Everything about VS Code can be changed, and it is all in one place. There are two ways in: the same settings, shown two ways.
Cmd/Ctrl Shift P → Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON). Handy for copying settings from a tutorial:
{
"editor.fontSize": 16,
"files.autoSave": "afterDelay"
}Same rule as Gemini in Colab: write the line yourself before you see an answer. There are two kinds of suggestion, and only one of them is AI.
Type df. and a list appears of methods that really exist, such as head and groupby. It looks things up for you; it doesn't write code for you. Leave it on.
The grey "ghost" code that appears ahead of your cursor, and the chat panel. In Settings, search disable AI features and tick it:
"chat.disableAIFeatures": true
Later in the course, when you know what good code looks like, you can switch it back on. That is a decision for you to make on purpose, not a default.
{
"editor.fontSize": 15,
"editor.wordWrap": "on",
"editor.minimap.enabled": false,
"files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
"chat.disableAIFeatures": true
}Auto save means a script always runs the version you see on screen.
The official VS Code documentation is good, free, and kept up to date. Start with the videos.
Short official videos: the window, editing, extensions.
The shortcuts worth learning, with animations.
Everything from the first slide, in full.
Colour and icon themes, and how to install more.
Running, debugging and environments, step by step.
Exactly what you do in these labs.
A full pandas and plotting walk-through.