A: Regarding security: No. It contains known vulnerabilities (Electron 1.7.9). However, if your machine is air-gapped or behind a strict corporate firewall with no internet access, it is safe. Never use 1.29 on a machine connected to the public internet.

If an older VS Code build is genuinely required:

  • Archived builds: Microsoft provides all past releases at https://update.code.visualstudio.com/ (structured API) and via GitHub Releases (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases).
  • Note: VS Code releases use a 3-part versioning scheme (e.g., 1.70.3). If you specifically need 1.70.3, follow the "Specific release" steps below; otherwise use the "Latest stable" instructions.

    A: Microsoft did not officially support the --portable flag until version 1.32. However, you can download the .zip (not .exe) of 1.29.2, extract it to C:\vscode-legacy, and create a data folder inside to mimic portability.


    VS Code follows a date-agnostic, sequential semantic versioning pattern:

    Newer versions sometimes introduce regressions in theming, IntelliSense, or debugging. Version 1.70.3 underwent three patch cycles (1.70.0 → 1.70.1 → 1.70.2 → 1.70.3), making it one of the most polished releases of its era.