Turn the VS Code Explorer side bar into a photo slideshow. Point it at a
folder and it cycles through your images while you work — set it and forget it.
Features
▶️ Automatic slideshow of the images in any folder.
⏮ ⏯ ⏭ Controls for Previous / Play-Pause / Next, plus keyboard shortcuts.
🖱️ Controls and the file name appear only on hover, so the view stays clean.
🔀 Shuffle or sequential order (by name or date).
🗂️ Optional sub-folder scanning.
💾 Remembers your folder between restarts.
🖼️ Images adapt to the panel size as you resize the side bar.
🌗 Looks native in light and dark themes.
How to use
Install Photo Slides from the Extensions view (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X).
Open the Explorer side bar (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E) and find the
Photo Slides panel.
Click Select photo folder and pick a folder with images.
That's it — the slideshow starts automatically. From then on:
Hover over the image to show the controls and file name.
Right-click the image for Reveal in File Explorer or Change Folder….
Use the ⚙️ icon in the panel header to open the settings.
Keyboard shortcuts
(while the panel is focused)
Key
Action
→
Next image
←
Previous image
Space
Play / Pause
Settings
Open them from the ⚙️ icon in the panel header, or from VS Code Settings
(search for Photo Slides).
Setting
Default
What it does
Folder
—
The folder with your images (also has a Browse… button).
Interval (seconds)
5
Time between images.
Shuffle
true
Random order instead of sequential.
Recursive
false
Also include images from sub-folders.
Sort order
name
Order in sequential mode: by name or by date.
File types
jpg, jpeg, png, gif, webp, bmp, svg
Which image extensions to include.
Image fit
contain
contain shows the whole image; cover fills the panel.
