How to Resolve "Visual Studio Code Not Saving Files" Issue on Windows or macOS
Encountering the issue where Visual Studio Code (VS Code) doesn’t save files can be frustrating, especially when working on large projects.
This problem is often related to permission issues, conflicts with extensions, or problems with the VS Code settings.
Here’s a detailed guide to help you fix it: First, ensure that you have the necessary write permissions to save the files.
On both Windows and macOS, check the folder where your files are located and confirm that you have full access rights.
Right-click on the folder, select Properties (on Windows) or Get Info (on macOS), and check the permissions section.
If permissions are restricted, modify them to allow read and write access.
Next, check your VS Code settings to see if there’s any configuration preventing saving.
Sometimes, settings like files.autoSave may be enabled, which auto-saves files without showing any prompts.
This can make it seem like the file isn’t saving.
Open the settings menu, search for files.autoSave, and set it to off to disable this feature.
If you are using any extensions related to file saving or formatting, temporarily disable them to see if they’re causing the issue.
Some extensions, especially those for version control or automatic formatting, can conflict with file saving processes.
To test this, open VS Code in safe mode by running code --disable-extensions from the terminal, and see if you can save the file.
If the file saves correctly, the issue is related to one of the extensions.
Disable extensions one by one to isolate the cause.
Another potential cause is a bug or glitch in VS Code itself.
Try restarting the application or reinstalling it to ensure you have the latest stable version.
Before reinstalling, ensure that all related configuration files are deleted.
On Windows, check the %AppData% folder, and on macOS, check the ~/Library/Application Support/Code folder for residual files.
Lastly, ensure that there are no issues with your system’s disk space.
If your hard drive is almost full, VS Code may fail to save new files or updates.
Free up space on your disk by deleting unnecessary files or moving them to external storage.
After following these steps, the issue of VS Code not saving files should be resolved, allowing you to continue your work without interruptions.
