In March 2026, new features such as the Autopilot preview for automated task completion, an enhanced debugging experience with a new editor browser debug type, and a centralized chat customizations editor were introduced to improve automation and usability. Additionally, updates included reasoning effort controls for models like GPT 5.4, video playback support in the carousel, and fresh default VS Code themes, collectively enhancing customization, user interface, and workflow efficiency.
In March 2026, the team began releasing updates on a weekly basis, bringing a host of exciting new features. One of the standout introductions is the Autopilot feature, now available in preview. When enabled, Autopilot automates the approval of tool calls, retries on errors, and responds to questions autonomously, allowing the agent to continue working until the task is fully completed without manual intervention.
A significant enhancement has been made to the debugging experience with the addition of a new editor browser debug type. This feature supports both launch and attach configurations, enabling developers to debug integrated browser sessions by stepping through code seamlessly. Complementing this, the integrated browser now supports its own independent zoom level, separate from the overall VS Code window zoom. This means users can zoom in and out within the browser without affecting the rest of the VS Code interface, improving usability and focus.
The chat customization experience has been streamlined with the introduction of a centralized chat customizations editor, currently in preview. This editor organizes various customization types into distinct tabs, including custom instructions, prompt files, custom agents, and agent skills. It also features an embedded code editor with syntax highlighting and validation, making it easier to create and manage chat customizations all in one place.
Models that support reasoning, such as GPT 5.4 and Claude Sonnet 4.6, now include a thinking effort submenu directly within the model picker. This allows users to adjust the level of reasoning applied to each request without needing to navigate through VS Code settings. The selected effort level is retained per model across conversations, providing a more tailored and consistent user experience.
Additional improvements include support for video playback in the carousel, allowing users to play and navigate videos from chat attachments or the explorer context menu. VS Code also introduced new default themes for both light and dark modes, marked by the current year to distinguish them. These themes offer a fresh, modern look while maintaining the usability and familiarity of previous default themes. Overall, March 2026’s updates bring enhanced automation, customization, and user interface improvements.