Dotfile Toggle
A simple VS Code extension to quickly toggle the visibility of dotfiles (hidden files) in the Explorer panel.
Features
- One-click toggle - Show or hide all dotfiles with a single click
- Status bar indicator - See current state at a glance with eye icon
- Smart filtering - Hides common dotfiles like
.env, .gitignore, .DS_Store while keeping .git hidden for cleaner workspace
- Command palette support - Access via
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Toggle Dotfiles"
- Explorer integration - Toggle button appears directly in the Explorer panel
How to Use
Status Bar
Click the eye icon in the status bar:
- 👁️ Open eye = Dotfiles are visible
- 👁️🗨️ Closed eye = Dotfiles are hidden
Command Palette
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac)
- Type "Toggle Dotfiles"
- Press Enter
Explorer Panel
Click the eye icon in the Explorer panel title bar. Like the status bar, it shows an open eye while dotfiles are visible and a crossed-out eye while they're hidden.
What Gets Hidden
When hiding dotfiles, this extension adds one pattern, **/.*, to VS Code's files.exclude. That hides every file and folder starting with ., such as .env, .gitignore and .vscode. Showing them removes the pattern again; VS Code's own defaults (which keep .git hidden) are left alone.
Installation
Install from the VS Code Marketplace:
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (
Ctrl+Shift+X)
- Search for "Dotfile Toggle"
- Click Install
Configuration
The extension saves your choice per folder, in the folder's .vscode/settings.json. No additional configuration needed!
If the folder's settings can't be written (for example a folder you don't own) or no folder is open, the choice is saved in your user settings instead, so it applies to every folder that hasn't been toggled on its own. Hover over the eye in the status bar to see which applies.
Keeping .vscode/settings.json out of your commits
If your team keeps .vscode/settings.json in git, set dotfileToggle.saveTo to user in your user settings. Toggling then always saves to your user settings and never changes the folder's settings file. This setting can only be set in user settings, so a shared settings file can't turn it on or off for you.
If a folder's own settings already hide or show dotfiles, they override your user settings, and the extension tells you which entries to remove when you try to toggle there.
Requirements
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
dotfileToggle.hideDotfiles: Controls whether dotfiles should be hidden (managed automatically by the extension)dotfileToggle.notify: Show a notification each time dotfiles are hidden or shown (default: off)dotfileToggle.saveTo: Where toggling saves your choice: workspace (default, per folder) or user (your user settings, for every folder)
Known Issues
- When using VS Code with Remote SSH, you'll need to install the extension on both local and remote environments
Release Notes
1.1.0
- New setting
dotfileToggle.saveTo: set it to user to save toggles in your user settings, so the folder's .vscode/settings.json is never changed (thanks to @azocolo-csw, #6)
1.0.0
- No more "Extension Loaded!" popup at startup
- Toggle notifications are off by default; turn them on with
dotfileToggle.notify (thanks to @unennhexium, #2)
- Works in folders you can't write to, and with no folder open: the choice falls back to your user settings instead of failing
- The Explorer button now matches the status bar: a crossed-out eye while dotfiles are hidden
- New icon: the same crossed-out eye
- Only the extension's own
**/.* pattern is written; VS Code's defaults are no longer copied into each folder's settings, and old copies are cleaned up on the next toggle
0.0.1
Initial release of Dotfile Toggle
- Toggle dotfile visibility in Explorer
- Status bar integration
- Command palette support
- Workspace-specific settings
Why This Extension?
Working with projects that have many configuration files (.env, .eslintrc, .prettierrc, etc.) can clutter your Explorer view. This extension gives you a quick way to clean up your workspace view without permanently hiding important files.
Contributing
Found a bug or have a feature request? Please open an issue on the GitHub repository.
License
This extension is released under the GPL License.
