The VS Code Extensions I Actually Use Every Day in 2026

I've been using VS Code as my main editor for 5+ years. In that time, I've installed (and uninstalled) hundreds of extensions. Here are the ones that actually stuck — extensions I use in every project. Productivity Boosters 1. GitLens — Git supercharged Why it's essential : See who wrote every line, when, and why — without leaving your editor. GitLens shows inline blame annotations, a git history sidebar, and lets you compare branches, commits, and more. The free tier is incredibly powerful. Install: eamodio.gitlens My favorite feature : Hovering over a line to see the full commit message and diff. 2. GitHub Copilot (or Codeium for free) I use Codeium instead of Copilot because it's free and surprisingly good. Suggests entire functions based on context Completes repetitive patterns automatically Works with 70+ languages Copilot: GitHub.copilot Codeium (free): Codeium.codeium 3. Prettier — Code formatter Stop arguing about formatting. Prettier handles it automatically. // .vscode/settin