Clipboard File Transfer
Transfer files between any VS Code instances using your clipboard.
Works across:
- Local <-> Remote SSH
- Local <-> Docker containers
- Local <-> WSL
- SSH <-> SSH
- Anywhere VS Code runs!
Features
- Copy single or multiple files/folders
- File conflict handling (Overwrite, Rename, Skip)
- Progress indicators
- Configurable compression
- No setup required
Usage
Copy
- Right-click a file or folder in the Explorer
- Click "Copy for Transfer"
Paste
- In another VS Code window (local, remote, anywhere)
- Right-click in the Explorer where you want to paste
- Click "Paste from Transfer"
File Conflicts
When pasting files that already exist, you'll be prompted with options:
- Overwrite / Overwrite All - Replace existing files
- Rename / Rename All - Auto-rename with number suffix (e.g.,
file (1).txt)
- Skip / Skip All - Skip existing files
How it works
- Copy: Files are compressed (zip) -> encoded (base64) -> copied to clipboard as text
- Paste: Text is decoded -> decompressed -> written to disk
Your system clipboard syncs across VS Code instances automatically.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
clipboardTransfer.maxSizeMB |
10 |
Warn if selection exceeds this size (MB) |
clipboardTransfer.compressionLevel |
6 |
Compression level 1-9 (higher = smaller) |
Limits
- Best for config files, scripts, small assets (< 10MB)
- Large files may exceed clipboard limits (OS-dependent)
- Binary files work but compress less efficiently
Installation
From Marketplace: Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search "Clipboard File Transfer" in VS Code Extensions.
From source:
git clone https://github.com/BackupIdeas/clipboard-transfer.git
cd clipboard-transfer
npm install
npm run build
npx vsce package
code --install-extension clipboard-transfer-1.0.0.vsix
License
MIT
| |
