How to Automatically Refresh Your VSCode Project While Developing

Set up automatic refresh in Visual Studio Code using Live Server to instantly see changes in your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files as you develop.

When working on your project such as a basic static site (not applicable for frameworks) you will likely be spinning up a live version in your local browser window. You may even find that you are having to click the Refresh button every time you need to make an update. Thankfully there is a tool called Live Server that you can install to enable automatic updates so you don’t need to constantly hit refresh.

Steps to Enable Live Server in Visual Studio Code

  1. Within your Visual Studio code project go to extensions in the left sidebar (the icon with building blocks).
  2. In the search bar, type Live Server
  3. Click the first option (i.e. Live Server by Ritwick Dey) and click the blue Install button
  4. In the bottom righthand corner click the Go Live text and Icon to launch your project in your local browser

It is that easy! Now you and I won’t forget how to do that.

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Copyright 2025 Matthew Seiwert