Simple File Explorer
A clean-room VS Code extension that provides a Windows-style, tabbed file browser
inside the editor area.
Opening File Explorer
Use any of these methods:
- Press
Ctrl+Alt+E on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Alt+E on macOS.
- Open the Command Palette with
Ctrl+Shift+P or F1, then run
Simple File Explorer: Open.
- Click the folder icon added to the VS Code status bar.
- In the built-in VS Code Explorer, right-click a file or folder and select
Open in Simple File Explorer.
The shortcut and command focus the existing File Explorer editor when it is
already open. The status bar button toggles it: open, focus, or close.
Demo
Current features
- Starts at the current VS Code workspace folder.
- Opens or focuses with
Ctrl+Alt+E (Cmd+Alt+E on macOS).
- Opens, focuses, or closes from the files icon in the VS Code status bar.
- Opens files and folders from the built-in VS Code Explorer context menu.
- One-click return to the workspace root.
- In multi-root workspaces, Home returns to the root containing the current path.
- Multiple independent file tabs.
- Drag-and-drop tab ordering.
- Optional workspace-specific restoration of tab order, paths, and active tab.
- One initial tab per root folder in multi-root workspaces without saved state.
- Back, forward, up, refresh, breadcrumbs, and manual path entry (
Ctrl+L).
- Detailed list and large-icon views.
- A shared view-mode preference that persists across tabs and VS Code sessions.
- Streaming directory enumeration and virtualized rendering for large folders.
- Visible-row metadata loading instead of running
stat for every file at once.
- Current-folder filtering and cancellable recursive filename search.
- Persistent recursive-search mode and basic filename wildcards (
* and ?).
- Windows and Linux path handling.
- Automatic refresh using debounced, non-recursive watchers for visible tabs.
- Safe fallback to an existing parent or workspace root when an open directory
is deleted.
- New file, new folder, rename, and move-to-trash operations.
- Multi-selection, copy, cut, and paste.
- Sortable name, modified-time, and size columns.
- Per-tab hidden dot-file visibility.
- Context-menu reveal in the operating system file explorer.
- Search-result navigation to the containing folder with the item selected.
- Explorer shortcuts:
Backspace/Alt+Up, Alt+Left, Alt+Right, F5,
Ctrl+L, Enter, Delete, Shift+Delete, and incremental filename
selection by typing.
Development
npm install
npm run compile
Press F5 in VS Code and run File Explorer: Open in the Extension Development
Host.
Settings
simpleFileExplorer.restoreWorkspaceSession — restore tab order, current
paths, and the active tab separately for each workspace. Default: true.
Scope
This project does not copy source code, styles, or assets from
Abdulkader-Safi/vscode-file-explorer. It independently implements a similar
high-level product concept.
- Windows and Linux are supported.
- macOS should work through the same Node.js and VS Code APIs, but is not yet
part of the tested release matrix.
- Browser-only VS Code environments are not supported because local directory
streaming uses the Node.js file system API.
License
The extension source is licensed under the MIT License. The bundled VS Code
Codicon artwork has separate attribution in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.
中文说明
Simple File Explorer 是一个运行在 VS Code 编辑区中的多页签文件浏览器，操作方式
接近 Windows 资源管理器。它适合在大型项目中按目录浏览和查找文件，避免在
VS Code 自带的树形 Explorer 中反复展开大量目录。
打开方式
可以通过以下任意方式打开：
- Windows/Linux 使用
Ctrl+Alt+E，macOS 使用 Cmd+Alt+E。
- 按
Ctrl+Shift+P 或 F1 打开命令面板，然后执行
Simple File Explorer: Open。
- 点击 VS Code 底部状态栏中的文件夹图标。
- 在 VS Code 自带 Explorer 中右键文件或目录，选择
Open in Simple File Explorer。
快捷键和命令会优先切换到已经打开的 File Explorer。状态栏按钮可以打开、
聚焦或关闭 File Explorer。
主要功能
- 多页签、前进、后退、向上、工作区首页和手动路径输入。
- 多根工作区中，首页按钮会返回当前路径所属的工作区根目录。
- 支持拖动页签调整顺序。
- 可按工作区恢复页签顺序、当前路径和活动页签。
- 多根工作区在没有保存状态时，会为每个根目录创建一个初始页签。
- 详细信息和大图标两种视图，并在所有页签和下次启动时继承视图设置。
- 大目录流式读取、虚拟滚动和可见区域元数据加载。
- 当前目录搜索和可取消的递归文件名搜索。
- 递归搜索模式会跨目录、页签和 VS Code 启动保留。
- 文件名搜索支持基础通配符：
* 匹配任意字符，? 匹配单个字符。
- 新建、重命名、删除到回收站、永久删除、复制、剪切和粘贴。
- 多选、按名称/修改时间/大小排序、隐藏点文件切换。
- 自动刷新当前打开目录，不递归监控整个项目。
- 当前打开目录被删除时，自动回退到有效父目录或其他工作区根目录。
- 支持 Windows 和 Linux；macOS 理论兼容但尚未正式测试。
常用快捷键
Ctrl+L：输入路径。Backspace / Alt+Up：返回上级目录。Alt+Left / Alt+Right：后退或前进。Enter：进入选中的目录或打开文件。F2：重命名。Delete：移动到回收站。Shift+Delete：确认后永久删除。Ctrl+C / Ctrl+X / Ctrl+V：复制、剪切和粘贴。F5：刷新当前目录。- 在非输入框中直接输入字符：按文件名前缀快速选中。
设置
simpleFileExplorer.restoreWorkspaceSession：按工作区恢复页签顺序、
当前路径和活动页签，默认开启。
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