Is VS Code Down? How to Check Status and Keep Coding During Outages (2026)

TLDR: Check if VS Code is down at apistatuscheck.com/api/vscode. Most "VS Code is down" reports aren't the editor itself — they're the Extension Marketplace, Remote-SSH/Containers, Live Share, or GitHub Copilot backend failing while the local editor keeps running fine.

VS Code itself is a local application — it doesn't need the internet to open a file and let you type. But modern VS Code workflows lean hard on cloud-connected services: the Extension Marketplace, Remote Development (SSH, Containers, WSL), Live Share, Settings Sync, and AI features like GitHub Copilot. When any of those go down, it feels exactly like "VS Code is down," even though the editor is running perfectly.

Here's how to tell what's actually broken, keep working locally, and know when it's safe to blame Microsoft instead of your machine.

Is VS Code Actually Down Right Now?

Before assuming the worst, check independent sources first:

1. API Status Check — VS Code — Independent monitoring with response time history
2. Is VS Code Down? — Quick status check with 24h timeline
3. Azure DevOps Status — Microsoft's official status page (VS Code Marketplace runs on Azure infrastructure)
4. Downdetector — VS Code — Community-reported outages

VS Code's Moving Parts

"VS Code is down" almost always means one specific dependency, not the editor:

Component	What Breaks	Impact
Local editor	Rarely goes "down" — it's a desktop app	Typing, local files, local debugging all keep working
Extension Marketplace	Can't install/update extensions	New installs fail, existing extensions unaffected
Remote-SSH / Containers	Can't connect to remote hosts or dev containers	Remote workflows completely blocked
Remote-WSL	Can't attach to WSL distro	Windows+Linux dev workflow blocked
Live Share	Can't start or join a session	Pair programming broken
Settings Sync	Settings/extensions don't sync across machines	Annoying but not blocking
GitHub Copilot	Completions stop, chat errors out	AI assistance down, editor still works
Git integration	Push/pull/fetch fail	Usually a GitHub/GitLab issue, not VS Code

Key insight: Because VS Code is a local-first app, a "VS Code outage" is almost always a Marketplace, Remote, Sync, or Copilot outage. If you can still open and edit files, VS Code isn't down — one of its cloud dependencies is.

Common VS Code Issues That Aren't Outages

Symptom	Likely Cause	Fix
Extensions won't install	Marketplace outage OR corporate firewall/proxy	Check apistatuscheck.com/api/vscode, then check proxy settings
Editor freezes or crashes	Misbehaving extension, memory leak	Reload window (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"), disable extensions one by one
IntelliSense stops working	Language server crashed	Restart TS/language server from the command palette
Remote-SSH stuck "Connecting"	Stale remote VS Code Server on the host	SSH in manually, delete ~/.vscode-server, reconnect
Copilot suggestions stop	Auth token expired, or Copilot backend degraded	Sign out/in of GitHub, check status.github.com
Git operations hang	Network issue reaching GitHub/GitLab, not VS Code	Test git fetch in a terminal outside VS Code
Settings Sync stuck	Sync service degraded	Turn sync off and back on, or sync manually via Settings export

Monitoring VS Code Dependencies for Your Team

If your team's workflow depends on Remote Containers, a shared dev environment, or Marketplace availability for onboarding new machines, it's worth monitoring the underlying Azure DevOps status feed directly rather than finding out from a Slack message that "VS Code is broken for everyone."

1. API Status Check — Slack/Discord alert when VS Code's tracked status changes
2. status.dev.azure.com — Subscribe to Azure DevOps status updates (backs the Marketplace)
3. RSS feed — Add it to your team's #tools-status channel alongside GitHub and npm

// Health check for Marketplace-dependent CI steps
async function checkMarketplaceHealth(): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
    const res = await fetch('https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery', {
      method: 'HEAD',
    })
    return res.ok
  } catch {
    return false
  }
}

// Use before extension-install steps in CI
const marketplaceUp = await checkMarketplaceHealth()
if (!marketplaceUp) {
  console.warn('Marketplace unavailable — skipping extension install, using cached versions')
}

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The "VS Code Is Down" Checklist

1. Check apistatuscheck.com/api/vscode — confirm it's a real outage, not just you
2. Identify which layer is actually broken — local editor, Marketplace, Remote, Sync, or Copilot are independent
3. Keep working locally — the core editor almost never goes down; most outages only affect cloud-connected features
4. Isolate extension problems — reload the window or run code --disable-extensions before assuming it's Microsoft's fault
5. Don't panic-uninstall extensions — most "VS Code broke" reports are one misbehaving extension, not a platform outage
6. After recovery:
   • Reload the window to pick up restored connectivity
   • Re-check Remote-SSH connections, which sometimes need a manual reconnect
   • Re-enable Copilot suggestions if you disabled them

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Get Notified Before Your Team Notices

1. Bookmark apistatuscheck.com/api/vscode for real-time status
2. Set up instant alerts via API Status Check integrations
3. Know the layers — Marketplace, Remote, Sync, and Copilot each fail independently of the core editor

Looking for a more complete monitoring setup across every tool in your stack, not just VS Code? Check out Better Stack for uptime monitoring, incident management, and status pages that go well beyond a single-service check.

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API Status Check monitors VS Code and 280+ other developer tools and APIs in real-time. Set up free alerts at apistatuscheck.com.