How to Stage Changes in VS Code Source Control

Staging files in Visual Studio Code is a fundamental step in the Git workflow, allowing you to select exactly which modifications to include in your next commit. This guide provides a direct, step-by-step walkthrough on how to stage individual files, select all changes at once, or stage specific lines of code using VS Code’s built-in Source Control panel.

Step 1: Open the Source Control View

To begin staging your changes, you need to open the Source Control panel. You can do this in one of two ways: * Click on the Source Control icon in the Activity Bar on the left side of the screen (it looks like a branch with nodes). * Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + G on Windows/Linux or Cmd + Shift + G on macOS.

Step 2: Locate Your Modified Files

Once the Source Control view is open, you will see a section labeled Changes. This list displays all the files that have been modified, created, or deleted since your last commit.

Step 3: Stage Your Changes

VS Code offers multiple ways to stage your changes depending on your workflow:

Option A: Stage Individual Files

If you only want to commit specific files: 1. Hover your mouse over the file you want to stage in the Changes list. 2. Click the + (plus sign) icon that appears next to the file name. 3. The file will move from the Changes section to a new section called Staged Changes.

Option B: Stage All Files at Once

If you want to stage every modified file in your workspace: 1. Hover your mouse over the Changes section header. 2. Click the + (plus sign) icon next to the “Changes” label. 3. All files will move to the Staged Changes section.

Option C: Stage Specific Lines of Code (Selected Ranges)

If you made multiple edits to a single file but only want to stage some of them: 1. Click on the file in the Changes list to open the side-by-side diff editor. 2. Highlight the specific lines of code you want to stage. 3. Right-click the highlighted area. 4. Select Stage Selected Ranges from the context menu.

Step 4: Verify and Commit

Once you have completed these steps, look at your Source Control panel. All files listed under Staged Changes are successfully staged and ready to be committed. You can now type your commit message in the text box at the top of the panel and click the Commit button (or press Ctrl + Enter / Cmd + Enter) to save your changes to your Git history.