Raju Ginni

wordpress tutorials seo hosting etc

VS Code Not responding fix memory delete cache bad idea.

By

visual studio code the window is not responding you can reopen or close the window or keep waiting.

If Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is frequently showing the error message:

“The window is not responding. You can reopen or close the window or keep waiting.”

…it usually means it’s being bogged down by something. Here’s a checklist to diagnose and fix this problem:

✅ 1. Disable Unnecessary Extensions

Too many or buggy extensions can freeze VS Code.

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + P → select Extensions: Show Installed Extensions.

  • Disable all extensions (Disable All Installed Extensions).

  • Restart VS Code.

  • If it works fine now, re-enable extensions one-by-one to find the culprit.

✅ 2. Check for High CPU or Memory Usage

VS Code may hang due to system overload.

  • Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).

  • Look at processes like Code.exe, node, or extensions using high CPU/RAM.

  • Kill those processes and restart.

✅ 3. Delete or Reset VS Code Cache

Corrupted cache or workspace settings can cause hangs.

  • Close VS Code.

  • Delete these folders:

    css
    %APPDATA%\Code\Cache
    %APPDATA%\Code\CachedData
    %APPDATA%\Code\User\workspaceStorage

    (Paste them into File Explorer’s address bar and delete contents inside.)

✅ 4. Launch with Extensions Disabled (Safe Mode)

Try launching VS Code without any extensions:

bash
code --disable-extensions

If it works normally, an extension is the problem.

✅ 5. Update VS Code

Old versions may cause freezes.

  • Go to Help > Check for Updates and update VS Code.

  • Also, update extensions.

✅ 6. Reinstall VS Code

If it’s still unstable:

  1. Uninstall from Control Panel.

  2. Delete config directories:

    • %APPDATA%\Code

    • %USERPROFILE%\.vscode

  3. Reinstall from official VS Code website.

✅ 7. Open Smaller Projects

Large folders (node_modules, .git, logs) can freeze VS Code.

  • Add node_modules and .git to .vscode/settings.json:

json
"files.watcherExclude": {
"**/node_modules/**": true,
"**/.git/**": true
}

✅ 8. Check for Git Issues

If you’re opening Git-enabled folders, slow Git responses can freeze VS Code.

  • Open Command Palette → Git: Disable.

  • Or set:

json
"git.enabled": false

✅ 9. Use Insiders or Older Version

Sometimes the latest version has regressions. Try:

 

the project has 700 files and memory has 9.9 gb vs code using upto 2GB-2.5Gb and chrome remaining but still stucking after closing chrome also
ChatGPT said:

Thanks for the details. Given:

  • You have a medium-large project (~700 files).

  • VS Code uses 2–2.5 GB RAM, system has ~9.9 GB available.

  • Still freezing even after closing Chrome.

It looks like VS Code is hitting a performance ceiling due to internal watchers, extensions, or heavy language server tasks (like TypeScript or Python). Here’s how to specifically optimize it:

✅ Recommended Fixes for Performance in Large Projects

1. Exclude Unnecessary Folders From Watcher & Search

This prevents VS Code from watching/processing all files in real-time.

Add this to your .vscode/settings.json (or open settings JSON via Ctrl + Shift + P > Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)):

json
{
"files.watcherExclude": {
"**/node_modules/**": true,
"**/.git/**": true,
"**/dist/**": true,
"**/build/**": true,
"**/logs/**": true,
"**/.vscode/**": false
},
"search.exclude": {
"**/node_modules": true,
"**/dist": true,
"**/build": true,
"**/logs": true
},
"files.exclude": {
"**/.git": true,
"**/.DS_Store": true,
"**/node_modules": true
}
}

This reduces file system load significantly.

2. Disable TypeScript/JS Features if Not Needed

Language servers can be heavy.

json
{
"typescript.validate.enable": false,
"javascript.validate.enable": false
}

Or disable PyLance or IntelliSense features if you’re using Python and don’t need real-time feedback.

3. Limit Extensions’ Resource Usage

Some extensions (like ESLint, Prettier, GitLens, Live Share) are resource-heavy.

  • Temporarily disable all: Ctrl+Shift+P → Extensions: Disable All Installed Extensions.

  • Restart VS Code.

  • If problem disappears, re-enable one-by-one.

You can also run in profile mode to identify heavy extensions:

bash
code --status

Or:

  • Go to Help > Start Extension Bisect (automatically narrows down problematic extensions).

4. Increase Memory Limit (Optional)

VS Code’s Electron runtime allows tweaking memory usage.

Create/edit the argv.json file:

  • Path:
    %APPDATA%\Code\User\argv.json

Add:

json
{
"max-memory": 4096
}

This will allow VS Code to use up to 4 GB instead of being throttled.

5. Disable GPU Acceleration (Optional)

Electron-based apps like VS Code sometimes hang due to GPU conflicts.

Try launching with:

bash
code --disable-gpu

Or add to argv.json:

json
{
"disable-hardware-acceleration": true
}

6. Update or Downgrade

If issue started recently:

7. Use Workspace Scope Instead of Opening Whole Project

If you only need a part of the codebase:

  • Open just that sub-folder.

  • Avoid loading the entire 700+ files unless needed.

8. Developer Tools for Debugging

Open Developer Tools:
Help > Toggle Developer Tools → Console

Look for memory spikes, error logs, or extension crashes.

🔧 Final Tip: Clean Reinstall

If nothing helps:

  1. Uninstall VS Code.

  2. Delete:

    shell
    %APPDATA%\Code
    %USERPROFILE%\.vscode

  3. Reinstall the latest version fresh.