VSCode Backup

This repository helps you back up and restore VSCode settings, keybindings, snippets, and installed extensions across macOS, Linux, and Windows.

---

🔄 Backup

Run the following script to back up your current VSCode configuration:

./backup.sh

This backs up:

• settings.json
• keybindings.json
• All user snippets
• List of installed extensions → vscode-extensions.txt

Backed up files are stored in the User/ folder.

---

Restore on a New Machine

To restore your VSCode configuration on a new system:

./restore.sh

Make sure the code CLI is available on your path.

To enable the code command from VSCode:
Open VSCode → Press Ctrl+Shift+P → Run:
Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH

---

OS Compatibility

OS	Supported?	Notes
macOS	✅	$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User
Linux	✅	$HOME/.config/Code/User
Windows	✅	Uses $APPDATA/Code/User (compatible with Git Bash or WSL)

---

What Gets Backed Up

File/Folder	Description
User/settings.json	Global VSCode editor settings
User/keybindings.json	Custom keybindings
User/snippets/	All user-defined code snippets
vscode-extensions.txt	List of all installed extensions

---

etup with GitHub

To track and sync your config across machines, set up a Git repo:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial VSCode backup"
gh repo create vscode-backup --private --source=. --remote=origin --push

Requires the GitHub CLI

---

Tips

• Consider automating backups with a cron job (Linux/macOS) or Task Scheduler (Windows).
• Always ensure VSCode is closed before restoring settings to avoid overwrites.
• Run backup regularly, especially after major customization or extension changes.

---

Encrypt Settings Before Upload

If you're backing up sensitive snippets or settings, consider encrypting the backup with gpg:

tar czf - User/ vscode-extensions.txt | gpg -c > vscode-backup.tar.gz.gpg

Then commit the .gpg file instead of the raw data.

---