Make it easy for users to import a profile as default

[isidorn]

Some users in the user study were confused about what gets part of the newly imported profile and what will be a part of the default profile.

We should think about Novice users that have just been sent a profile for their work or are using one of the built-in profiles. They have no clue about VS Code, they have no clue about profiles. They do not want to be bothered by profile management. They want to use the one profile they just got.

My suggestion is helping them make the imported profile the default. Maybe we could detect if their default profile is "empty-ish". But I would love to hear better ideas.

[Pindar777]

@isidorn "importing a profile as default" is a very good idea!
I just got aware of the fact that a lot of settings are "offline" if not using the default profile.

[starball5]

Related Stack Overflow question: Why is my VS Code always opened with the default profile?

[jozsefk9]

Related Stack Overflow question: Why is my VS Code always opened with the default profile?

Where is that profile JSON file located please? I would like to edit it but I can't find it.

[LitileXueZha]

Here are a little tricks:

1. change the exported profile json key name to Default
2. MUST change vscode display language to English
3. import profile
4. then it will show a "Overwrite" prompt...

It failed first when I open vscode in my country language, after switch to English, it worked. 🙂

UPDATE: After v1.81.0 you can't overwrite anymore, see this PR #188510, extactly in src/vs/workbench/services/userDataProfile/browser/userDataProfileImportExportService.ts.

[jozsefk9]

I just figured that out these days. Exported profile is the one with `.code-profile` extension. And the `name` is at the beginning of the file, should look like this after changing the name to `Default`: `"name":"Default",` Best, Jozsef K. Sent from mobile phone

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On 13 May 2023 at 15:08, 诸葛林 ***@***.***> wrote: Here are a little tricks: change the exported profile json key name to Default MUST change vscode display language to English import profile then it will show a "Overwrite" prompt... It failed first when I open vscode in my country language, after switch to English, it worked. 🙂 — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe. You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[tddschn]

I want to make my imported profile as default without changing of the name key in the json.

VS Code profiles have been around for quite a while, I wonder why this is still not implemented?

[Mikeyzy]

The easiest way to bypass this for now is to downgrade to version 1.75.0, override the profile, then upgrade to latest
1.75.0.23033
I wish they revert back to old behaviour with a dialog asking if you want to override or not.

[joachim-n]

I just wanted to export my single profile from my old machine to my new machine, and now VS code on my new machine is a mess :(

[pokey]

I had to do a clean reinstall of VSCode because my installation got messed up. Before doing so, I exported my default profile with the hopes of importing it as my default profile after reinstall. Is this not possible? Should I have done something other than exporting the profile to capture my settings? I prefer not to use cloud sync

[MiguelGuthridge]

+1 on this. I'm trying to share a VS Code profile with students in the university course. The current system means that the settings profile that they import doesn't get used by default, which makes the setup process extremely tedious.

[blinpete]

any updates?

@LitileXueZha 's solution didn't work for me cuz vscode wouldn't allow to overwrite the "Default" profile.

I am on vscode v1.82.1

[jay-herrera]

bump +1

[foxydevloper]

Just ran into this when reinstalling my computer, the old way of just overwriting the default profile was patched for some reason, so now this is just a huge pain and i'll have to do what this user suggests to transfer over all my settings:

The easiest way to bypass this for now is to downgrade to version 1.75.0, override the profile, then upgrade to latest 1.75.0.23033 I wish they revert back to old behaviour with a dialog asking if you want to override or not.

here's command to install the old version that supports it: winget install --force -v 1.75.0 vscode

[JackDotJS]

i recently had to reinstall VS code for a number of reasons. i, for one, am not interested in using "the cloud" for every single thing, so i simply exported my profile to keep my settings. upon reinstalling, it was only then did i find out i cannot overwrite the default profile with my original one. "no problem," i naively thought. "surely i can just set this new one as the default!" nope.

im sorry but are you serious right now? do you guys really expect users to just switch profiles every single tIme they open their text editors??? how is this issue nearly a year old and still open?

