How to Fix VS Code High Memory Usage With Many Extensions

What Causes This?

VS Code itself is usually lightweight, but each installed extension can add background processes, language servers, file watchers, and startup tasks that use memory all the time. The problem gets worse when you have many extensions enabled at once, especially ones for large projects, linting, Git integration, Docker, remote development, or multiple programming languages. On Windows, this can lead to high RAM usage even when you only have a few files open.

Common Symptoms

• VS Code uses hundreds of MB or several GB of RAM in Task Manager
• Typing, scrolling, or switching tabs feels delayed
• Windows slows down when VS Code is open with large projects
• Fans run more often or laptop battery drains faster
• Memory usage stays high even after closing files

How to Fix It Manually

1. Check how much memory VS Code is using

   • Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
   • Click More details if Task Manager opens in compact view.
   • In the Processes tab, look for Visual Studio Code and check the Memory column.
   • If you see multiple VS Code-related processes using a lot of RAM, extensions are often the reason.

2. Open VS Code without extensions

   • Close VS Code completely.
   • Press Windows + R, type:

     code --disable-extensions

     and press Enter.
   • Use VS Code for a few minutes and compare memory usage in Task Manager.
   • If RAM usage drops a lot, one or more extensions are the cause.

3. Find the worst extension inside VS Code

   • In VS Code, press Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette.
   • Type Developer: Show Running Extensions and open it.
   • Review which extensions are active and how long they take to load.
   • Also open Help > Open Process Explorer in VS Code to see which internal processes are using the most memory or CPU.

4. Disable extensions you do not need

   • Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the Extensions view.
   • Disable extensions you rarely use, especially language packs, AI assistants, container tools, remote tools, and duplicate formatters/linters.
   • Right-click an extension and choose Disable or Disable (Workspace) if you only want it off for one project.
   • Restart VS Code and check memory usage again.

5. Limit heavy project scanning

   • In VS Code, open File > Preferences > Settings.
   • Search for files.exclude, search.exclude, and watcher exclude.
   • Exclude large folders like node_modules, build folders, .git, .next, dist, or logs if they do not need active watching.
   • This reduces file watcher load and can lower memory use in large workspaces.

6. Update or remove problem extensions

   • In the Extensions view, check for updates and install them.
   • If one extension still causes high memory use, uninstall it and replace it with a lighter alternative if possible.
   • Also update VS Code itself through Help > Check for Updates.

7. Reduce startup load

   • Open only the folder you need instead of a huge parent directory.
   • Close unused VS Code windows and workspaces.
   • If you use many language extensions, keep only the ones needed for your current work enabled.

Fix It Automatically with Kudu

Kudu can quickly spot apps and background components that are using too much memory, including cases where VS Code extensions are making your system sluggish. Instead of manually hunting through every extension and process, Kudu helps identify the worst offenders and recommends safe cleanup and performance fixes.

Download Kudu Free →