Resolve and restore VS Code Settings Sync conflicts
What to do first
Resolve and restore VS Code Settings Sync conflicts by following the official decision path while preserving user data.
This is a general troubleshooting guide, not an announcement of a current outage.
Affected products and symptoms
- Product
- Visual Studio Code
- Versions and conditions
- VS Code Stable and Insiders
Symptoms
- VS Code asks for Accept Local or Accept Remote
- Another machine’s settings or extensions do not appear
Causes and conditions
Inspect the conflict diff and decide which local or cloud value to keep.
Before you start
- Before changes, record and preserve the conflict diff, synced machine names, and Settings Sync log.
- Change one item at a time and record the original symptom after each stage.
Precautions
- Do not bulk-delete unrelated settings or data.
- Exclude personal data and credentials; share only the necessary parts of the conflict diff, synced machine names, and Settings Sync log.
Step-by-step instructions
Open gear > Settings Sync is On > Settings Sync: Configure and review settings, keys, extensions, and profiles.
Extensions in Remote SSH, WSL, and devcontainers are not synchronized.
Settings Sync: Configure can stop one category without deleting all cloud data.
Choose Show Conflicts and preserve both sides before deciding.
Accept Local overwrites cloud data; Accept Remote overwrites the local copy.
In Show Conflicts, inspect both sides and edit JSON by key. Accept Local then publishes the edited local copy.
Run Settings Sync: Show Synced Data and inspect data history and machine names before restoring.
Stable and Insiders use separate sync services by default.
Settings Sync: Show Synced Data expands Settings, Keybindings, Extensions, and history for inspection before restore.
Open View > Output > Log (Settings Sync); also save Account logs for authentication errors.
Do not accidentally select cloud-data deletion while turning sync off.
Select the Stable sync service in Insiders only when intentional. Version incompatibility can automatically pause Stable sync.
Check the result
- confirm settings, keybindings, and selected extensions agree on the reference and second machine
- Check adjacent basic functions for side effects from the change.
If the problem continues
- report with Log (Settings Sync) and, for authentication, the Account log
- When continuing with a workaround, preserve original files or account data separately.
Scope of this guide
Troubleshooting guide — Resolve and restore VS Code Settings Sync conflicts by following the official decision path while preserving user data.
Frequently asked questions
Which side should I accept?
Inspect the diff and choose the authoritative machine; the labels determine overwrite direction.
Why are WSL extensions absent?
Remote-window extensions are outside Settings Sync.
Official sources and dates
Source publication or resolution date: Not specified. Sources checked: 2026-09-05. The check date is not the date the problem first occurred. Interface labels can vary between versions and display languages.
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