Setting Up VS Code Native Tabs on Mac: A Productivity Boost

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) has emerged as one of the most popular code editors among developers due to its extensive features, customizability, and vast ecosystem of extensions. One highly sought-after feature for improving workflow efficiency is native tab support, allowing users to work on multiple files within a single window. In this blog post, we will explore how to set up VS Code Native Tabs on macOS, enabling you to streamline your coding experience and enhance productivity.

Before we dive into the setup process, ensure that you have the following requirements met:

1. A Mac computer running macOS.
2. Visual Studio Code installed on your system. If not, you can download it from the official VS Code website (https://code.visualstudio.com/).

Step 1: Enable Native Tabs

1. Launch VS Code on your Mac.
2. Open the Command Palette by pressing ⇧⌘P (Shift + Command + P) or by clicking on “View” in the top menu and selecting “Command Palette.”
3. In the Command Palette, type “Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)” and select the option when it appears.
4. This action will open the “settings.json” file in VS Code. This file contains various configuration options for the editor.
5. Add the following line to the “settings.json” file:

"workbench.editor.showTabs": true

6. Save the file by pressing ⌘S (Command + S) or by selecting “File” in the top menu and clicking on “Save.”
7. Close and reopen VS Code for the changes to take effect.
8. In your System Settings, navigate to “Desktop & Dock” and set “Prefer tabs when opening documents” to be “Always” under the “Windows & Apps section.

Step 2: Working with Tabs Once you have enabled native tabs, you can now take advantage of their functionality to manage your files efficiently.

1. Open multiple files in VS Code by either clicking on them in the Explorer sidebar or using the “File” menu and selecting “Open File.”
2. Each opened file will appear as a tab in the editor’s top bar, making it easier to switch between them.
3. To close a tab, click on the close icon (x) located on the right side of the tab or use the keyboard shortcut ⌘W (Command + W).
4. Reordering tabs is as simple as clicking and dragging them to the desired position.
5. You can also split the editor into multiple panes to view different files simultaneously. Right-click on a tab and select either “Split Up” or “Split Down” to divide the editor vertically, or choose “Split Left” or “Split Right” for horizontal splitting.
6. To switch between tabs, you can use the keyboard shortcut ⌘⇧] (Command + Shift + Right Bracket) to move to the next tab or ⌘⇧[ (Command + Shift + Left Bracket) to move to the previous tab. Alternatively, you can click on the desired tab directly.

By enabling native tab support in VS Code on your Mac, you have unlocked a powerful tool for organizing and managing your code files. Native tabs provide a streamlined way to navigate between files, improving your coding productivity and overall development experience. Give it a try and see how this feature enhances your workflow and helps you stay focused on what matters most: writing exceptional code. Happy coding!