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What floating editor windows do—and when they arrived
A floating editor window is a separate VS Code window that can hold editors outside the main workbench. It is useful for keeping a reference file, preview, or another editor group visible while you work in the main window. You can put one on another display, but a second monitor is not required; the window can be moved elsewhere on the same screen.
VS Code first presented the feature as an Insiders preview in the October 2023 release, version 1.84. It became a Stable feature in the November 2023 release, version 1.85. The release notes explain that “Changes to an editor in one window apply immediately to all other windows where the editor is open.” VS Code 1.85 release notes
How to open an editor in a floating window
Drag a tab out
- Locate the editor tab you want to detach.
- Drag the tab beyond the edge of the VS Code window and release it on the desktop.
VS Code opens the editor in a separate window. If you do not want dragging tabs outside the window to open a new window, disable the workbench.editor.dragToOpenWindow setting. The 1.85 release notes
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Move or copy from the tab menu
Right-click the editor tab and choose Move into New Window to transfer it, or Copy into New Window to open a second instance while leaving the original in place. The current layout documentation also describes commands for moving or copying an entire editor group, and the Command Palette includes New Empty Editor Window for opening a window without first detaching a tab. Custom Layout documentation VS Code 1.85 release notes
What you can put in a floating window
Floating windows are not limited to a single source-code tab. They can contain editor groups, and an editor window can use a grid to arrange multiple editors. The workbench also supports putting terminals or specific views in these windows. This makes it possible, for example, to keep a terminal or a view alongside an editor rather than opening a separate application. Custom Layout documentation
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VS Code’s user-interface guide documents the editor-tab actions for moving or copying content into a new window. User interface documentation
Compact mode and always-on-top mode
The floating window’s title bar provides two optional modes, documented in the April 2025 release notes for VS Code 1.100:
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- Compact Mode reduces interface elements in the window, giving the editor more room.
- Set Always on Top keeps the floating window above other windows. Use the title-bar control again to turn off always-on-top mode.
These change how the window is displayed; they do not require a particular monitor or hardware setup. VS Code 1.100 release notes
Will VS Code restore floating windows after a restart?
VS Code documents restoration of floating windows, including their location and open editors, when the application restarts. The version 1.86 release notes further specify that restoration includes the floating windows associated with a main window, along with their editors, size, and location. Custom Layout documentation VS Code 1.86 release notes
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Important caveat for Markdown previews and other webview editors
Moving a webview-based editor between windows reloads its contents. The extension that provides the webview is responsible for restoring its state, and VS Code warns that accumulated state may be reset. This can matter for Markdown previews, browser previews, and complex custom editors: do not assume that every interactive state will survive a move. VS Code 1.88 release notes
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