5 Unnecessary VS Code Extensions You Should Uninstall Now

Can you count how many VS Code extensions you have right now?

Me: A whopping 53.

If you’re finding VS Code getting slower and more power-hungry with time, this number could be the reason. EVERY new extension increases the app’s memory and CPU usage.

Coding is already challenging enough; Nobody needs to contend with this:

We need to keep this number as low as possible to minimize resource usage and prevent extensions from clashing with each other or with native functionality. Additionally, there are many extensions in the Marketplace that provide functionality VS Code already has built-in.

Uninstalling these now redundant extensions will increase your editor’s performance and efficiency. Below is a list of these integrated VSCode features and their corresponding extensions.

1. Auto Closing of HTML Tags

Automatically adds the corresponding closing tag when you add a new HTML tag.

Extensions:

Built-in:

HTML: Auto Closing Tags (default: true)
JavaScript: Auto Closing Tags (default: true)
TypeScript: Auto Closing Tags (default: true)

Add to settings.json:

{
  "html.autoClosingTags": true,
  "javascript.autoClosingTags": true,
  "typescript.autoClosingTags": true
}

2. Path Autocompletion

Provides a list of files in your project for easy module import or resource linking in HTML.

Extensions:

Built-in: Native path autocompletion when typing filenames to import.

3. Snippets for HTML and CSS

Adds common HTML and CSS snippets using easily recallable abbreviations.

Extensions:

Built-in: Emmet provides HTML and CSS snippets enabled by default in various file types.

4. Bracket Pair Colorization

Colors brackets differently based on their order, aiding in scope identification and expression writing.

Extensions:

Built-in:

Editor > Bracket Pair Colorization (default: true)

Add to settings.json:

{
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true
}

Customize bracket colors:

{
  "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
    "[One Dark Pro]": {
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground1": "#ff0000",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground2": "#00ff00",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground3": "#0000ff",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground4": "#ff00ff",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground5": "#00ffff",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground6": "#ffff00"
    }
  }
}

5. Auto Importing of Modules

Automatically imports modules when a function, variable, or other member is referenced.

Extensions:

Built-in:

JavaScript > Suggest: Auto Imports (default: true)
TypeScript > Suggest: Auto Imports (default: true)
JavaScript > Update Imports on File Move (default: prompt)
TypeScript > Update Imports on File Move (default: prompt)

Add to settings.json:

{
  "javascript.suggest.autoImports": true,
  "typescript.suggest.autoImports": true,
  "javascript.updateImportsOnFileMove.enabled": "prompt",
  "typescript.updateImportsOnFileMove.enabled": "prompt"
}

Organize imports on save:

{
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.organizeImports": true
  }
}

Final Thoughts

These extensions might have served a crucial purpose in the past but not anymore. VS Code now has all their abilities built-in. Remove them to reduce the bloat and increase your editor efficiency.

Ref: Tari Ibaba - Medium