QuickLook Preview for VS Code

Preview local files from VS Code with the Windows QuickLook app.

中文文档：README.zh-CN.md

Features

• Preview a selected local file with QuickLook: Preview File.
• Use the default Explorer keybinding ` to preview the selected file quickly.
• Run from Explorer context menus, editor context menus, editor title menus, 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.

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.
3. Press ` or run QuickLook: Preview File from the Command Palette.

The default ` keybinding only applies when VS Code Explorer has focus, so it does not override normal typing in the editor. You can bind QuickLook: Preview File 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/dev/2-release-process.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.