Serial Monitor
The serial monitor panel gives you a terminal-style interface for live serial communication directly inside VS Code.
Connecting to a Port
- Open the Serial Monitor Pro panel from the activity bar.
- Your connected serial ports appear automatically in the Serial Ports list. Click Refresh (↻) if a port is not showing.
- Click a port to open the monitor.
- Configure connection settings in the toolbar (see below).
- Click Connect.
Connection Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Baud Rate | Data rate in bits per second. Common values: 9600, 115200. Custom rates can be added via the serialMonitorPro.customBaudRates setting. |
| Data Bits | Number of data bits per frame (typically 8). |
| Stop Bits | Number of stop bits (1 or 2). |
| Parity | Error detection bit: None, Even, or Odd. |
| Line Ending | Characters appended to outgoing messages: None, LF, CR, or CRLF. |
Sending Data
Type a message in the input field at the bottom of the monitor panel and press Enter to send. The configured line ending is appended automatically.
Timestamps
Enable timestamps on received data with the serialMonitorPro.timestampEnabled setting, or toggle it from the toolbar. Each incoming line is prefixed with the time it arrived.