When you start working with the SDK and extension, there are no SDK and toolchain versions installed on your machine. When you open the extension in Visual Studio Code by clicking its icon in the Activity Bar, the Welcome View shows the following buttons:
- Install SDK - for installing the SDK and toolchain bundle (recommended)
- Install Toolchain - for installing the toolchain only
For the first-time setup, you want to install the SDK and toolchain together. If you click the Install Toolchain button, you need to manually install the matching SDK version later.
Complete the following steps:
- Click the Install SDK button.
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Select the region for download.
Tip
You only need to select the region for downloads once. The selected region applies to all future SDK and toolchain downloads. If you need to change it, use the
nrf-connect.sdkManager.regionsetting.The list of available SDK types appears.
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Select the SDK type you need.
In most cases, this is either the nRF Connect SDK or the nRF Connect SDK Bare Metal option. - Select the SDK version to install from among pre-packaged SDKs or from GitHub.
Only stable versions are shown by default. You can enter a branch, tag, or commit SHA, or use the filter button in the quick pick header to list all available versions. For more information about the different versions, see SDK versions and revisions in the nRF Connect SDK documentation. - Specify the SDK installation location.
Use the folder icon in the quick pick header to browse for a location.
The extension installs both the SDK and toolchain, which can take several minutes. You can see the progress in the notification that appears and in Output in the Panel Views. A notification also appears when the installation is complete.