[ferceg]

Same here, new company laptop, fresh vscode, tried to import my exported profile to Default but it's not possible.

[brokenmold]

No long an option to overwrite, just a blanket "already exists" error. LTS and Insiders.

[nizarzitouni]

@LitileXueZha any news on this?

[Rasmus-123]

Please add this. It shouldn't be this difficult to switch PCs.

I made due with adding --profile "Default2" to my startup link, but it's still very annoying.

[Traveller23]

Please provide the ability to import the default profile. 😢

[onurusluca]

I don't understand how this is even a problem? Why is this even not a default way? Isn't it so difficult to have an option to override the default profile? Please make this possible.

[VladimirMikulic]

+1 on this issue. This needs to be resolved.

[VladimirMikulic]

For those looking for manual fix, here's what works as of Dec 2023:

1. Import your .code-profile file
2. Close VS Code
3. Go to ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>
   • Copy keybindings.json and settings.json files and paste them to ~/.config/Code/User folder
   • Copy extensions.json and paste it to ~/.vscode/extensions folder
4. Open VS Code
5. Switch to Default profile
6. Delete your imported profile

[Roninon]

UPD 11 Dec 2023
Override Default profile like export-reimport with included param "name":"Default" works only on VSCode 1.75 and lower

Direct link to install Win64
Other platforms link

[acoomans]

+1 Made a mess of the default profile thinking there would be a way to clean/reset/reimport later, but no.
Would love to reset or import or delete the Default profile.

[frg-tech]

Why does this feel like they identified an easy way to overwrite your profile, and then "fixed" it by not allowing that anymore?

Downgrading was the answer after futzing way too long with this. There needs to be an option when importing a profile to set it as the new default. Period!

How can this still be a thing?

[SoyDiego]

For those looking for manual fix, here's what works as of Dec 2023:

1. Import your .code-profile file

2. Close VS Code

3. Go to `~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>`
   
   * Copy `keybindings.json` and `settings.json` files and paste them to `~/.config/Code/User` folder
   * Copy `extensions.json` and paste it to `~/.vscode/extensions` folder

4. Open VS Code

5. Switch to Default profile

6. Delete your imported profile

Great solution! Thanks for share.
Now I have my profile Default for my things and Work. Amazing!

[smileBeda]

Make it easy for users to import a profile as default [...] But I would love to hear better ideas.

So here is an idea: provide a setting to set the desired profile as default. Are you so hard sold on this that it is hard to imagine the solution at hand?
Most of the users end up in this mess because vs code forces you to export/import a profile as soon you migrate machines or vs code needs to be re-installed and you do not want to go through hundreds of customizations again.
Initially, it will all be in the "default" profile and after said migration you've to import said profile, effectively becoming a custom profile.

VS Code will even remember this in workspaces, which is OK, but, on new windows still will use said "default" profile, which is not even a real profile, to be honest, at this point.

As for the various hacks as in "edit file | copy file | hey go to X and do Y and screw up Z"

1. Not the entire world is on a Microsoft computer
2. Not the entire world is comfortable editing files in folders that are hidden on purpose
3. It is not the way an app should be handled, at all.
4. Please stop suggesting such "solutions". They are not solutions.

[mataamad]

For those looking for manual fix, here's what works as of Dec 2023:

1. Import your .code-profile file

2. Close VS Code

3. Go to ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>

   • Copy keybindings.json and settings.json files and paste them to ~/.config/Code/User folder
   • Copy extensions.json and paste it to ~/.vscode/extensions folder

4. Open VS Code

5. Switch to Default profile

6. Delete your imported profile

This works on windows too, but the file locations are:
%AppData%\Roaming\Code\User (e.g. C:\Users\MyUsername\AppData\Roaming\Code\User) for ~/.config/Code/User
and
%HOMEPATH%\.vscode\extensions (e.g. C:\Users\MyUsername\.vscode\extensions) for ~/.vscode/extensions

[ReeganExE]

UPD 11 Dec 2023 Override Default profile like export-reimport with included param "name":"Default" works only on VSCode 1.75 and lower

Direct link to install Win64 Other platforms link

Nice, it works.

