VSCode Format on save for only one language

Are you ever stuck with VSCode formatting files that you didn’t want it to touch? Thank god there’s a simple fix for that.

I like format on save for Python and TypeScript, but not for Markdown, where it messes up my blog posts. VSCode lets you set editor.formatOnSave for a single language.

Prerequisites

• VSCode installed
• A formatter for the language, for example Prettier or Black

Steps to set format on save for one language

1. Open the Command Palette using CTRL + Shift + P on Windows or ⌘ + Shift + P on Mac
2. Search for Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)
3. Add a block for the language you want, like this:

"editor.formatOnSave": false,
"[python]": {
  "editor.formatOnSave": true
},
"[typescript]": {
  "editor.formatOnSave": true
}

The first line turns it off everywhere, and the blocks turn it on for each language you list. You can also do it the other way around: turn it on everywhere and set it to false for [markdown].

To find the name of a language, open a file of that type and look at the language name in the bottom right corner. Click it to see the id.