.
- Trust the folder only when you understand what will execute and which extensions will activate.
When a team needs consistent controls
- Define the organization’s approved extension set and determine whether a private marketplace or managed deployment is appropriate.
- Have administrators configure
extensions.allowedat the application level. - Use workspace settings and Profiles for project-specific organization, but do not treat them as substitutes for policy.
- Document how remote windows are handled because Settings Sync does not cover SSH, containers, or WSL endpoints.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Disabling globally when only one project is affected: open the project first and choose the workspace-specific Disable command.
- Uninstalling during diagnosis: disable first so you can restore the extension without reinstalling it.
- Expecting
extensions.ignoreRecommendationsto reduce extension activity: it changes recommendation notifications only; use Disable, Uninstall, or a Profile to control activation. - Assuming Restricted Mode makes every extension safe: Workspace Trust limits many project features but cannot prevent a malicious extension from ignoring the mode.
- Assuming synchronization covers remote development: inspect extensions in each SSH, container, or WSL window because synchronization does not cross those boundaries.
- Editing the wrong settings scope: check whether the Settings editor shows a user or workspace value before saving a change.
- Using a personal preference as an enterprise rule: organization-wide installation control belongs in managed application configuration through
extensions.allowed. - Confusing a profile with a security boundary: use Workspace Trust for unfamiliar code and Profiles for workflow organization; neither substitutes for the other.
- Assuming an ignored extension is removed:
settingsSync.ignoredExtensionsaffects synchronization only. Uninstall or disable the local copy if it should not run there.
A compact checklist
- Pause a questionable extension with Disable; choose global or workspace scope deliberately.
- Uninstall extensions that have no continuing purpose.
- Use Disable All Installed Extensions or an Empty Profile to isolate faults.
- Set
extensions.ignoreRecommendationstotrueonly when you want fewer recommendation notifications. - Create Profiles for distinct workflows instead of maintaining one crowded global set.
- Leave Workspace Trust enabled and inspect unfamiliar projects in Restricted Mode.
- Use
settingsSync.ignoredExtensionsfor extensions that should not follow you between installations. - Review remote windows independently.
- Ask administrators about
extensions.allowedwhen the requirement is a centrally enforced installation policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop VS Code from recommending extensions?
Set extensions.ignoreRecommendations to true in User settings. This suppresses recommendation notifications but does not disable, uninstall, or block extensions.
How can I disable an extension for just one workspace?
Open the project, open the Extensions view, use the extension’s gear menu, and choose Disable (Workspace). The extension remains available in other workspaces.
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Should I disable or uninstall an extension?
Disable it first when you are testing a conflict or may need it later. Uninstall removes the installed copy and is appropriate when the extension has no continuing purpose.
How can I keep different extensions for different projects?
Create Profiles for workflows such as web development or data science, then switch profiles as your task changes. Use workspace-specific Disable for an individual repository exception.
Does Workspace Trust block every extension in an unfamiliar folder?
No. Restricted Mode limits project features and may constrain extensions that do not support untrusted workspaces, but VS Code warns that a malicious extension could ignore Restricted Mode. Use extensions from publishers you trust.
Can Settings Sync control extensions in SSH, containers, or WSL?
Extension synchronization does not occur to or from those remote windows. Review and manage extensions in each remote context separately.
Can my organization block unapproved VS Code extensions?
Administrators can use the managed application setting extensions.allowed, along with approved marketplace or deployment arrangements, to control which extensions users may install.
The Bottom Line
Use Disable for reversible, targeted control; uninstall only what you have retired; use Profiles to separate toolchains; keep unfamiliar folders in Restricted Mode; exclude selected extensions from Settings Sync; and rely on extensions.allowed for centrally managed installation policy.
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