How to hide the activity bar in VSCode?
Jul 28, 2025 am 02:51 AMTo hide the activity bar of VSCode, you can switch the display status through the shortcut keys Ctrl B (Windows/Linux) or Cmd B (Mac); 1. You can also select View > Appearance > Activity Bar through the menu bar; 2. Modify the settings file and add "workbench.activityBar.visible" in settings.json: false can achieve default hidden at each startup; 3. Use plug-ins such as Customize UI or Activity Bar Toggle to achieve finer control, but please pay attention to compatibility issues. Hide the activity bar to improve the interface simplicity and concentration. It is recommended to use shortcut keys to test before deciding whether to hide for a long time.
Hiding the Activity Bar in VSCode is actually a very common requirement, especially when you want the interface to be more concise and focus on code editing. By default, the activity bar displays the vertical area of the Explorer, Search, Git, etc. icons. Hide it can make the editing window look cleaner, especially when screen space is limited.

Use commands to hide the activity bar
VSCode provides a built-in command to quickly hide or display the activity bar:
- Shortcut keys:
Ctrl B
(Windows/Linux) orCmd B
(Mac) - You can also select
View > Appearance > Activity Bar
through the menu bar
This operation is "switch" type, which means that the display can be restored by using the same method again.

Tip: If you just want to make room for the time being but don’t want to completely hide the activity bar, you can move the mouse to the icon, and the entire activity bar will be expanded in text form, and will automatically close it after it is removed.
Modify settings files to achieve hidden
If you want the VSCode activity bar to be hidden, you can modify the settings file to achieve it:

- Open the settings interface (shortcut key
Ctrl ,
or click the gear icon in the lower left corner) - Search for keyword "activity bar"
- Find the "Workbench > Appearance: Activity Bar Visible" setting item
- Check Cancel, or add it directly in the
settings.json
file:"workbench.activityBar.visible": false
In this way, the activity bar will not be displayed every time VSCode is started, which is suitable for old users who are already familiar with shortcut keys or plug-in entrances.
Plugin Assisted Management Activity Bar
Some plug-ins allow you to make more detailed controls on the activity bar, such as only hiding certain icons, automatically hiding according to conditions, etc.:
- Customize UI : Although it is mainly used for interface customization, it also supports hidden activity bar elements.
- Activity Bar Toggle : Provides a button to switch the display status of the activity bar, which is convenient for clicking and switching.
However, it should be noted that this type of plug-in may be incompatible with future versions of VSCode. It is recommended to check the update time and community feedback before use.
If you are not sure whether you want to hide the activity bar for a long time, it is recommended to try it with the shortcut keys first, and then decide whether to modify the configuration.
Basically these are the methods. You can choose the right method according to your usage habits. It is not complicated but easy to ignore that sometimes a little less UI elements can increase concentration.
The above is the detailed content of How to hide the activity bar in VSCode?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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