VS Code stable releases ship weekly and update automatically by default. A team can change that with the update.mode setting, which can also be set as an organization policy with four values: default, start, manual and none. Choose based on whether your tooling team or each developer owns patching.
What the default does
According to the VS Code setup documentation, stable releases ship weekly and update automatically. On Linux, installing the package sets up an apt or dnf repository so updates arrive through the normal package channel.
That default is good for a small team with no central IT. Each developer gets fixes within days, and nobody has to remember anything. The tradeoff is that you do not control timing, and you cannot say with confidence which version a given laptop runs.
The four update modes
The enterprise updates page describes a policy named UpdateMode that controls the update.mode setting. These are the values it lists:
| Value | Behavior |
|---|---|
| default | Automatic checking runs in the background |
| start | Updates are checked only when VS Code starts |
| manual | Automatic checking is off; users choose Help, then Check for Updates |
| none | Updates are disabled entirely |
With none, users cannot update inside the app. Your software deployment tool becomes the only route, which means you now own the patch cadence.
Which mode fits which team
Use default if you have no endpoint management and want the vendor cadence. Use start if background checks cause trouble on slow or metered links. Use manual or none only if you can actually push updates yourself.
The risk with none is quiet drift. A policy that blocks updates without a replacement process turns a weekly patch stream into zero patches. If you pick it, put a recurring job in place that deploys the current stable build and records the version.
Do not forget the network side
The documentation says to allow the update server hostname, update.code.visualstudio.com, on restricted networks. If that host is blocked, automatic checks fail without much noise. Developers on locked-down networks may be running builds that are months old and not know it.
A short rollout routine
- Decide the owner: individual developers or a central team.
- Set the update.mode policy to match.
- Allow the update host on the network, or deploy builds through your own tool.
- Record the installed version per machine so you can answer "who is behind?"
- Review the list monthly.
Extensions update separately from the editor, so treat them as their own item. See should you auto-update VS Code extensions.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Click through the inventory view and notice how a version list per project answers the same "who is behind?" question for dependencies.
Safeguard's asset discovery and dependency scanning work on the same principle for code: know what versions you run before you decide what to patch. You can try a free scan at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
How often does VS Code stable release?
The VS Code setup documentation says stable releases ship weekly and update automatically.
What does update.mode set to none do?
Updates are disabled entirely, so users cannot update in the app and your deployment tooling has to deliver new versions.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
