Edit, run, and chart Kusto queries (KQL) right from VS Code. Explore databases and results, and use Copilot to help author and diagnose your queries. Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Get Started
Select the Kusto Explorer icon in the VS Code Activity Bar
Use an existing scratch pad (already open) or create a .kql file
Connect the query document to a Kusto cluster and database (while the document has focus):
Add a cluster connection in the Connections sidebar (if it doesn't exist yet)
Select a database to set the active cluster and database for the focused document
Write a Kusto query (or ask Copilot for help)
Press F5 to execute the query and view results in the Results panel
Use the chart button to visualize your results — customize chart type, axes, legend, and more
Revisit prior queries and results in the History sidebar
Features
Query Editor
Edit queries like a source code document
Multiple independent queries in a single document, separated by a blank line
IntelliSense (auto-completions, hover tips)
Formatting (pretty printing)
Go-to-definition and find-all-references for tables, functions, columns, and more
Code actions and quick fixes for common issues and refactorings
Copy colorized query text to the clipboard for pasting into other documents
Connections (sidebar)
Maintain a list of Kusto clusters you connect to
Select a cluster and database to set the defaults for your active query document
Explore database entities — tables, functions, materialized views, and more
Scratch Pads (sidebar)
Scratch pad documents for jotting down queries without creating and naming a file
History (sidebar)
Browse previously executed queries and their results
Re-open past results without re-running the query
Results Panel (bottom panel)
Copy cell contents or entire tables to the clipboard
Drag and drop a table into your document as a KQL datatable expression
Add or edit a chart to visualize your results
Save data as a .kqr file (Kusto Query Results) to share with others
Charts (document tab)
Create and customize charts — choose chart type, axes, legend, and more
Copy the chart as an image (light-mode or dark-mode) to the clipboard
Save chart and data together as a .kqr file
Results Viewer (document tab)
Open saved .kqr files — chart, data, and query in a single view
Add or edit charts, copy data, and export images just like the Results panel
Copilot Integration
Ask Copilot to help write, run, and diagnose your Kusto queries
