Easily hide the Explorer view in VS Code by right-clicking the Activity Bar and unchecking "Explorer," or by using a dedicated keyboard shortcut. This allows you to reclaim screen space and focus on your code.
Hiding the Entire Explorer View
There are two primary methods to hide or show the Explorer view, which is the file and folder browser sidebar in VS Code.
Using the Activity Bar
The most intuitive way to manage your views, including the Explorer, is directly through the Activity Bar.
- Right-click anywhere on the Activity Bar (the vertical bar on the far left of your VS Code window). This bar contains icons for various views such as Explorer, Search, Source Control, and Extensions.
- A context menu will appear, listing all available primary sidebar views.
- Uncheck the "Explorer" option from this menu. The Explorer sidebar will immediately disappear.
To bring the Explorer view back, simply follow the same steps and re-check "Explorer." You can also reorder views by dragging and dropping their icons on the Activity Bar.
Using a Keyboard Shortcut
For a quicker toggle without using your mouse, VS Code provides a convenient keyboard shortcut:
- Windows / Linux:
Ctrl + Shift + E - macOS:
Cmd + Shift + E
Pressing this shortcut will instantly hide the Explorer view if it's open, and show it if it's currently hidden.
Hiding Sections Within the Explorer View
While the methods above hide the entire Explorer view, you might also want to customize what appears inside the Explorer without hiding the view itself. The Explorer can contain various sections like "Open Editors," "Outline," and "Timeline."
- Ensure the Explorer view is open and visible.
- Click the "..." (More Actions) menu icon located at the top right of the Explorer view's title bar.
- A dropdown menu will appear showing the available sections within the Explorer.
- Uncheck any section you wish to hide (e.g., "Outline" or "Timeline"). The section will disappear from the Explorer panel.
You can also reorder these internal sections by dragging and dropping them to your preferred position within the Explorer view. For more details on customizing the VS Code interface, refer to the official Visual Studio Code User Interface documentation.
Here's a quick summary of the methods:
| Method | Action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Activity Bar | Right-click Activity Bar, Uncheck "Explorer" | Hide or show the entire Explorer view |
| Keyboard Shortcut | Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + E |
Toggle the entire Explorer view visibility |
| Explorer "..." Menu | Click "...", Uncheck Section | Hide or show specific sections within Explorer |
