Migrating InterSystems Studio/Caché and Visual Studio Code Setup to a new Windows PC

Recently, I replaced my old laptop with a new one and had to migrate all my data. I was looking for a guide but couldn’t find anything that explained in detail how to migrate server connections from InterSystems Studio and Visual Studio Code from one PC to another. Simply reinstalling the tools is not enough, and migrating all the connections manually seemed like a waste of time. In the end, I managed to solve the problem, and this article explains how.

InterSystems Studio

Exporting Server Connections

Migrating Studio connections was the most challenging part. Server connections are stored in the Windows Registry, which can be opened from PowerShell by running:

regedit

This allows you to explore all registry keys through a graphical interface.

Depending on the version installed, Studio connections can be found in one of the following locations:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Intersystems
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\InterSystems\Cache\Servers

In my case, most connections were stored in the second path.

If you browse the Registry Editor, you will find connection information under the Servers folder, with one entry for each connection.

To export all the connections directly from the registry into a file, run this command in PowerShell:

reg export "HKCU\Software\InterSystems\Cache\Servers" "$env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\IRIS_Studio_Connections.reg" /y

• This creates a .reg file containing all your Studio connections.
• The file is saved to your Desktop.
• The /y flag overwrites the file if it already exists.

Importing on the New PC

To import the connections, copy the .reg file to the new PC and run this command in PowerShell:

reg import "C:\Path\To\IRIS_Studio_Connections.reg" 

Alternatively, double-click the .reg file to import it manually.

At this point, InterSystems Studio on your new PC will contain the same server connections you had on the old one.

Note: passwords are not migrated, so you will need to re-enter them the first time you connect.

Visual Studio Code

Exporting Server Connections

Migrating server connections in Visual Studio Code is more straightforward than in Studio since connections are all stored in the settings.json file.

To open it:

• Click on the InterSystems extension icon in the sidebar
• Click the three dots icon (“More Actions...”), and select Edit Settings.

•  Click now on settings.json:

• All connections are stored under the "intersystems.servers" property of the JSON:

• Copy these entries and paste them into the settings.json file on the new PC.

Exporting the Whole Profile

Another option is to export your entire VS Code profile.

• Click on the gear icon in the bottom-left corner.
• Navigate to Profiles → Profiles.

• Select the desired profile and choose Export.

• A code profile file will be generated. 
• You can copy this file to the new PC and import it into VS Code. From the same Profiles screen, click the arrow next to New Profile, then select Import Profile. This will restore all settings, including server connections.