How to Exclude Specific File Types from Being Formatted on Save in VS Code
Published: 2023-04-11 04:34:56

VS Code has a handy feature that allows you to automatically format your code when you save a file. This can help keep your code clean and consistent. However, there may be times when you want to exclude specific file types from being formatted on save. In this article, we'll show you how to do just that!

## Step 1: Open the `settings.json` file 🔍

The first step is to open the `settings.json` file in VS Code. This is where you can configure your settings for the editor.

To open the `settings.json` file, follow these steps:

1. Open the **Command Palette** by pressing `Ctrl+Shift+P` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+Shift+P` (macOS).
2. Type `Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)` and press **Enter**.

This will open the `settings.json` file in the editor.

## Step 2: Add the exclusion rule 📝

Next, you'll need to add a rule to the `settings.json` file to exclude specific file types from being formatted on save.

Here's an example of how to exclude `.mdx` files from being formatted on save:

```json
"[mdx]": {
    "editor.formatOnSave": false
}
```

You can add this rule anywhere within the outermost curly braces `{}` in the `settings.json` file. Make sure to add a comma `,` after the previous entry if it's not the last entry in the file.

Here's an example of what your `settings.json` file might look like after adding the rule:

```json
{
    "editor.tabSize": 2,
    "editor.wordWrap": "on",
    "[mdx]": {
        "editor.formatOnSave": false
    }
}
```

In this example, the rule to exclude `.mdx` files from being formatted on save is added after the `"editor.wordWrap"` setting and before the closing curly brace `}`.

## Step 3: Save your changes 💾

After adding the rule to exclude specific file types from being formatted on save, make sure to save your changes to the `settings.json` file.

You can do this by pressing `Ctrl+S` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd+S` (macOS).

That's it! Now, files with the specified extension will not be formatted on save in VS Code.

## Troubleshooting 🔧

If you're having trouble editing or saving the `settings.json` file, it could be due to a lack of permissions. You can try running VS Code as an administrator or with elevated privileges to see if that resolves the issue.

If that doesn't work, you can try manually navigating to the `settings.json` file on your file system and changing the permissions to allow read and write access. The location of the `settings.json` file varies depending on your operating system:

- **Windows**: `%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json`
- **macOS**: `$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json`
- **Linux**: `$HOME/.config/Code/User/settings.json`


![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/q62psox7xjv9yshb6g71.png)

To find the location of the `%APPDATA%` folder on Windows, you can open a File Explorer window and type `%APPDATA%` into the address bar and press **Enter**. This will take you to the `AppData\Roaming` folder in your user profile.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lkru8gin8uufsszi2bwm.png)

We hope this article has helped you learn how to exclude specific file types from being formatted on save in VS Code. Happy coding! 👨‍💻👩‍💻