Quick Reload is a lightweight Visual Studio Code extension that adds a one-click Reload button to the status bar.

It provides fast access to VS Code's built-in Reload Window command without requiring additional configuration.

Features

Adds a $(refresh) Reload button to the left side of the status bar.
Reloads the current VS Code window with one click.
Provides the Reload VS Code Window command in the Command Palette.
Requires no extension-specific configuration.
Uses VS Code's built-in reload command.

Screenshot

The Reload button appears on the left side of the VS Code status bar.

Installation from VSIX

Obtain the packaged extension file:

quick-reload-1.0.0.vsix

Install it from a terminal:

code --install-extension quick-reload-1.0.0.vsix

To force a reinstall:

code --install-extension quick-reload-1.0.0.vsix --force

Verify the installation:

code --list-extensions

The extension identifier is:

sidiqlabs.quick-reload

You can also install it through the VS Code interface:

Open the Extensions view.
Open the More Actions menu.
Select Install from VSIX...
Choose quick-reload-1.0.0.vsix.

Usage

After installation, locate the Reload button on the left side of the VS Code status bar.

Click the button to reload the current VS Code window.

The command is also available through the Command Palette:

Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P.
Search for Reload VS Code Window.
Run the command.

Development

Requirements

Node.js
npm
Visual Studio Code

Install dependencies

npm install

Compile

npm run compile

Watch mode

npm run watch

Package the extension

npx vsce package

The packaging process runs the vscode:prepublish script before creating the VSIX file.

Project Structure

quick-reload/
├── .vscode/
├── src/
│   └── extension.ts
├── out/
├── package.json
├── package-lock.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── README.md
├── CHANGELOG.md
├── DECISIONS.md
└── LICENSE.md

Troubleshooting

Reload button does not appear

Confirm that the extension is installed:

code --list-extensions

Ensure the following identifier appears:

sidiqlabs.quick-reload

Open the Command Palette and try running:

Reload VS Code Window

Check the Extension Host logs:

Open View.
Open Output.
Select Extension Host from the output channel list.

Reinstall the extension if necessary:

code --uninstall-extension sidiqlabs.quick-reload
code --install-extension quick-reload-1.0.0.vsix --force

Development commands fail in WSL

If Node.js or npm cannot be found inside WSL, verify that the active shell loads the Node Version Manager configuration.

For zsh, the following configuration is commonly required in ~/.zshrc:

export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"

Reload the shell and verify the environment:

source ~/.zshrc
node --version
npm --version
which npm

This WSL configuration concerns the development environment. The installed extension does not require npm or NVM at runtime.

Uninstallation

code --uninstall-extension sidiqlabs.quick-reload

License

Quick Reload is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.md.

Quick Reload