Remote HTML to Chrome
Remote HTML to Chrome adds a single Explorer action for Remote SSH, WSL, Dev Container, and Codespaces sessions:
- Right-click an
.html or .htm file
- Click
Download and Open in Chrome
- VS Code reads the remote file, writes it to your local machine, and opens it in Google Chrome
Why this exists
VS Code already lets you download remote files manually. This extension removes the extra step when you just want to open a remote HTML artifact in your local browser.
Installation
Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace once it is published.
Until then, install the packaged .vsix from GitHub Actions or a GitHub Release:
- Download the
.vsix file
- In VS Code, run
Extensions: Install from VSIX...
- Select the downloaded file
How it works
- The extension runs as a local
ui extension
- It uses
vscode.workspace.fs to read the selected remote file
- It writes the file to
~/Downloads/remote-html-to-chrome on macOS
- It writes the file to a temp directory on Windows and Linux
- It preserves the original filename, adding
-2, -3, and so on only when needed to avoid overwriting an existing file
- It tries to launch Google Chrome on macOS, Windows, and Linux
If Chrome is not available, it falls back to the default external opener for the platform.
Usage
- Open a remote workspace in VS Code.
- In the Explorer, right-click an
.html or .htm file.
- Select
Download and Open in Chrome.
You can also run the command from the Command Palette.
Limitations
- The extension copies the HTML file only.
- If the page depends on adjacent assets through relative paths, those assets are not downloaded automatically.
Development
This section is only for maintainers working on the extension source.
npm install
npm run package
Then install the generated .vsix in VS Code with Extensions: Install from VSIX....
Publishing
Marketplace publishing is documented in PUBLISHING.md.
License
MIT
