What is MakeCode and how do I use it with my kit?

Microsoft MakeCode is the editor you and your students will use to write code for the micro:bit in your Climate Action Kit. Here are the questions we hear most often, plus where to go for Microsoft's own answers.

For questions we don't cover here, Microsoft keeps a detailed FAQ for the micro:bit editor:

MakeCode FAQ

The basics

What is MakeCode?

Microsoft MakeCode is a free, web-based coding editor. The micro:bit version lives at makecode.microbit.org.

You build programs by dragging colour-coded blocks together. If your students have used Scratch, the blocks will feel familiar straight away — and they're powerful enough to reach all of the micro:bit's features. Students who are ready for text-based coding can switch the same project over to JavaScript and see the code behind the blocks.

Do I need to install anything?

No. MakeCode runs in your web browser, so students can start coding without an install or a login.

Do I need an internet connection the whole time?

No. MakeCode has a compiler built into the editor, so once makecode.microbit.org has loaded, it is cached on your computer and you can keep coding without an internet connection. This is handy in rooms where the school Wi-Fi is unreliable. (Source: micro:bit Tech Site — MakeCode.)

Getting code onto the micro:bit

What actually happens when I press Download?

MakeCode's compiler turns your project into a .hex file — a machine-readable version of your program. When that .hex file is copied onto the MICROBIT drive, the interface chip on the micro:bit copies it into the memory of the main processor and your program starts running. (Source: micro:bit Tech Site — MakeCode.)

If the download seems to have vanished, check your browser's Downloads folder — the .hex file is a normal download until you copy it to the micro:bit.

Where do my student's project go?

They stay as anonymous projects based on a cookie in your browser.  However they can be saved if your student is allowed to login using their Microsoft, Google, or Github login 

Using MakeCode with Forward Education

Do I need anything extra to code the Climate Action Kit?

Your kit's breakout board — the board the micro:bit slots into so you can plug in servos, sensors and modules — needs the extension in MakeCode. An extension adds a new category of blocks to the editor for hardware that isn't built into the micro:bit itself.

Where to get more help

• Questions about the Climate Action Kit, the CodeCtrl extension or a lesson: contact Forward Education support.
• Questions about the MakeCode editor itself: start with the MakeCode FAQ.
• Questions about the micro:bit hardware: the Micro:bit Educational Foundation support site is the place to ask. The MakeCode forum is a community space and is not monitored by the Foundation, so use the support site if you need an official answer.