VSCode Stop tabs from being replaced when opening a file

October 20, 2026

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Are you ever annoyed that VSCode replaces the tab you just opened when you click another file? Thank god there’s a simple fix for that.

When you single-click a file, VSCode opens it in “preview mode”. You can see it because the tab name is in italics. The next file you click replaces it, so the file you wanted to keep is gone.

Prerequisites

VSCode installed

Steps to disable preview mode in VSCode

Open Settings using CTRL + , on Windows or ⌘ + , on Mac
Search for workbench.editor.enablePreview
Uncheck Workbench > Editor: Enable Preview
If you also want files opened with ⌘ + P to stay open, uncheck Workbench > Editor: Enable Preview From Quick Open

If you prefer editing the settings.json directly, add this:

"workbench.editor.enablePreview": false,
"workbench.editor.enablePreviewFromQuickOpen": false

If you don’t want to turn it off completely, double-click the file instead. That opens it in a normal tab.

Now that every file gets its own tab, it’s a good idea to also set a maximum amount of opened tabs.