--- title: VS Code is the best writing app I've used, and I've not... description: An unconventional use case for VS Code is explored: as a full-fledged writing environment rather than a code editor. Zen Mode strips away UI clutter for... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-writing-app-i-ve-used-and-i-ve-not-written-a-line-of-code-in-it-for-weeks-yw5exnpfh twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: VS Code is the best writing app I've used, and I've not written a line of code in it for weeks | daily.dev og:description: An unconventional use case for VS Code is explored: as a full-fledged writing environment rather than a code editor. Zen Mode strips away UI clutter for... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-writing-app-i-ve-used-and-i-ve-not-written-a-line-of-code-in-it-for-weeks-yw5exnpfh og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/yw5eXNpFH.png og:image:alt: VS Code is the best writing app I've used, and I've not written a line of code in it for weeks og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # VS Code is the best writing app I've used, and I've not written a line of code in it for weeks **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 70 upvotes · 19 comments ## Summary An unconventional use case for VS Code is explored: as a full-fledged writing environment rather than a code editor. Zen Mode strips away UI clutter for distraction-free drafting, flexible pane layouts let writers view multiple documents side by side, global search-and-replace handles find/replace across an entire multi-file project (with the ability to skip individual matches), and Git provides project-wide version control with commit messages, something Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener don't match. The author concludes these developer-focused features happen to solve long-standing writer problems better than dedicated paid writing apps. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I enable Zen Mode in VS Code to remove distractions while writing? Zen Mode is a built-in VS Code feature that hides the sidebar, activity bar, tabs, and status bar, centering and fullscreening only the active document. Activate it with Ctrl+K then Z on Windows or Cmd+K Z on Mac, or through View > Appearance > Zen Mode. Double-tapping Escape exits back to the normal view. _Writers repurposing coding tools for distraction-free drafting can find similar workflow tips on daily.dev._ ### Can VS Code's search and replace work across multiple files at once? Yes, the global Search view in VS Code lets you find and replace text across every file in a project simultaneously, updating all matches in one action. Before committing to Replace All, individual results can be expanded and specific matches skipped with an X, so only the intended occurrences change, useful for renaming a character or fixing a style slip across many drafts. _Anyone managing large multi-file text projects can track editor tricks like this on daily.dev._ ### How is using Git for version control different from Word's Track Changes or Google Docs version history? Git commits capture a snapshot of every file in an entire project folder at once, each with a descriptive message, unlike Word's Track Changes which is limited per document or Google Docs' version history which is per file and cumbersome to navigate. Scrivener's snapshots are similarly buried in menus, while Git's GUI in VS Code lets you jump back to any full-project snapshot without touching a terminal. _Developers and writers weighing version control options can follow comparisons like this on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@augustomen** · 16 upvotes > > I've not written a line of code in it for weeks > > Yeah, some programmers can say that too. **@baz14** · 6 upvotes > I do everything in text editors😀 Diagrams, docs, articles - everything is in plain text, with the convenience of git version control. **@juanplaza** · 5 upvotes > What a hot take. **@carlescodony** · 3 upvotes > Try Vim. **@rix67** · 1 upvotes > VS Code accidentally became a better writing app than half the writing apps. ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [VS Code is the best productivity app on my PC, and I barely use it for coding anymore](https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-productivity-app-on-my-pc-and-i-barely-use-it-for-coding-anymore-jhmlf8lkp) · XDA Developers · 59 upvotes · 11 comments - [VS Code is becoming a better productivity app than most productivity apps](https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-becoming-a-better-productivity-app-than-most-productivity-apps-mbppo0ifw) · XDA Developers · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [I tried using VS Code as my notes app, and it was better than it had any right to be](https://daily.dev/posts/i-tried-using-vs-code-as-my-notes-app-and-it-was-better-than-it-had-any-right-to-be-dmizt9vbp) · XDA Developers · 24 upvotes · 4 comments --- Tags: [#productivity](https://daily.dev/tags/productivity), [#git](https://daily.dev/tags/git), [#vscode](https://daily.dev/tags/vscode) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-writing-app-i-ve-used-and-i-ve-not-written-a-line-of-code-in-it-for-weeks-yw5exnpfh) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"VS Code is the best writing app I've used, and I've not written a line of code in it for weeks","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-writing-app-i-ve-used-and-i-ve-not-written-a-line-of-code-in-it-for-weeks-yw5exnpfh","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-is-the-best-writing-app-i-ve-used-and-i-ve-not-written-a-line-of-code-in-it-for-weeks-yw5exnpfh"},"datePublished":"2026-09-16T14:33:31.634Z","dateModified":"2026-09-16T14:47:20.606Z","description":"An unconventional use case for VS Code is explored: as a full-fledged writing environment rather than a code editor. 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