Drag Out

Drag Out sends files from VS Code's normal Explorer to a compact, always-on-top native Drag Explorer. Every row in that window is a real operating-system drag source, so it can be dragged directly into browsers, terminals, file managers, chats, upload controls, and other desktop apps.

There is no secondary VS Code explorer and no fixed sidebar drag box.

Basic workflow

1. Select one or more files or folders in VS Code's normal Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl+Alt+D, click the export arrow beside an Explorer row, or right-click and choose Drag Out: Add to Drag Explorer.
3. Drag a file directly from the always-on-top Drag Explorer to the destination.

New commands add to the existing list rather than replacing it. Duplicate paths are ignored. Drag Explorer stays open after a drop by default and keeps the position where you moved it for the rest of the VS Code session.

Use the × beside a row to remove that item, the toolbar eraser to clear the list, or the highlighted Drag all items row to drag every staged resource together. Press Esc or close the window to hide it; adding another file shows it again.

Mouse and context-menu actions

• Hover over a file or folder in the original Explorer and click its export arrow.
• Right-click a selection and choose Drag Out: Add to Drag Explorer.
• Holding Alt exposes the alternate Add to Drag Explorer (Quick) action. It performs the same native action and exists as a separately configurable command.
• Explorer multi-selection is supported by the context menu and keyboard shortcut.

Keyboard shortcuts

To change any binding:

1. Run Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. Search for Drag Out.
3. Select the pencil beside a command and enter a new shortcut.

The main command IDs for keybindings.json are:

• dragOut.stageSelection
• dragOut.showContextShelf
• dragOut.clearShelf
• dragOut.hideShelf
• dragOut.copyAsFile

Both add commands accept the current Explorer selection, so user-defined bindings work in the same way as the defaults.

Drag Explorer settings

• dragOut.dragExplorer.position: initial cursor, center, or topRight placement. After the first opening, Drag Explorer keeps the position where you move it for the current session.
• dragOut.dragExplorer.closeAfterDrop: hide after a successful drop. The default is false.
• dragOut.dragExplorer.timeoutSeconds: hide after a period of inactivity. The default 0 disables the timeout.
• dragOut.linux.forceX11: run the helper through XWayland when native Wayland positioning is unsuitable.

Drag Explorer requests always-on-top behavior from the desktop compositor. Some Wayland compositors can still make the final decision about stacking and initial placement.

Remote and virtual files

Remote, container, and virtual-workspace resources are materialized into a private temporary directory before being added:

• dragOut.remote.maxTotalSizeMB: ask before downloading a larger selection.
• dragOut.temp.retentionMinutes: how long temporary copies are retained.

Unsaved local editors are detected before export, with an option to save first.

Copy as File

Run Drag Out: Copy as File or press Ctrl+Alt+C for applications that support pasting file objects instead of dragging them.

Development

npm install
npm run compile
npm test
npm run build:native

The bundled helper currently builds on Linux with GTK 3 and supports X11 and Wayland. Building it requires the GTK 3 development packages. wl-clipboard is required for Copy as File on Wayland; xclip is required on X11.

For local development, dragOut.helper.path can point at a debug helper binary.

Privacy and safety

Drag Out opens no network ports and does not modify source files. Native drags are copy-only. Paths are sent to the helper over its private standard input, and remote temporary copies use private filesystem permissions.