Video Notes

Positron allows you to manage settings either via a graphical UI or a configuration file. Understanding both approaches helps you customize your workflow and makes it easy to back up or transfer your settings.

Managing Settings via the UI

To access settings in the UI:

• Click the gear icon in the bottom-left corner and select Settings
• Or, open the Command Palette (View > Command Palette), search for settings ui, and select Preferences: Open Settings (UI)

The UI includes hundreds of settings, so make use of the search bar to find what you need quickly.

For example, one of the first settings I recommend changing is Auto Save. This ensures your files are saved automatically whenever you switch focus between files or windows:

1. Search for auto save in the Settings UI
2. Set it to onFocusChange

Managing Settings via Configuration File

While the UI is more intuitive, knowing how to manage settings via the configuration file is useful for backups, porting settings, or making bulk edits.

To open the settings file:

1. Open the Command Palette (View > Command Palette).
2. Search for settings json and select Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)

This opens a settings.json file, where any setting you change from the default is recorded. For example:

{
    "git.confirmSync": false,
    "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange"
}

Another “must-change” setting is Format on Save, which automatically formats your code whenever you save. To enable this feature, add the following line to your settings.json file:

{
    "git.confirmSync": false,
    "files.autoSave": "onFocusChange",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
}

Save the file. The setting takes effect immediately.

Mouse Wheel Zoom

The third and final “must-change” setting I recommend enabling right away is** Mouse Wheel Zoom.** This allows you to quickly adjust the font size in the code editor by holding Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) while scrolling with the mouse wheel.