Skip to main content Link Menu Expand (external link) Document Search Copy Copied

Setup & Connect to your Dev Box via VS Code

In this article

Target audience: Dev Box Users/Developers

In this doc, we’ll walk you through the steps to connect to Dev Box with Open in VS Code feature.

  1. Register for the private preview of Open in VS Code Feature
  2. Provision a new Dev Box with Dev Box Tunnel or create a Dev Box Tunnel on an existing Dev Box
  3. Enable the Dev Box Tunnel
  4. Connect to the Dev Box Tunnel
  5. Disable the Dev Box Tunnel

Prerequisite: Register for the private preview of Open in VS Code Feature

Please contact @Devdiv-VR or vedhar@microsoft.com for registration. Once registered, you’ll be able to use the Open in VS Code feature for your Dev Box.

Steps to connect to Dev Box with Open in VS Code Feature

1. Provision a Dev Box

You can skip this step if you already have a Dev Box.

Sign in to Developer Portal with your Microsoft account, and create a Dev Box in the project you have access to.

2. Install VS Code Extension

Download the Dev Box VS Code extension (preview version) from here and install it in your local VS Code - NOT in the Dev Box you want to connect to.

Open Extensions view in VS Code (Ctrl+Shift+X) and select the … icon on the top right corner. Choose Install from VSIX… and select the downloaded file.

Also make sure you have the latest version of the Remote Development extension pack installed.

3. Sign in to Dev Box Extension

Click the Dev Box icon in the left sidebar, and select Sign In.

Sign In

4. Create and Enable Dev Box Tunnel

After signing in, you will see all the projects you have access to. Choose the project where you created the Dev Box, and select the Dev Box you want to connect to.

If you see No Tunnel in the description, you will need to manually create a tunnel resource first.

Create tunnel

Before enabling the tunnel, you MUST log into the Dev Box at least once using any client (e.g., browser, Windows App, Remote Desktop client). This step is mandatory after each shutdown and restart to establish the required user session for setting up the tunnel. Once logged in, you can disconnect from the Dev Box.

You DO NOT need to log in every time you enable or connect to the tunnel — only after a shutdown or restart.

Enable tunnel

Then, you can enable the tunnel. This process may take up to 1-3 minutes, as it will install VS Code on the Dev Box (if not already installed) and set up the tunnel.

5. Connect to the Dev Box in VS Code

Once everything is set up, you can open the Dev Box in VS Code by clicking the Connect to Tunnel button.

Connect to tunnel

6. Dev Box Remote experience in VS Code

You can open any any folder or workspace on the remote Dev Box using File > Open File/Folder/Workspace just as you would locally!

If you have WSL environment on the Dev Box, you can connect to it using Remote Explorer.

Remote explorer

Select WSL targets from the dropdown and all the WSL distributions will be listed. You can open any WSL distribution in the current or new window.

For more information on the WSL development experience, please refer to the Remote - WSL and Set up a WSL development environment documentation.

FAQ

  1. Why do I need to log in to the Dev Box before enabling the tunnel?

    This step is required to establish a user session for setting up the tunnel. After the initial login, you can just disconnect from the Dev Box. Then you can enable or connect to the tunnel without logging in again, unless the Dev Box is shut down or restarted.

  2. Why can’t I connect to the Dev Box even if the tunnel is enabled?

    Refresh the Dev Box extension explorer view with the button on the top right corner to check the latest status of the tunnel. If the tunnel is enabled, but you still can’t connect, try disabling the tunnel, logging into the Dev Box, and then re-enabling the tunnel.