If you're running PowerShell in the PowerShell Integrated Console, which is a a special shell that comes with the PowerShell extension:
To turn off profile loading in this special shell, make sure that the
PowerShell: Enable Profile Loading option for the PowerShell extension is unchecked (via File > Preferences > Settings, Ctrl-,).
See the bottom section for how to control which particular PowerShell edition / executable is used in the PowerShell Integrated Console.
If you're running PowerShell as a general-purpose shell in Visual Studio Code's integrated terminal:
You'll have to modify the default PowerShell shell profile or add a custom profile, with an "args" argument value of [ "-noprofile" ], by direct editing of the JSON file underlying the settings, settings.json (>Preferences: Open Settings (JSON) from the command palette).
The following shows a relevant settings.json excerpt with a modified default PowerShell profile that suppresses profile loading.
"terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
"PowerShell": {
"source": "PowerShell",
"icon": "terminal-powershell",
"args": [ "-noprofile" ] // suppress profile loading
}, // ...
}
Read on for detailed, general information about shells and terminals in Visual Studio Code.
Overview of shell and terminal settings in Visual Studio Code:
3 different types of shells apply intrinsically:
The default shell for the integrated terminal (the TERMINAL tab of the panel).
- Optionally, the automation shell to use for automation tasks (defined in
tasks.json) instead of the default integrated-terminal shell.
The default shell for opening an external terminal (> Open New External Terminal); note that on Windows you can specify a shell executable directly, but on Unix-like platforms you must specify a terminal application, which itself then determines the shell to launch - see details below.
With the PowerShell extension installed, yet another shell applies:
- The specific PowerShell executable to use for the PowerShell Integrated Console, which provides tight integration with editing and support for debugging PowerShell code.
These shells:
can all be configured separately
may differ in their default behavior
only some of them allow you to specify startup parameters, such as -NoProfile in your case.
The default shells are:
- For the integrated terminal and running tasks:
- Windows: PowerShell.
- Note that if a PowerShell (Core) 6+ version is found to be installed, it takes precedence over the built-in Windows PowerShell edition.
- Unix-like platforms: the user's default shell, as reflected in the
SHELL environment variable.
- For the external terminal:
- Windows:
conhost.exe, which launches cmd.exe (Command Prompt)
- Unix-like platforms: the host platform's default terminal application, such as
Terminal.app on macOS, which itself determines what shell to launch (though, by default, it is also the user's default shell).
- Note: On Windows only you may specify a shell (rather than a terminal) executable directly (e.g.,
bash.exe), in which case it opens in a regular console window (conhost.exe)
The following excerpt from a Settings.json file (> Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)) shows the relevant settings for each (as of VSCode v1.60 / PowerShell Extension v2021.8.2):
- In earlier VSCode versions, the
"terminal.integrated.shell.*" and "terminal.integrated.shellArgs.*" settings determined the default shell and its startup arguments for the integrated terminal. These have been superseded by shell profiles, defined via "terminal.integrated.profiles.*" properties, and an associated "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.*" property that contains the name of the profile to use by default, as shown below.
{
// ...
// **General-purpose integrated-terminal shell**.
// Shell *profiles* define the *available* shells for the integrated terminal.
// This property is situationally created automatically, platform-appropriately,
// based on what shells VSCode finds in standard locations on your
// system.
// However, it *need not be present* in a given file - VSCode
// knows about about *standard* profiles *implicitly* when it
// comes to choosing a default shell.
// This example applies to Windows, and shows that Git Bash
// was found on the system.
// On Unix-like platforms, replace ".windows" with ".osx" or ".linux",
// as appropriate.
// To add custom profiles:
// * In file *paths*, use "\" or "/" as the path separator.
// * Use an "args" array property to specify start-up arguments, if necessary.
"terminal.integrated.profiles.windows": {
"PowerShell": {
"source": "PowerShell",
"icon": "terminal-powershell"
},
"Command Prompt": {
"path": [
"${env:windir}\Sysnative\cmd.exe",
"${env:windir}\System32\cmd.exe"
],
"args": [],
"icon": "terminal-cmd"
},
"Git Bash": {
"source": "Git Bash"
}
}
// Define the *default* shell profile, which serves as the default
// shell in the *integrated terminal* and - except
// if overridden, as shown below - also for *tasks*.
"terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "PowerShell"
// **Automation-tasks shell**,
// for the tasks defined in "tasks.json" and for debugging:
// This definition is *optional* and *overrides* the default shell configured above.
// Note:
// * The *executable file path* must be specified (just the file name is sufficient for executables present in %PATH%);
// that is, this setting doesn't reference the shell *profiles*.
// * There is NO way to pass startup arguments.
"terminal.integrated.automationShell.windows": "cmd.exe",
// **External-terminal executable**:
// The *terminal program* to use for opening an external terminal window, which itself determines what shell to launch.
// (> Open New External Terminal).
// Note:
// * The *executable file path* must be specified (just the file name is sufficient for executables present in %PATH%);
// * There is NO way to pass startup arguments.
// * This example specifies Windows Terminal (wt.exe).
// * On Windows only, you may also specify a *shell* executable directly,
// which then opens in a regular console window (conhost.exe)
"terminal.external.windowsExec": "wt.exe",
// **PowerShell Integrated Console**:
// Profile loading is *disabled* by default; you can enable it here, but
// note that the PowerShell Integrated Console has its own,
// separate $PROFILE location, which differs from the one in a
// regular console window. If you want to load your regular profile,
// place the following statement in the $PROFILE file of
// the Integrated Console:
// . ($PROFILE -replace '.VSCode', '.PowerShell')
// (Open the profile file for editing by submitting the following command
// from the Integrated Console:
// code $PROFILE
// )
"powershell.enableProfileLoading": false,
// ...
}
If you want to configure the PowerShell Integrated Console to use a different PowerShell edition / version:
GUI method: With the PowerShell Integrated Console active in the Terminal tab in VSCode's panel (lower half of the screen), click on the version number icon in the bottom right corner (e.g., 
)
- Select a different version, if present, prefixed by
Switch to:
- If the version / edition of interest isn't shown, you must add its executable path via your
Settings.json file (see next point).
Via settings.json (> Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)):
The array-valued powershell.powerShellAdditionalExePaths property allows you to add the full executable paths of PowerShell versions that the extension couldn't find automatically - see example below.
The powershell.powerShellDefaultVersion property determines which version to use by default; since you must specify it by its display name, which includes the automatically chosen display name for auto-discovered versions, it's simplest to make the selection via the GUI, as shown above.
{
// ...
// The paths to any PowerShell executables that the extension cannot auto-discover.
// The "versionName" is a self-chosen name that is offered in the
// version-selector menu that pops up when you click on the version number
// near the right edge of the status bar when the
// PowerShell Integrated Console is active.
// (The currently active version is displayed by its actual characteristics,
// not by its "versionName" property; e.g.,
// "PowerShell 7.0 (X64) Core Edition [7.0.0]")
"powershell.powerShellAdditionalExePaths": [
{
"versionName": "Latest Preview",
"exePath": "C:\Users\jdoe\AppData\Local\Microsoft\powershell\pwsh.exe"
}
],
// The "versionName" property of the PowerShell executable to use by default.
// Note: To switch to an executable that the extension found automatically,
// it is simplest to use the version-selector menu.
"powershell.powerShellDefaultVersion": "Latest P
