Changing your code editor in Unity is a straightforward process done through the Editor Preferences.
Here's how you can change the code editor Unity uses for opening scripts:
Unity allows you to choose your preferred code editor to open and modify your scripts. While Unity defaults to a specific editor (often Visual Studio on Windows and Visual Studio for Mac/VS Code on macOS), you can easily switch to another installed editor like VS Code, Sublime Text, or Rider.
Choosing the right editor can significantly impact your workflow and productivity with features like syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging, and integration with version control.
Accessing Editor Preferences
The process involves navigating through Unity's menu to find the setting for the external script editor.
- Open Unity Preferences:
- On Windows, go to the Edit menu and select Preferences.
- On macOS, go to the Unity menu and select Preferences.
- Navigate to External Tools:
- In the Preferences window that appears, look for the External Tools section in the list on the left side and click on it.
This path, menu: Unity Preferences External Tools, is where you'll find the option to change your script editor, as referenced in the Unity documentation regarding support for editors like Visual Studio Code.
Selecting Your Preferred Editor
Within the "External Tools" preferences:
- Locate the setting labeled External Script Editor.
- Click the dropdown menu next to this setting.
- Unity will display a list of detected code editors installed on your system.
- Select the editor you wish to use from the list (e.g., Visual Studio Code).
| Editor Option | How to Select |
|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | Select "Visual Studio Code" from the dropdown |
| Visual Studio | Select "Visual Studio" from the dropdown |
| JetBrains Rider | Select "Rider" from the dropdown |
| Other installed editor | Select the editor name or "Browse..." to locate |
Note: Unity supports opening scripts in Visual Studio Code (VS Code). To open scripts in VS Code, select it as the External Script Editor in the Editor Preferences (menu: Unity Preferences External Tools External Script Editor).
If your desired editor is not automatically listed, you can usually select the "Browse..." option at the bottom of the dropdown list to manually navigate to and select the executable file of your preferred editor.
What Happens Next?
Once you've selected your new external script editor:
- Close the Preferences window.
- The next time you double-click a script asset in your Unity project (like a C# script), it will open in the editor you selected.
- Ensure the necessary Unity integration packages for your chosen editor (like the "Visual Studio Code Editor" package or "Visual Studio Editor" package) are installed via the Unity Package Manager (Window > Package Manager) for the best experience, including debugging and code completion.
By following these steps, you can easily customize your Unity development environment to use the code editor you are most comfortable with.
