Compatibility
Zed can import a large part of your VS Code settings: editor fonts, tab size, word wrap, minimap, format on save, file associations, autosave, files.exclude, the integrated terminal font and shell, tab and preview behaviour, inline blame, proxy, and the mcp block (which becomes context_servers). If you pick the VS Code keymap during onboarding, most shortcuts stay the same, including Cmd+P, Cmd+Shift+P, Cmd+Shift+F, Cmd+B, Cmd+J and F2.
Some project files are read as they are. Zed loads debug configurations from .vscode/launch.json when a project has no .zed/debug.json, and its tasks documentation describes the VS Code format for tasks taken from .vscode/tasks.json, where a missing label is generated from the task type (npm: start, for example).
Before you switch
- Install Zed: on macOS from zed.dev or with
brew install --cask zed, on Linux with the script athttps://zed.dev/install.sh. - Accept the settings import during setup, or run
zed: import vs code settingsfrom the command palette later. - Choose the VS Code keymap during onboarding, then adjust bindings with
zed: open keymap. - Copy your snippet JSON into Zed’s snippets folder (
snippets: configure snippets). Files are named after the language in lowercase,snippets.jsonholds global snippets, and JSX snippets go injavascript.json. - Replace each
.code-workspacefile. Zed has no workspace file: open a folder, use File > Add Folder to Project for extra roots, and put per-project overrides in.zed/settings.json. - For Copilot, open Settings, go to AI > Edit Predictions, click Configure next to “Configure Providers” and sign in to GitHub.
Pitfalls
- Extensions and keybindings are not imported. Zed’s extension catalog is smaller and focused on languages, themes and syntax. The guide warns that there is no one-to-one replacement for every VS Code extension, especially DevOps, container and test runner tools. List the extensions you depend on before switching.
- A few shortcuts differ even with the VS Code keymap: open recent project is
Cmd+Opt+O, move line isCmd+Ctrl+Up/Down, split pane isCmd+Kthen an arrow key, and expand selection isOpt+Up.Cmd+Rtoggles the right dock instead of opening a recent project. - Live Share is replaced by Zed’s built-in collaboration: create a channel in the Collab Panel and invite collaborators.
- Zed’s own tasks live in
.zed/tasks.jsonor the globaltasks.json, and debug configurations in.zed/debug.json. Configurations from.vscode/launch.jsonare only shown when.zed/debug.jsonhas none.