How to Collapse all Folders in Explorer in VS Code

# How to Collapse all Folders in Explorer in VS Code

To collapse all folders in the left sidebar (Explorer) in VS Code:

1. Press:

• Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows and Linux
• Command + Shift + P on macOS

2. Type collapse and select Collapse Folders in Explorer.

Here is a short clip that demonstrates the process.

There is also a specific button right in the Explorer menu that allows you to issue the command.

Here is a short clip that demonstrates using the button.

# Collapse all folders in Explorer using a keyboard shortcut

There is also a keyboard shortcut that allows you to collapse all folders in the sidebar.

However, the Explorer menu has to be in focus for the key combination to work.

1. Press Ctrl + 0 (zero) (or Cmd + 0 on macOS) to focus Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl + Left arrow (or Cmd + Left arrow on macOS) to collapse all folders.

Note that the keyboard shortcut for focusing the Primary sidebar is Ctrl (or Cmd) + 0 (zero, not the letter o).

You can also use the following keyboard shortcut to focus Explorer:

• on Windows and Linux: Ctrl + Shift + E
• on macOS: Cmd + Shift + E

# Setting a custom keyboard shortcut to Collapse all Folders in Explorer

By default, the Collapse Folders in Explorer command is not associated with a keyboard shortcut.

The benefit of setting a custom keyboard shortcut is that you don't have to focus the Explorer tab before pressing the key combination.

If you need to set a custom keyboard shortcut for the command:

1. Press:

• Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows and Linux.
• Command + Shift + P on macOS.

2. Type Keyboard Shortcuts and select Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts.

3. Search for collapse folders and double-click on the row.

You can also click on the row and then click on the plus icon to set a keyboard shortcut.

4. Specify your preferred key combination and hit Enter to confirm.

For example, I use Ctrl + F4.

Here is a short clip of using the keyboard shortcut.

You can also set a keyboard shortcut directly in your keybindings.json file.

1. Press:

• Ctrl + Shift + P on Windows and Linux.
• Command + Shift + P on macOS.

2. Type Keyboard Shortcuts and select Preferences: Open Keyboard Shortcuts.

3. Click on the Open Keyboard Shortcuts (JSON) icon to the left.

4. Add the following object to your keybindings.json file.

Copied!
[
  {
    "key": "ctrl+f4",
    "command": "workbench.files.action.collapseExplorerFolders"
  }
]

You can also set the keybinding to "cmd+f4" if you are on macOS or any other key combination.

I've also written an article on how to hide specific files/folders from the left sidebar.

# Additional Resources

You can learn more about the related topics by checking out the following tutorials:

• How to exclude Folders from Search in Visual Studio Code
• VS Code: Folder contains emphasized items issue [Solved]
• VS Code: Remove Folder from Workspace open Multiple Folders
• How to Reset Visual Studio Code to the Default Settings
• How to Reset your Keyboard Shortcuts in Visual Studio Code
• How to reveal the current File in Explorer in VS Code