The latest release of the Visual Studio Code C++ extension brings C++ IntelliSense and build support for Windows ARM64, Linux ARM and Linux ARM64 architectures. What’s more, you can download VS Code builds for ARM and ARM64 architectures, meaning you can officially use VS Code and the C++ extension on a Raspberry Pi, Chromebook, Surface Pro X, and other ARM-based devices! To find out more about all the enhancements in the November 2020 update, check out our release notes on GitHub.

Windows ARM64 support

If you’re using a Surface Pro X, you now have access to the C++ extension’s rich feature set. This includes IntelliSense (things like quick info, autocomplete, and signature help), code navigation (find all references, go to definition/declaration), and refactoring (rename symbol). Along with code editing features, the latest release supports building C++ projects on Windows ARM64!

Linux ARM and ARM64 support

The September 2020 1.0 release of the C++ extension enabled building and debugging on Linux ARM and ARM64 through remote-SSH with your compiler and debugger of choice. Since then, VS Code has released official builds for Linux ARM and ARM64, which means you can now build and debug C++ projects in VS Code directly on your Raspberry Pi! Check out this quick demo to learn more:

What do you think?

Download the C++ extension for Visual Studio Code today, give it a try, and let us know what you think. If you run into any issues, or have any suggestions, please report them in the Issues section of our GitHub repository. You can also join our Insiders program and get access to early builds of our release by going to File > Preferences > Settings and under Extensions > C/C++, change the “C_Cpp: Update Channel” to “Insiders”.

We can be reached via the comments below or in email at visualcpp@microsoft.com. You can also find our team on Twitter at @VisualC.