Please add an option to have word wrap toggled off for every editor by default

[arinc9]

As also mentioned on #227882:

It would be very useful to me to have an option to choose whether or not word wrap is toggled on for every editor by default. Currently, when word wrap is enabled, it is toggled on for every editor by default and there is not an option to have it toggled off by default. I want it to be toggled off by default so that I can toggle it on per editor when I want.

[paladin-t]

I second the motion, it is sad that the mentioned issue closed that way.

[sstefanov]

And, please, save these settings for each file between sessions.

[alexdima]

Have you tried using "editor.wordWrap": "off"?

[arinc9]

@alexdima it's been 11 months since I made this request. Your response is extremely disappointing to see. Seriously, had you bothered to give these three sentences on the post a proper read, you wouldn't make this response. Of course, you're not required to even look at this report but at least don't waste my time by making a useless response.

[alexdima]

@arinc9 It is true, I don't have a lot of time to spend on triaging issues, but yes, I have read your issue. I now read it again. Let me read it a third time and a fourth time. From this text, it looks like you are asking for the behavior of "editor.wordWrap": "off"

It would be very useful to me to have an option to choose whether or not word wrap is toggled on for every editor by default. Currently, when word wrap is enabled, it is toggled on for every editor by default and there is not an option to have it toggled off by default. I want it to be toggled off by default so that I can toggle it on per editor when I want.

Check out this video I recorded of me having "editor.wordWrap": "off". Observe how this setting checks off all of your desires:

It would be very useful to me to have an option to choose whether or not word wrap is toggled on for every editor by default

The option exists and is called editor.wordWrap

Currently, when word wrap is enabled, it is toggled on for every editor by default and there is not an option to have it toggled off by default

This sentence contains a logical contradiction inside of it. If word wrap is enabled, then yes, it is on. If word wrap is disabled, then yes, it is off. This is how the setting I mentioned above works. Just how like 1 is 1 and 0 is 0.

I want it to be toggled off by default so that I can toggle it on per editor when I want

Great! Then use "editor.wordWrap": "off" and then you open an editor and toggle it on using Alt+Z whenever you want.

And here is the video I promised:

CleanShot.2025-12-15.at.13.49.05.mp4

[arinc9]

Hey @alexdima thanks for giving this attention. I acknowledge that I can toggle on word wrap per editor when "editor.wordWrap": "off". However, I use it together with "editor.wordWrapColumn". That means I need to have "editor.wordWrap": "wordWrapColumn". In that case, word wrap will be toggled on by default on every editor. My request has been: Adding an option to have word wrap toggled off by default per editor when editor.wordWrap is not off.

[arinc9]

@alexdima will 2026 be the year that I finally have you understand this entry?

[RedCMD]

"editor.wordWrap": "off" disables editor.wordWrapColumn
should there be another setting added?

or how can we determine if wordWrapColumn should be used when alt+z is pressed?
(while keeping wordWrap off by default)

@alexdima "editor.wordWrap": "wordWrapColumnDefaultOff" maybe?

[arinc9]

Hey @RedCMD, you don't need to determine that because the option I request must respect "editor.wordWrap": "wordWrapColumn" or any other value that is not "off" for "editor.wordWrap".

When the option I request is enabled, an editor simply must open without wordWrap active, and become active when Alt+Z is pressed.

[alexdima]

Thank you for the extra explanations. Leaving this as a note to myself so I can easily understand what this is about:

---

Current behavior:

editor.wordWrap setting	File opens with wrap...	Alt+Z toggles to...
"off"	OFF	viewport wrap (ignores wordWrapColumn)
"wordWrapColumn"	ON at column X	OFF

What the user wants:

editor.wordWrap setting	File opens with wrap...	Alt+Z toggles to...
"wordWrapColumn" + new option	OFF	ON at column X

---

Concrete example:

Define "editor.wordWrapColumn": 80. Desired behavior:

1. Open a file → no wrapping (lines extend past 80 chars)
2. Press Alt+Z → wrapping kicks in at column 80
3. Press Alt+Z again → back to no wrapping

Today, if we set "editor.wordWrap": "wordWrapColumn", step 1 fails — files open already wrapped. If we set "editor.wordWrap": "off", step 2 fails — Alt+Z wraps at viewport edge, not column 80.

The ask: A way to say "use column-based wrapping when we toggle it on, but don't have it on by default."