Need to pair program with remote teammates? Live Share turns VS Code into a collaborative editor with shared debugging.
# Installation # 1. Install Live Share extension in VS Code # Extensions → Search "Live Share" # Install by Microsoft # 2. Sign in with GitHub/Microsoft account # 3. Start a session # Click Live Share button in activity bar # Or: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Live Share: Start Collaboration Session" # 4. Share the link with teammates # They click link → opens in their VS Code # No setup needed on their side! # Features: # - Real-time code editing (multiple cursors) # - Shared terminal sessions # - Joint debugging (breakpoints, variables) # - Shared localhost servers # - Focus following (see where host is looking) # - Audio calls integrated # - Permission controls (read-only, can edit)
Advanced Collaboration Features:
HOST CONTROLS: - Grant/revoke edit permissions - Follow guests or let them roam free - Share specific files/folders only - Share local web servers (localhost:3000) - Share terminal sessions (read-only or interactive) - Mute guests' audio GUEST CAPABILITIES: - Edit code (if permission granted) - Add breakpoints and debug with host - Run commands in shared terminal - View shared servers in browser - Suggest edits (if read-only) - Chat via text or audio USE CASES: 1. Pair programming interviews 2. Remote team coding sessions 3. Teaching/mentoring 4. Debugging sessions with teammates 5. Code reviews in real-time 6. Onboarding new developers PRO TIP: Combine with: - GitHub Copilot for AI pair programming - Live Share Audio for voice chat - VS Code Tasks for shared builds - Docker extension for shared containers