How does GitLens help you explore file history and branches directly in VS Code?

Understanding how code evolves over time is essential for debugging, reviewing changes, and maintaining a clean repository history. Developers often need to answer questions such as: When was this line of code added? Which branch introduced this change? How did a file evolve across multiple commits?

Without the right tools, answering these questions requires running multiple Git commands or switching between the editor and external tools. GitLens brings this information directly into the IDE.

Feature	Description
File History	Displays the full commit history for a file, making it easy to understand how it has changed over time.
Line History	Shows the commit history for a specific line or range of lines, providing precise context for individual code changes.
Inline Blame Annotations	Displays the author, date, and commit message for each line directly in the editor.
Revision Navigation	Allows developers to step through previous versions of a file to see how it looked at different points in history.
Commit Graph (Pro)	An interactive visual graph of repository history that supports filtering, searching, and exploring branches.
Branch Exploration	Developers can switch branches, inspect commits, and explore repository history without leaving the IDE.