PowerToys/doc/devdocs/development/dev-with-vscode.md

Developing PowerToys with Visual Studio Code

This guide shows how to build, debug, and contribute to PowerToys using VS Code instead of (or alongside) full Visual Studio. It focuses on common inner‑loop tasks for C++, .NET, and mixed scenarios present in the solution.

PowerToys is a large mixed C++ / C# / WinAppSDK solution. VS Code works well for incremental development and quick module iterations, but occasionally you may still prefer full Visual Studio for designer tooling or specialized diagnostics.

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VS Code extensions Needed:

Area	Extension	Notes
C++	ms-vscode.cpptools	IntelliSense, debugging (cppvsdbg)
C#	ms-dotnettools.csdevkit (or C#)	Language service / test explorer

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Building in VS Code

Configure Developer Powershell for VS 2022 or Developer Powershell for VS for more convenient dev in vscode.

1. Configure profile in in settings, entry: "terminal.integrated.profiles.windows"
2. Add below config as entry (choose VS 2022 or VS 2026 based on your installation):

For Visual Studio 2022:

    "Developer PowerShell for VS 2022": {
		// Configure based on your preference
        "path": "C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\Microsoft.PowerShell_7.5.2.0_arm64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\\pwsh.exe",
        "args": [
            "-NoExit",
            "-Command",
            "& {",
            "$orig = Get-Location;",
            // Adjust path based on your edition (Community/Professional/Enterprise)
            "& 'C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\2022\\Enterprise\\Common7\\Tools\\Launch-VsDevShell.ps1';",
            "Set-Location $orig",
            "}"
        ]
    },

For Visual Studio 2026:

    "Developer PowerShell for VS": {
		// Configure based on your preference
        "path": "C:\\Program Files\\WindowsApps\\Microsoft.PowerShell_7.5.2.0_arm64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\\pwsh.exe",
        "args": [
            "-NoExit",
            "-Command",
            "& {",
            "$orig = Get-Location;",
            // Adjust path based on your edition (Community/Professional/Enterprise)
            "& 'C:\\Program Files\\Microsoft Visual Studio\\18\\Enterprise\\Common7\\Tools\\Launch-VsDevShell.ps1';",
            "Set-Location $orig",
            "}"
        ]
    },

3. [Optional] Set your Developer PowerShell profile as the default, so that you can get a deep integration with vscode coding agent.

4. Now you can build with plain msbuild or configure tasks.json in below section. Or reach out to "tools\build\BUILD-GUIDELINES.md"

Sample plain msbuild command

# Restore:
msbuild powertoys.slnx -t:restore -p:configuration=debug -p:platform=x64 -m

# Build powertoys slnx
msbuild powertoys.slnx -p:configuration=debug -p:platform=x64 -m

# dotnet project
msbuild src\settings-ui\Settings.UI\PowerToys.Settings.csproj -p:Platform=x64 -p:Configuration=Debug -m

# native project
msbuild "src\modules\MouseUtils\FindMyMouse\FindMyMouse.vcxproj" -p:Configuration=Debug -p:Platform=x64 -m

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Debugging

Existing launch configuration

The repo provides .vscode/launch.json with:

• Run PowerToys.exe (no build): Launches the already-built executable at x64/Debug/PowerToys.exe using cppvsdbg.

Build first, then press F5. To switch configuration (Release / ARM64) either edit the path or create additional launch entries.

Attaching to a running instance

If PowerToys is already running, you can attach to that process:

2. VS Code command palette: “C/C++: (Windows) Attach to Process”.
3. Filter for PowerToys.exe / module-specific processes.

Debugging managed components

Many modules have a managed component loaded into the PowerToys process. cppvsdbg can debug mixed mode, but if you need richer .NET inspection you can create a second configuration using type: coreclr and processId attachment after the native launch, or just attach separately:

Similar for attach to managed code.

Note: In arm64 machine, can only debug arm64 code.

{
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [
        {
            "name": "Run native executable (no build)",
            "type": "cppvsdbg",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}\\x64\\Debug\\PowerToys.exe",
            "args": [],
            "stopAtEntry": false,
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "environment": [],
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "C/C++ Attach to PowerToys Process (native)",
            "type": "cppvsdbg",
            "request": "attach",
            "processId": "${command:pickProcess}",
            "symbolSearchPath": "${workspaceFolder}\\x64\\Debug;${workspaceFolder}\\Debug;${workspaceFolder}\\symbols"
        },
        {
            "name": "Run managed code (managed, no build)",
            "type": "coreclr",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}\\arm64\\Debug\\WinUI3Apps\\PowerToys.Settings.exe",
            "args": [],
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
            "env": {},
            "console": "internalConsole",
            "stopAtEntry": false
        }
    ]
}

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6. Common tasks & tips

Task	Command / Action	Notes
Clean	git clean -xdf (careful) or msbuild /t:Clean PowerToys.slnx	Deep clean removes packages & build outputs
Rebuild single project	msbuild path\to\proj.vcxproj /t:Rebuild -p:Platform=x64 -p:Configuration=Debug	Faster than whole solution
Generate installer (rare in inner loop)	See tools\build\build-installer.ps1	Usually not needed for local debug
Resource conversion errors	Re-run restore + build	Triggers custom PowerShell targets