How can I open a file in a new tab?

Question

How do I open a new file using Ctrl+P, so it doesn't override the current file, but rather use a new tab?

Also, would it be possible to focus the searched file instead of opening it, if it was already opened on a tab, to avoid duplicates?

Possible duplicate of [How to config vscode to open files always in a new tab?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/38713405/how-to-config-vscode-to-open-files-always-in-a-new-tab) — jamesdlin, Jan 22 '18 at 04:59

score 276 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:13

When a single click to a file is made in the sidebar, Visual Studio Code opens it in Preview Mode, which allows you to quickly view files.

Behavior of Preview Mode

The tabs in the Preview Mode are not kept open.
As soon as you open another file from the sidebar, it overrides the existing file if it's in preview mode.
The title of the tab will be in italic if it's in preview mode, just like the below screenshot.

Important!

If you want to edit a file, don't open in Preview Mode, double-click on the file in the sidebar instead.

If the file is already open in Preview mode, then to convert it to edit mode:

double click on its italic file name in the title bar, or
press Ctrl-K Enter

Steps to Disable Preview Mode

Criteria:

If you want to disable Preview Mode all together, that is:

accessing file through side-menu.
opening quick open menu using Ctrl + P.

Solution:

Open the Command Palette using the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P.
Type Preferences: Open User Settings. This will open the Settings editor. Search for workbench.editor.enablePreview, and uncheck the checkbox (changes are autosaved and indicated with a blue left border).

Additional:

If you only want to disable preview mode in the quick open menu, uncheck the box for workbench.editor.enablePreviewFromQuickOpen.

If you want to keep the standard preview behaviour, you can open a file in preview mode using `ctrl+p` and then open it fully for editing using `ctrl+k enter`. This turns the preview tab into a fully independent tab as you'd get if you opened the file by double-clicking it in the explorer. — alphaloop, Jan 10 '18 at 09:58
"double click on the file in sidebar" also works for tab titile bar, if tab title bar is italic then double click on it removes preview mode — kewlashu, Apr 28 '18 at 06:31

score 28 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 28 '18 at 20:52

28

TL;DR for Mac users

Step 1: Press ⌘+,

Step 2: Search for Preview and disable Workbench › Editor: Enable Preview

answered Nov 28 '18 at 20:52

Mohammad Zaid Pathan

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score 6 · Answer 3 · edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:22

6

For both to keep a file tab open when you first click and after use, go to the definition,

"workbench.editor.enablePreview": false

It is the right answer.

edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:22

Peter Mortensen

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answered Nov 21 '18 at 08:15

Gabriel Borges Oliveira

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score 2 · Answer 4 · edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:19

2

Instead of changing a setting, a simpler option is to drag the file from the sidebar on to the tabs bar. It opens in a new tab.

edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:19

Peter Mortensen

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answered Aug 29 '18 at 05:25

Dheerendra Kulkarni

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1

It's easier to double click it. – Jim Balter Aug 26 '20 at 06:49

score 1 · Answer 5 · edited Dec 23 '19 at 13:29

Go to menu File → Preferences → Settings → search for "settings.json", and at the last line before }, add a comma to the last option and paste:

"workbench.editor.enablePreview": false

For example:

{
    "editor.fontFamily": "'Consolas', 'monospace', 'Times New Roman'",
    "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "monospace",
    "editor.fontSize": 13,
    "workbench.iconTheme": "vscode-icons",
    "workbench.editor.enablePreview": false
}

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered May 02 '22 at 06:42

In the quick open menu, a file can be opened in the background by pressing the right arrow key. The current tab, with the quick open menu remains in the foreground, and the same process can be repeated to open multiple files.

VSCode doc can be found here.

How can I open a file in a new tab?

6 Answers6

Behavior of Preview Mode

Important!

Steps to Disable Preview Mode

Linked