VS Code Workbench and Window Cheat Sheet

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Programming · VS Code Workbench and Window Cheat Sheet

The workbench.*, window.*, breadcrumbs.* and zenMode.* settings: themes, zoom, layout, tabs and startup. Exact ID, what it does, and its default. Sheet 3 in the VS Code series.

Themes & Colours

workbench.colorThemeThe colour theme by name, e.g. "Default Dark Modern"

Ctrl+K Ctrl+TOpens the colour theme picker with a live preview

window.autoDetectColorSchemetrue: follow the operating system's light/dark mode (off by default)

workbench.preferredDarkColorThemeTheme used when the OS is in dark mode (needs the setting above)

workbench.preferredLightColorThemeTheme used when the OS is in light mode

workbench.iconThemeFile icon theme for the Explorer and tabs; null turns file icons off

workbench.productIconThemeIcon set for VS Code's own buttons and views

workbench.colorCustomizationsOverride individual colours, e.g. { "editor.background": "#1e1e1e" }

Window & Zoom

window.zoomLevelWhole-window zoom; 0 is normal (default), each step is about 20%

window.zoomPerWindowtrue (default): zoom applies to one window; false: to all

Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- / Ctrl+0Zoom in / zoom out / reset zoom

window.titleTemplate for the window title, built from variables such as ${rootName}

window.restoreWindowspreserve, all (default), folders, one, none: what reopens at startup

window.newWindowDimensionsdefault (default), inherit, offset, maximized, fullscreen

window.openFoldersInNewWindowdefault (default), on, off

window.confirmBeforeClosenever, keyboardOnly, always: ask before closing the window

F11Toggle full screen

Layout & Bars

workbench.sideBar.locationleft (default) or right

workbench.activityBar.locationdefault (default), top, bottom, hidden

workbench.statusBar.visibleShow the bottom status bar (default true)

workbench.panel.defaultLocationWhere the Terminal/Problems panel sits: bottom (default), left, top, right

window.menuBarVisibilityclassic (default), visible, toggle, hidden, compact

window.commandCenterThe search box in the title bar (default true)

workbench.layoutControl.enabledLayout buttons in the title bar (default true)

Ctrl+B / Ctrl+JShow or hide the side bar / the bottom panel

Tabs

workbench.editor.showTabsmultiple (default), single, none

workbench.editor.wrapTabstrue: tabs wrap onto extra rows instead of scrolling (default false)

workbench.editor.highlightModifiedTabsExtra marker on tabs with unsaved changes (default false)

workbench.editor.tabActionLocationSide of the close button: right (default) or left

workbench.editor.labelFormatTab labels: default, short, medium, long (how much of the path to show)

workbench.editor.pinnedTabsOnSeparateRowPinned tabs get their own row (default false)

workbench.editor.limit.enabledtrue: close the oldest tabs beyond a limit (default false)

workbench.editor.limit.valueHow many tabs to keep when the limit is on (default 10)

workbench.editor.openPositioningWhere new tabs open: right (default), left, first, last

Preview Tabs & Editor Groups

workbench.editor.enablePreviewtrue (default): a single click opens a reusable preview tab (italic title)

workbench.editor.enablePreviewFromQuickOpenQuick Open also uses preview tabs (default false)

workbench.editor.closeOnFileDeleteClose the tab when its file is deleted (default false)

workbench.editor.splitInGroupLayoutDirection of a split inside a group: horizontal (default) or vertical

Ctrl+\Split the editor to the side

workbench.editor.restoreViewStateRemember scroll and cursor position per file (default true)

Startup & Empty Window

workbench.startupEditornone, welcomePage (default), readme, newUntitledFile, welcomePageInEmptyWorkbench, terminal

workbench.editor.empty.hintHint text in an empty editor area: text (default) or hidden

Breadcrumbs & Zen Mode

breadcrumbs.enabledPath bar above the editor (default true)

breadcrumbs.filePathon (default), off, last

Ctrl+K ZToggle Zen Mode (press Esc twice to leave it)

zenMode.centerLayoutCenter the editor in Zen Mode (default true)

zenMode.hideLineNumbersHide line numbers in Zen Mode (default true)

zenMode.hideStatusBarHide the status bar in Zen Mode (default true)

zenMode.showTabsmultiple (default), single, none

zenMode.silentNotificationsSuppress pop-up notifications in Zen Mode (default true)

Motion & Accessibility

workbench.reduceMotionauto (default, follows the OS), on, off: fewer animations

workbench.reduceTransparencyoff (default), on, auto

window.zoomLevelAlso the quickest way to make everything bigger

A Reasonable Starter Set (my suggestions, not defaults)

"window.autoDetectColorScheme": trueLight by day, dark by night, set by your OS

"workbench.editor.enablePreview": falseNo surprise tab replacement, if preview tabs annoy you

"workbench.editor.highlightModifiedTabs": trueUnsaved tabs are easy to spot

"workbench.editor.wrapTabs": trueSee every open tab at once

"workbench.startupEditor": "none"Skip the Welcome page

"window.confirmBeforeClose": "keyboardOnly"Guards against an accidental Ctrl+W/Ctrl+Q

"workbench.editor.labelFormat": "short"Shows the folder name when two tabs share a file name

Why does my tab keep disappearing? Preview tabs

With workbench.editor.enablePreview on (the default), a single click in the Explorer opens a preview tab with an italic title. Opening another file by single click replaces it. Double-click the file or the tab, or start editing, to keep the tab open. If you prefer every file to get its own tab, set "workbench.editor.enablePreview": false.

Colour overrides can be set per theme

workbench.colorCustomizations applies to every theme. To change colours for one theme only, put them inside a block named after it: { "[Default Dark Modern]": { "editor.background": "#101820" } }.