A “VS file” most often means something ending in the `.vs` extension, though the term can also describe Visual Studio’s `.vs` folder, so the meaning depends on the context you found it in; if it’s truly a `name.vs` file, it’s most often a vertex shader script used in graphics pipelines, typically written as plain text that opens fine in editors like VS Code or Visual Studio, and its contents may resemble HLSL with elements like `float4` and semantics such as `TEXCOORD`, or GLSL with items like `vec3` and assignments to `gl_Position`.

The `.vs` extension isn’t tied to one strict format, so it may be a custom text file or even a binary used by a specific program, and if it opens as unreadable characters the best way to identify it is by checking which software produced it along with the “Opens with” details in Windows properties; but if what you’re seeing is a folder literally named `.vs` beside a `.sln` file, that’s Visual Studio’s workspace/cache directory storing things like IntelliSense data and layout/session state rather than real source code, and while it shouldn’t be committed to Git, deleting it is typically safe because Visual Studio rebuilds it—though you’ll lose local workspace preferences like window layouts.

“.vs” can mean something else because file extensions exist only as naming conventions, and Windows uses them mainly for launch associations rather than meaning, allowing developers to repurpose `.vs` for unrelated tasks, which is why not every `.vs` file will be a vertex shader even though that usage is well-known in graphics; a different tool could assign `.vs` to its project bundle, and Windows would still show it as a generic “VS file” unless a program registers ownership.

A `.vs` file can also be “something else” because context tells you the real meaning; in rendering pipelines `.vs` commonly represents a vertex shader due to neighboring `.ps`/`. If you have any thoughts regarding in which and how to use VS file extension, you can speak to us at the web page. fs` files and shader-compilation steps, while in other workflows the same extension can label a readable config or script using custom formatting instead of HLSL/GLSL, and sometimes it’s binary, appearing unreadable because it’s a compiled asset or proprietary container, so the only reliable indicator is its origin and the software that can load it.

If you want a fast way to figure out what your `.vs` file actually is, treat the extension as a general hint and verify it by checking the folder and nearby files, reviewing its “Opens with” info, and opening it in a text editor to see if it looks like shader code, another text format, or binary—these three checks typically answer the question quickly.