📋 Table of Contents
Overview
Emoji File Markers is a VS Code extension that allows you to visually organize your workspace by adding emoji markers to files in the File Explorer. With 90+ carefully curated emojis, you can quickly identify file purposes, track status, mark priorities, and create a personalized file organization system.
Features
✨ Visual File Organization: Mark files with emojis to quickly identify their purpose, status, or priority
🖱️ Easy to Use: Right-click any file in the explorer to add or remove emoji markers
💾 Persistent: Emoji markers are saved at the workspace level and persist across VS Code sessions
🎨 Rich Emoji Collection: Choose from 90+ carefully curated emojis across multiple categories
⚡ Quick Access: Use the Command Palette for quick access to all emoji marker commands
🔄 Workspace-Specific: Each workspace maintains its own set of emoji markers
Installation
From VS Code Marketplace (Recommended)
- Open VS Code
- Press
Cmd+Shift+X (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) to open Extensions view
- Search for "Emoji File Markers"
- Click Install
- Reload VS Code when prompted
Manual Installation
- Download the
.vsix file from the releases page
- Open VS Code
- Press
Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
- Type "Extensions: Install from VSIX..."
- Select the downloaded
.vsix file
- Reload VS Code when prompted
Requirements
- VS Code: Version 1.75.0 or higher
- Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
User Manual
Getting Started
Once installed, the extension activates automatically when you start VS Code. No additional configuration is required!
First Steps:
- Open a workspace or folder in VS Code
- Navigate to the File Explorer (sidebar on the left)
- Right-click on any file to see the new emoji marker options
Adding Emoji Markers
There are two ways to add an emoji marker to a file:
- Right-click on any file in the File Explorer
- Select "Add Emoji Marker" from the context menu
- A Quick Pick menu will appear with all available emojis organized by category
- Click or type to search for the emoji you want
- Press Enter to apply the emoji
- The emoji will immediately appear as a badge next to the file name! 🎉
Method 2: Command Palette
- Select a file in the File Explorer (single click)
- Open Command Palette:
Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
- Type "Add Emoji Marker" and press Enter
- Choose your emoji from the Quick Pick menu
- Press Enter to apply
💡 Tip: The Quick Pick menu is searchable! Just start typing keywords like "fire", "bug", or "star" to quickly find emojis.
Removing Emoji Markers
Remove from Single File
- Right-click on a file that has an emoji marker
- Select "Remove Emoji Marker" from the context menu
- The emoji will be removed immediately
Remove All Markers
To clear all emoji markers from your current workspace:
- Open Command Palette:
Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)
- Type "Clear All Emoji Markers"
- Press Enter
- Confirm the action when prompted
- All emoji markers will be removed from the workspace
⚠️ Warning: Clearing all markers cannot be undone! Make sure you want to remove all emoji markers before confirming.
Managing Markers
Viewing Your Markers
Emoji markers appear directly in the File Explorer next to file names. They are visible as:
- Badge decorations on the file icon
- Visible in all views where the file appears (Explorer, Search results, etc.)
Updating Markers
To change a file's emoji marker:
- Remove the existing marker (right-click → "Remove Emoji Marker")
- Add a new marker (right-click → "Add Emoji Marker")
📌 Note: Currently, each file can have only one emoji marker. Adding a new emoji will replace the existing one.
Sharing Markers with Team
Emoji markers are stored in the workspace's .vscode folder. To share markers with your team:
- Ensure the
.vscode folder is committed to version control
- Team members pulling the repository will see the same emoji markers
- Create a team convention document to standardize emoji meanings
Available Emojis
The extension provides 90+ carefully curated emojis organized into the following categories:
📊 Status & Symbols
✅ ❌ ⚠️ 🚨 🔥 ⭐ 💡 💯 🎯 📌 🏁 🎖️ 🏆 👑 💎
💻 Development & Programming
💻 🐛 🚀 ⚡ 🔧 🔨 ⚙️ 🛠️ 🖥️ ⌨️ 🖱️ 💾 📱 🌐 🔌
📄 Files & Documents
📝 📄 📋 📁 📂 📊 📈 📉 📜 📃 📑 🗂️ 📇 🗃️
😀 Smileys & Emotions
😀 😊 🤔 😎 🤓 🥳 😍 🤩 😤 😱 🙌 👍 👎 💪 🤝
🎨 Colors & Shapes
🔴 🟠 🟡 🟢 🔵 🟣 ⚫ ⚪ 🟤 🔶 🔷 ⬛ ⬜ 🟥 🟧 🟨 🟩 🟦 🟪
🌿 Nature & Weather
🌟 🌈 ☀️ ⚡ 🌺 🌸 🌻 🌼 🍀 🌿 🌱 🌲 🔆 💧 ❄️
⏰ Time & Progress
⏰ ⏱️ ⏳ ⌛ 🕐 📅 📆 🗓️ 🔜 🔚 🔙 🔄 ♻️
🎯 Miscellaneous
🎨 🎭 🎪 🎬 🎮 🎲 🎯 🧩 🔮 💬 💭 🗨️ 🔔 🔕 📣
💡 Pro Tip: The Quick Pick menu displays emojis by category with descriptive labels to help you find the perfect emoji quickly!
