5 Steps to setup VSCode for Blender Python (on Windows)
Why Blender Stack Exchange recommends it
Blender Stack Exchange users link it when someone wants to move add-on or script development out of Blender's built-in text editor and into VSCode with debugging and breakpoints.
Recommended by 4 people across 4 different months, 2023 to 2026.
What it is
A 12-minute Windows tutorial from the CG Python channel on setting up VSCode for Blender Python development. It walks through installing Python and VSCode, configuring VSCode for Python and for Blender's API (using the fake-bpy-module), and linking VSCode to a running Blender instance so scripts can be run and debugged.
What people said
Recommends Simarilius · 2023-07 · Blender Stack Exchange · on “Using a blender addon within VScode”
If you set your VScode up to work with Blender like this video explains: [this video] then its just like developing within Blender but you get debugging etc. write the code, launch a linked Blender instance, then run the script. Can place breakpoints etc. can also use the debug terminal while a script is stopped to mess about with things.
Recommends STRGnine · 2024-01 · Blender Stack Exchange · on “Add-on Dev: Workflow using functions and modules?”
Thank you that was exactly it. For people who might come across this in the future, here is a how to video on connecting VSCode with Blender: [this video]
Recommends Vinnie · 2024-02 · Blender Stack Exchange · on “How do I import multiple .py files to my main.py file”
Blender built-in text/script editor is just for testing code snippets and not a good option for fully functional add-on development. Use vs-code for this purpose Answered here: [LINK] [this video]
Recommends Harry McKenzie · 2024-07 · Blender Stack Exchange · on “Is there a way to restart a modified addon without restarting blender?”
IMHO the best workflow is using VS Code [this video] but this ones for Windows. However VS Code also works for Linux. Then I made myself a reusable addon template repository [LINK]
Cites daugherty.charlie · 2026-03 · Blender Stack Exchange · on “Can Blender automatically reload external script files when they are changed?”
This is slightly off topic (goes outside the bounds of blender itself) hence I'm not answering it officially but you can do this with an IDE. One of the blender developers made an extension for VS CODE [LINK] . The extension has a setting to reload on save [LINK] Install instructions based on OS here: PC [this video] Mac [LINK] Linux [LINK]