Preview All-in-One with QuickLook

Preview many local file types from VS Code through the Windows QuickLook app.

中文文档：README.zh-CN.md

Features

• Preview selected local files in the native Windows QuickLook preview window.
• Use the editor title button to preview the active local file or Git history file without leaving the editor.
• Use Alt+` from Explorer or an active editor to preview quickly.
• Run from Explorer context menus, Source Control changes, editor context menus, editor title menus, Search Results after opening a file, SCM Graph / History after opening a file, and the Command Palette.
• Check your QuickLook setup with QuickLook: Check QuickLook Installation.
• Configure the QuickLook executable with QuickLook: Set QuickLook Executable Path.
• Choose a detected QuickLook path, browse for QuickLook.exe, or enter a path manually.
• Pass official QuickLook command line options such as /pin and /top.
• Inspect troubleshooting details in the QuickLook output channel.

Preview All-in-One Coverage

This extension uses your local QuickLook installation as the preview engine. That makes VS Code Explorer, editor tabs, Search Results, Source Control changes, and SCM Graph / History a fast all-in-one preview flow instead of another single-format viewer.

Examples from QuickLook's official supported formats:

Actual preview support depends on your installed QuickLook version and QuickLook plugins. See the official QuickLook resources for the current format list:

• QuickLook README
• QuickLook supported formats

Screenshots

Requirements

• Windows.
• VS Code 1.91.0 or later.
• QuickLook for Windows installed and available locally.

Install QuickLook from the official repository: https://github.com/QL-Win/QuickLook

Usage

1. Install and start QuickLook.
2. Select a local file in VS Code Explorer, or open a file from Explorer, Search Results, Source Control changes, or SCM Graph / History.
3. Press Alt+` in Explorer or an active editor, click the editor title preview button, or run QuickLook: Preview with QuickLook from the Command Palette.

The default Alt+` keybinding is scoped to Explorer and active local or Git history editors. It avoids stealing normal text input such as Space in the editor. You can bind QuickLook: Preview with QuickLook to any key or key combination in VS Code Keyboard Shortcuts.

Commands

Settings

{
  "quicklook.executablePath": "D:\\Program Files\\QuickLook\\QuickLook.exe",
  "quicklook.previewOptions": [],
  "quicklook.useExplorerClipboardFallback": true
}

quicklook.executablePath

The QuickLook executable command or full path. This local build defaults to:

D:\Program Files\QuickLook\QuickLook.exe

If QuickLook is installed somewhere else, run QuickLook: Set QuickLook Executable Path and choose one of these options:

• Use a detected QuickLook.exe path.
• Browse for QuickLook.exe.
• Enter the full path manually.
• Open VS Code settings.

quicklook.previewOptions

Additional command line options appended after the file path. Official QuickLook options include /pin and /top.

{
  "quicklook.previewOptions": ["/top"]
}

quicklook.useExplorerClipboardFallback

When a keybinding is triggered from Explorer, VS Code's stable API does not directly expose the focused Explorer selection. This extension can temporarily call VS Code's Copy Path command, read the selected path, and restore the previous clipboard text immediately.

Disable this setting if you do not want the extension to use that fallback.

Troubleshooting

1. Run QuickLook: Check QuickLook Installation.
2. If QuickLook is not found, choose Set Path and select or enter your QuickLook.exe path.
3. Open the QuickLook output channel for detailed path resolution and launch logs.

If preview still fails, confirm that QuickLook itself can preview the same file outside VS Code.

Development

npm install
npm test
npm run package

npm run package cleans old VSIX files before producing the latest package.

Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host.

Release Notes

See CHANGELOG.md.

Publishing

See docs/release.md for the GitHub and Visual Studio Marketplace release flow.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only. See LICENSE.txt.