Use Cases & Best Practices
Priority Marking
- 🔥 Urgent/Critical - Files requiring immediate attention
- ⭐ Important - High-priority files
- ⚡ Quick Win - Easy tasks that can be done quickly
- 💎 High Value - Key files for the project
Status Tracking
- ✅ Complete - Finished and reviewed
- 🚧 In Progress - Currently being worked on
- ⏳ Pending - Waiting for something
- ❌ Blocked - Cannot proceed
- 🔜 Next Up - Queued for work
File Categories
- 📝 Documentation - README, guides, notes
- 🐛 Bug Related - Bug fixes, issue tracking
- 🚀 Deployment - Scripts, configs
- 🧪 Testing - Test files, specs
- 🎨 Design - UI/UX files
- ⚙️ Configuration - Config files
- 🔒 Security - Security-related files
Team Collaboration
- 👤 Assigned to Me - Files you're responsible for
- 👥 Team Review - Needs team input
- 💬 Needs Discussion - Requires meeting/chat
- 📌 Important Reference - Key documentation
Development Workflow
- 🏁 Entry Point - Main files, index files
- 🔌 API/Integration - External connections
- 💾 Data/Database - Data-related files
- 🌐 Frontend - UI components
- ⚙️ Backend - Server-side logic
Best Practices
- Be Consistent: Create a convention and stick to it
- Keep It Simple: Don't over-use emojis; use them for what truly matters
- Document Your System: Maintain a legend of what each emoji means for your team
- Update Regularly: Remove emojis when tasks are complete or priorities change
- Use Sparingly: Too many marked files defeats the purpose of quick visual scanning
Keyboard Shortcuts
Currently, this extension does not define default keyboard shortcuts to avoid conflicts. However, you can create your own!
Creating Custom Shortcuts
- Open Keyboard Shortcuts:
Cmd+K Cmd+S (macOS) or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (Windows/Linux)
- Search for "emoji marker"
- Click the + icon next to the command
- Press your desired key combination
- Press Enter to save
Suggested Shortcuts:
| Command |
Suggested Shortcut |
Description |
Add Emoji Marker |
Cmd+K E or Ctrl+K E |
Quick add emoji |
Remove Emoji Marker |
Cmd+K R or Ctrl+K R |
Quick remove emoji |
Clear All Emoji Markers |
Cmd+K Cmd+E or Ctrl+K Ctrl+E |
Clear all markers |
Commands Reference
All commands are accessible via:
- Command Palette (
Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Context Menu (right-click on files)
| Command ID |
Display Name |
Description |
Where Available |
emojiFileMarkers.addEmoji |
Add Emoji Marker |
Add an emoji marker to the selected file |
Context Menu, Command Palette |
emojiFileMarkers.removeEmoji |
Remove Emoji Marker |
Remove the emoji marker from the selected file |
Context Menu, Command Palette |
emojiFileMarkers.clearAll |
Clear All Emoji Markers |
Remove all emoji markers from the workspace |
Command Palette |
Troubleshooting
Emoji not appearing after adding
Possible causes:
- The file explorer might need to refresh
- The emoji might not be supported by your font
Solutions:
- Collapse and expand the folder in File Explorer
- Reload VS Code:
Cmd+Shift+P → "Reload Window"
- Ensure your VS Code is using a font that supports emojis
Emoji disappeared after file rename
Issue: Currently, emoji markers are tied to file paths. Renaming or moving files may cause markers to be lost.
Workaround: Re-add the emoji marker after renaming the file.
Note: This is a known limitation. File tracking across renames is planned for a future release.
Markers not persisting after VS Code restart
Possible causes:
- Workspace settings might not be saved properly
- The
.vscode folder might be gitignored
Solutions:
- Check if
.vscode/ exists in your workspace
- Verify that workspace settings can be written
- Check folder permissions
Can't add emoji to certain files
Check:
- Ensure you're trying to mark a file, not a folder (folder support coming soon!)
