Navigating the Windsurf Editor and Core UI Elements
Learn how to navigate Windsurf’s AI-powered editor and get familiar with AI features that will speed up your workflows
Even though Windsurf is a fork of VS Code and might feel familiar, it has been upgraded with powerful new systems. Stepping into it for the first time can feel like sitting in the cockpit of a familiar plane, only to discover that it now has afterburners and an AI co-pilot. Where are all the new controls? What do these new panels do?
Think of it this way: first, you’ll learn to fly the jet by getting familiar with the cockpit. Then, you’ll program its autopilot to fly exactly how you want it to.
A guided tour of the Windsurf cockpit
If you’re coming from VS Code, the Windsurf interface will feel immediately familiar. It’s organized into five main zones, but each has been infused with AI capabilities that transform it from a static panel into an interactive part of your development workflow.
The primary sidebar (red): This is your main navigation hub.
Explorer: Your standard file and folder view.
Search: Beyond simple text search, this panel is powered by Windsurf’s semantic understanding of your code.
Source control: Your Git integration. If you have a Git repository linked, you’ll notice a key addition here: a small sparkle icon (✨) next to the commit message box. This is your AI commit message generator, a one-click way to have the AI analyze your staged changes and write a perfect commit message for you.
Extensions: Manage your Open VSX extensions here.
The editor group (yellow): This is where you live and breathe code. It’s where Windsurf Tab’s autocomplete suggestions will appear as you type and where Windsurf Command will perform its in-line refactors.
The panel area (green): This area houses your operational tools.
Terminal: A fully featured terminal that the AI can read from and write to is ...