Can I get character highlighting in VS Code difftool mode?

Question

When VS Code is used as a diff tool, e.g. with git difftool, it shows changed lines in red and green. Is there a way to highlight the changed characters (in addition to or instead of the lines) so that they stand out more?

Answer 1

VS Code git diff actually does have character highlighting. It's just very subtle, so it may not be noticeable.

You can modify the diff color settings to find one that allows for more contrast. Make sure the color specifies the alpha channel, otherwise it won't work.

settings.json

    "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
        "diffEditor.insertedTextBackground": "#00bb0044",
        "diffEditor.removedTextBackground": "#ff000044",
    },

For more info, see How to change diff color Visual Studio Code