Vscode can start with a blank file

[DebeeArmstrong]

Making VSCode Behave like Many Other Editors

In his March workshop, Jeff said you could adjust a setting that would ensure VSCode would open a blank file at startup and not open windows with files you'd previously edited.
I find this behavior annoying because I often open some text file with a different editor and that confuses VSCode. So I asked copilot for help.
The answer, that works, is below:

Copilot Response

You’re looking for the startup behavior settings in VS Code. The specific setting that controls whether VS Code opens a blank file instead of restoring your last session is workbench.startupEditor, and optionally window.restoreWindows if you want to prevent reopening previous files entirely.

✅ The exact setting you want

Set:

• workbench.startupEditor: "newUntitledFile"
  This forces VS Code to open with a fresh blank file. [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51310743/how-can-i-make-vs-code-open-with-a-blank-text-editor-tab)

Optional (if VS Code still restores old files):

• window.restoreWindows: "none"
  This prevents VS Code from reopening previous windows or files. [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51310743/how-can-i-make-vs-code-open-with-a-blank-text-editor-tab)

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🔧 Where to find it in the UI

1. Open Settings
   • Windows/Linux: File → Preferences → Settings
   • macOS: Code → Settings → Settings
2. Search for startupEditor
3. Set it to New Untitled File
4. Search for restoreWindows
5. Set it to None if you want a completely clean start

---

📝 settings.json version

If you prefer editing JSON directly:

{
  "workbench.startupEditor": "newUntitledFile",
  "window.restoreWindows": "none"
}

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Want to tweak anything else about VS Code startup?

You can explore options like startup behavior, window restore settings, or untitled file settings.