Finder Tag Colors: Automatic Folder and File Colors

⚠️ macOS only. This extension reads macOS Finder tag metadata and will not work on Windows or Linux.

Colors files and folders in VS Code's Explorer to automatically match their macOS Finder tag colors — so your workspace organization carries over seamlessly from Finder. No configuration required; just tag your files in Finder and the colors appear instantly in VS Code.

Features

• Automatically reads Finder tag metadata from files and folders
• Applies matching colors in the VS Code Explorer sidebar
• Supports all 7 built-in Finder tag colors: Gray, Green, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Red, and Orange
• Optional dot badge (●) next to tagged items for extra visibility
• Handles multiple tags per file — choose which one takes priority
• Works in real-time — refreshes automatically when tags change

How to Use

Step 1 — Tag files in Finder

Open Finder, right-click any file or folder, and select a color tag from the context menu. You can assign multiple tags to the same item.

Step 2 — Open VS Code

That's it. The extension activates automatically when VS Code starts. Tagged files and folders will appear with matching colors in the Explorer sidebar.

Step 3 — Refresh if needed

If colors don't appear right away after tagging, run the Finder Tag Colors: Refresh command:

1. Open the Command Palette with Cmd+Shift+P
2. Type Finder Tag Colors: Refresh and press Enter

Changing the Settings

Open VS Code Settings with Cmd+,, then search for "Finder Tag" to find all available options.

Show Badge

Setting: finderTagColors.showBadge · Default: on

Displays a small ● dot next to tagged files and folders in addition to the color. Turn this off if you prefer color-only decoration.

Tag Selection (for files with multiple tags)

Setting: finderTagColors.tagSelection · Default: last

When a file has more than one Finder tag, this controls which tag's color is used in VS Code:

Apply To

Setting: finderTagColors.applyTo · Default: both

Controls whether tag colors are applied to files, folders, or both:

Requirements

• macOS only (uses macOS extended attributes to read Finder tag data)
• VS Code 1.75.0 or later

How It Works

Finder stores tag information in a macOS extended attribute (com.apple.metadata:_kMDItemUserTags) on each file and folder. This extension reads that attribute using native macOS tooling and maps the tag color names to VS Code's file decoration color API.

License

MIT