How to Open VS Code from the macOS Terminal with the code Command

vscodemacosterminalzshcli

Once you get used to it, code . becomes muscle memory: one line in the terminal and the current folder opens straight in VS Code. But right after a fresh install, you usually hit this:

TEXT
zsh: command not found: code

That just means the code command isn't in your PATH yet. Registering it takes a minute. Let's walk through it.

Option 1: Register from the Command Palette (recommended)

This is the simplest and most official approach.

  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Open the Command Palette with Cmd + Shift + P.
  3. Type Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH and run it.
  4. Restart your terminal.

This creates a symlink at /usr/local/bin/code. Since /usr/local/bin is already on your PATH by default, the command works right away.

Option 2: Add it to PATH manually

If Option 1 doesn't work or you prefer to wire it up yourself, add VS Code's bin directory to your shell config. macOS ships with zsh these days, so add this to ~/.zshrc:

Bash
export PATH="$PATH:/Applications/Visual Studio Code.app/Contents/Resources/app/bin"

Then reload the config:

Bash
source ~/.zshrc

Verify it works

Confirm the command is registered:

Bash
which code   # prints a path if it worked
code .       # open the current folder
code ~/projects/my-app   # open a specific folder

When it still doesn't work

If command not found: code keeps showing up after you installed it, it's almost always one of these two things.

1. Your shell and config file don't match

You're on zsh, but you added the PATH to ~/.bash_profile or ~/.bashrc. Check which shell you're actually running:

Bash
echo $SHELL

If it returns /bin/zsh, your config belongs in ~/.zshrc. If it's /bin/bash, use ~/.bash_profile.

2. VS Code isn't in /Applications

If you're running VS Code from your Downloads folder or Desktop, the path above won't resolve. Move VS Code into /Applications, then run Option 1 again.

Wrap-up

  • The easiest path is the Command Palette's Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH.
  • If that fails, check your shell type (echo $SHELL) and where VS Code is installed (/Applications).
  • Restarting the terminal after registering is required.

Set it up once and code . becomes second nature. Going back to dragging folders onto the Dock icon never quite feels the same.