WSL Reveal in File Explorer

A VS Code extension that seamlessly opens Windows File Explorer from WSL and Remote SSH connections, allowing you to reveal files and folders in the native Windows file manager with a simple right-click.

☕ Support

If this extension helps you, consider supporting the development:

Your support helps maintain and improve this extension!

🚀 Features

• Zero Configuration Required - Works out of the box with any WSL distribution
• Remote SSH Support - Also works with Remote SSH connections and mounted drives
• Custom File Explorer Support - Use your preferred file manager or stick with default Windows Explorer
• Context Menu Integration - Right-click any file or folder to reveal it in Windows Explorer or your custom choice
• Automatic WSL Detection - Dynamically detects your WSL distribution name
• Custom Distribution Support - Override auto-detection with your own distribution name
• Configurable Path Prefix - Customize network path prefix for different connection types
• Reliable Path Translation - Converts remote paths to Windows-compatible UNC paths
• Cross-Distribution Support - Works with Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, and other WSL distributions

📋 Prerequisites

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or WSL2, or Remote SSH connection
• Visual Studio Code running in WSL mode or connected to Remote SSH
• PowerShell available on Windows (included by default)
• For Remote SSH: Network drives or shares accessible from Windows

🌟 Show Your Support

If you find this extension useful:

• ⭐ Star this repository on GitHub
• 📝 Leave a review on the VS Code Marketplace
• ☕ Buy me a coffee to support development: buymeacoffee.com/doonfrs

Every star, review, and coffee means a lot and helps keep this project alive! 🚀

🎯 Usage

1. Open VS Code in WSL - Make sure you're running VS Code in WSL mode
2. Right-click any file or folder in the VS Code explorer panel
3. Select "Reveal in File Explorer" from the context menu
4. Windows File Explorer opens showing the selected file/folder location

That's it! No configuration needed by default.

🔧 How It Works

The extension automatically:

• Detects your WSL distribution name (or uses your custom configuration)
• Converts Linux paths to Windows UNC format (\\wsl$\Distribution\path)
• Uses PowerShell to reliably open Windows File Explorer
• Handles path escaping and special characters

⚙️ Configuration

Custom WSL Distribution Name

If automatic detection fails or you have a custom WSL distribution name, you can override it:

1. Via Settings UI:

   • Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "WSL Reveal Explorer"
   • Set "Default Distribution Name" to your distribution name

2. Via settings.json:

   {
     "wsl-reveal-explorer.defaultDistributionName": "Ubuntu2"
   }

Common examples:

• Ubuntu2 - for secondary Ubuntu installations
• Ubuntu-22.04 - for version-specific Ubuntu distributions
• Debian - for Debian distributions
• kali-linux - for Kali Linux distributions

Note: Leave this setting empty (default) to use automatic detection.

Custom Path Prefix for Remote SSH

For Remote SSH connections or custom network drives, you can configure a custom path prefix:

1. Via Settings UI:

   • Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "WSL Reveal Explorer"
   • Set "Path Prefix" to your network path

2. Via settings.json:

   {
     "wsl-reveal-explorer.pathPrefix": "\\\\server\\share",
     "wsl-reveal-explorer.defaultDistributionName": ""
   }

Examples:

• WSL (default): "\\\\wsl$" - Standard WSL access
• Network Share: "\\\\server\\share" - Direct network share access
• Mapped Drive: "\\\\192.168.1.100\\projects" - IP-based network path
• SSHFS Mount: "\\\\sshfs\\hostname" - SSHFS mounted drives

Note: When using custom path prefixes, the distribution name is optional and can be left empty.

Custom File Explorer

Use your preferred file manager instead of the default Windows Explorer:

1. Via Settings UI:

   • Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
   • Search for "WSL Reveal Explorer"
   • Set "Custom Command" to your preferred command

2. Via settings.json:

   {
     "wsl-reveal-explorer.customCommand": "explorer.exe {path}"
   }

Available placeholders:

• {path} - The folder path to open

Examples:

• Total Commander: "C:\\totalcmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE /O /T {path}"
• FreeCommander: "C:\\FreeCommander XE\\FreeCommander.exe /C /T {path}"
• Directory Opus: "C:\\Program Files\\GPSoftware\\Directory Opus\\dopus.exe {path}"
• Q-Dir: "C:\\Q-Dir\\Q-Dir.exe {path}"

Note: Leave this setting empty (default) to use Windows Explorer.

🛠️ Development

To contribute or modify this extension:

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd vscode-wsl-reveal-explorer

# Open in VS Code
code .

# Press F5 to run in Extension Development Host
# Test the functionality by right-clicking files in the explorer

🐛 Troubleshooting

If the extension doesn't work:

1. Ensure you're running VS Code in WSL mode or Remote SSH (not Windows locally)
2. Verify that PowerShell is available on your Windows system
3. Check that Windows File Explorer can access your configured paths manually
   • For WSL: \\wsl$\<distribution>
   • For Remote SSH: Your custom network path

Distribution Detection Issues

If the extension opens the wrong folder or fails to work:

1. Check your actual WSL distribution name:

   # In WSL terminal, run:
   wsl.exe -l -v

2. Set the correct distribution name manually:

   • Use the exact name from the command above
   • Go to VS Code Settings and search for "WSL Reveal Explorer"
   • Set "Default Distribution Name" to the correct name (e.g., Ubuntu-22.04, Ubuntu2)

3. Common distribution name issues:

   • Auto-detection might return Ubuntu but your distribution is Ubuntu2
   • Version-specific names like Ubuntu-20.04 vs Ubuntu-22.04
   • Custom installation names

Remote SSH Issues

For Remote SSH connections:

1. Verify your network path configuration:

   • Set the correct pathPrefix in settings
   • Test the path manually in Windows File Explorer

2. Common Remote SSH scenarios:

   • SSHFS mounts: Configure path like \\\\sshfs\\hostname
   • Network shares: Use \\\\server\\share format
   • Direct IP access: Use \\\\192.168.1.100\\path format

3. Path mapping examples:

   Remote path: /home/user/project
   Windows path: \\server\share\home\user\project
   Configuration: "pathPrefix": "\\\\server\\share"
   

File Explorer Issues

If your custom file explorer doesn't open:

1. Verify the file explorer is installed and accessible from the configured path
2. Check the custom command syntax - ensure it's a valid PowerShell command
3. Test manually: Try running the command directly in PowerShell to debug issues
4. Use default: Set the custom command to empty to fall back to Windows Explorer

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👨‍💻 Author

Feras Abdalrahman

• GitHub: @doonfrs
• VS Code Marketplace: doonfrs