For Mac users, simply download the dmg file, then open the downloaded app and import.

ARM64: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0/darwin-arm64/stable
Intel: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0/darwin/stable

Insider

ARM64: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0-insider/darwin-arm64/insider
Intel: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0-insider/darwin/insider

[ypxun]

For those looking for manual fix, here's what works as of Dec 2023:

1. Import your .code-profile file

2. Close VS Code

3. Go to ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>

   • Copy keybindings.json and settings.json files and paste them to ~/.config/Code/User folder
   • Copy extensions.json and paste it to ~/.vscode/extensions folder

4. Open VS Code

5. Switch to Default profile

6. Delete your imported profile

In addition, if you can't find files in this path ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id> on mac, maybe here it is ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>.

[starball5]

@ypxun yes, it goes under the user data directory

[x225franc]

this is a joke right ? how come "default" profile was a thing but got removed ? wtf is wrong with us willing to set "custom profile" as default ?

[nharrer]

The paths are different for Windows. Here is what worked for me as of March 2024 in Windows for VSCode Version: 1.87.2 (user setup):

1. Import your .code-profile file

2. Close VS Code

3. Go to `%APPDATA%\Code\User\profiles\<profile id>`
   
   * Copy `keybindings.json` and `settings.json` files and paste them to `%APPDATA%\Code\User` folder
   * Copy `extensions.json` and paste it to `%USERPROFILE%\.vscode\extensions` folder

4. Open VS Code

5. Switch to Default profile

6. Delete your imported profile

Note that I have vscode installed as user setup. For a system installed vscode, the paths are probably different again.

And yes, it's quite annoying that this issue is still not resolved after more than a year!

[dave-alvarez]

For those looking for manual fix, here's what works as of Dec 2023:

1. Import your .code-profile file

2. Close VS Code

3. Go to ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>

   • Copy keybindings.json and settings.json files and paste them to ~/.config/Code/User folder
   • Copy extensions.json and paste it to ~/.vscode/extensions folder

4. Open VS Code

5. Switch to Default profile

6. Delete your imported profile

In addition, if you can't find files in this path ~/.config/Code/User/profiles/<profile id> on mac, maybe here it is ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/profiles/<profile id>.

If anyone runs into this issue with VSCode - Insiders on Mac, the paths where you'll need to perform the manual fix are:
~/Library/Application Support/Code - Insiders/User

~/.vscode-insiders

[smileBeda]

@dave-alvarez not sure what Mac you have, but those paths do not exist on the latest MacOS when installing Visual Studio Code.
The ones provided by @ypxun do exist and appear to work, yet, it is still a hack, and VSCode needs to make an official, proper fix for this.

STOP providing "works for me" hacks that users will apply and possibly break their apps by messing around.

[dave-alvarez]

@dave-alvarez not sure what Mac you have, but those paths do not exist on the latest MacOS when installing Visual Studio Code. The ones provided by @ypxun do exist and appear to work, yet, it is still a hack, and VSCode needs to make an official, proper fix for this.

STOP providing "works for me" hacks that users will apply and possibly break their apps by messing around.

My comment clearly states VSCode - Insiders...

[vladkovac]

UPD 11 Dec 2023 Override Default profile like export-reimport with included param "name":"Default" works only on VSCode 1.75 and lower
Direct link to install Win64 Other platforms link

Nice, it works.

For Mac users, simply download the dmg file, then open the downloaded app and import.

ARM64: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0/darwin-arm64/stable Intel: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0/darwin/stable

Insider

ARM64: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0-insider/darwin-arm64/insider Intel: https://update.code.visualstudio.com/1.75.0-insider/darwin/insider

Today my VS Code settings got corrupted. Luckily I've been able to use backup from my secondary machine, but current versions of VS Code and VS Code Insiders do not allow to overwrite the Default profile. Thanks to this I was able to download both of version 1.75 (thanks to @ReeganExE), overwrite the Default profile, and update to the latest version.

I hope that devs will make this less of a hassle in the future.