- Verify the file is within the current workspace
- Make sure the file is not a virtual/remote file
Solutions:
- Reload VS Code:
Cmd+Shift+P → "Reload Window"
- Check the VS Code console for errors: View → Output → Select "Emoji File Markers"
- Reinstall the extension
All emojis disappeared
Check:
- Did someone run "Clear All Emoji Markers"?
- Was the
.vscode/settings.json file deleted or modified?
- Did you switch to a different workspace?
Recovery:
If you use version control, you may be able to recover from a previous commit.
FAQ
Q: Can I add multiple emojis to a single file?
A: Currently, each file can have only one emoji marker. Adding a new emoji will replace the existing one. Support for multiple emojis is being considered for future releases.
Q: Can I add emojis to folders?
A: Not yet! Folder support is planned for a future release. Currently, only files can have emoji markers.
Q: Where are emoji markers stored?
A: Emoji markers are stored in your workspace's .vscode/settings.json file under the workspace state. They are workspace-specific and will persist across VS Code sessions.
Q: Will emoji markers sync across devices?
A: If you commit your .vscode folder to version control, the markers will be available to anyone who clones the repository. Note: Some VS Code settings sync services may also sync these markers.
Q: Can I customize the emoji list?
A: Currently, the emoji list is fixed at 90+ emojis. Support for custom emoji lists is being considered for future versions.
A: No! The extension is lightweight and uses VS Code's native decoration API, so there's minimal performance impact even in large workspaces.
Q: Can I export/import emoji marker configurations?
A: Since markers are stored in workspace settings, you can copy the .vscode folder to transfer markers between workspaces or share with team members.
Q: What happens if I rename a file?
A: Currently, the emoji marker may be lost when a file is renamed. This is a known limitation that will be addressed in a future update.
Q: Can I use this in remote workspaces (SSH, WSL, Containers)?
A: Yes! The extension works in remote development scenarios. Markers are stored in the remote workspace.
Q: Is this extension open source?
A: Yes! Check out the GitHub repository to contribute or report issues.
Known Limitations
- ⚠️ Files only: Emoji markers are currently supported for files only, not folders
- ⚠️ Workspace-specific: Emoji associations are stored locally per workspace
- ⚠️ File tracking: If a file is renamed or moved, the emoji marker may be lost (file tracking across renames planned for future release)
- ⚠️ One emoji per file: Currently, each file can have only one emoji marker
- ⚠️ UTF-8 support: Some emojis may not display correctly depending on your system's font configuration
Planned Enhancements
- 🔮 Folder emoji marker support
- 🔮 Multiple emojis per file
- 🔮 File tracking across renames and moves
- 🔮 Custom emoji collections
- 🔮 Emoji marker templates/presets
- 🔮 Import/export marker configurations
- 🔮 Search files by emoji marker
Extension Settings
This extension does not add any user-configurable VS Code settings. All emoji markers are automatically stored at the workspace level in .vscode/settings.json.
Release Notes
0.1.0 - Initial Release
🎉 Initial release of Emoji File Markers!
Features:
- ✨ Add emoji markers to files via context menu
- 🗑️ Remove emoji markers from files
- 🧹 Clear all emoji markers at once
- 🎨 90+ curated emojis across multiple categories
- 💾 Workspace-level persistence
- ⚡ Quick access via Command Palette
- 🔍 Searchable emoji picker
Contributing
We welcome contributions! 🎉
Reporting Issues
Found a bug or have a feature request?
- Check existing issues
- If no match, open a new issue
- Provide:
- VS Code version
- Extension version
- Steps to reproduce (for bugs)
- Expected vs actual behavior
Feature Requests
Have an idea? We'd love to hear it!
- Open an issue
- Tag it with
enhancement
- Describe the feature and use case
Pull Requests
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
- Make your changes
- Commit with clear messages:
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
- Push to your fork:
git push origin feature/amazing-feature
- Open a Pull Request
Support
Need help? Here's how to get support:
License
This extension is licensed under the MIT License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Aryaneel Shivam
Acknowledgments
- Built with ❤️ for the VS Code community
- Emoji artwork provided by the Unicode Consortium
- Inspired by organized developers everywhere
Enjoy organizing your files with emojis! 🎉
If you find this extension useful, please ⭐ star the GitHub repository and leave a ⭐ review on the VS Code Marketplace!
Made with 💜 by developers, for developers
