VS Code's built-in Git integration lets you initialize repositories, create branches, stage commits, and push to GitHub without touching a terminal. Microsoft ships this free editor with native Source Control tooling that talks directly to Git, which means the entire add-commit-push loop lives inside one window. You need Git and VS Code installed before any of this works.
The workflow is specific and worth understanding in detail. Untracked files show a 'U' in the Source Control panel. Staging flips that to 'A'. The gutter uses color to communicate change type: green for new lines, blue for modified, red arrows for deletions. Branch creation and renaming both run through the Command Palette, Shift-Command-P on Mac or Ctrl-Shift-P on PC. VS Code also surfaces side-by-side and inline diffs natively, no external tool required. GitHub Copilot can generate commit messages directly from the Source Control text box if you want to skip writing them manually.
The full post walks through each step with UI landmarks called out by name, which matters if you are new to both Git and the editor simultaneously. The diff section and the branch-switching flow are where most beginners lose time, and the article covers both in enough procedural detail to follow without a video. The YouTube companion series at gh.io/gfb exists if you need to watch the clicks happen in real time.
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