There are many reasons you might need to launch Chrome on Visual Studio Code. You might need it to run an HTML, CSS, SASS, or JavaScript file. This guide will demonstrate the process of running a simple HTML file in Chrome using VS Code.
Downloads
Download and install Google Chrome from google.com/chrome with default settings.
How To run HTML file in Chrome using VS Code?
Step 1: Install Live Server
Live Server is an extension that allows you to run HTML code as a web application running on your localhost web server directly from your machine. It also reloads your page automatically every time you save the file. Follow these steps to install Live Server:
- From the sidebar, select the Extensions button.
- Type “Live Server” in the search box and click on the Install button.
Install Live Server from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.
Step 2: Default Browser Setting
By default, Live Server opens the default browser of the machine. If you want to specify custom browser settings for Live Server, follow these steps:
- From the sidebar, click on the Manage button. Then, select the Settings option from the menu. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl +,
- In the “Search Settings” bar, type Live Server.
- From the Custom Browser option, select the browser you want for the Live Server – we’ll select “chrome” for this guide.
Choose your preferred browser from the Custom Browser settings.
Step 3: Running the HTML File
To run an HTML file in Chrome using VS Code, follow these steps:
- Open the existing HTML file you want to run in VS Code. In my case, I have opened a demo HTML file named “index.html.”
- From the Status bar on the bottom-right corner of VS Code, click on the Go Live button.
- The browser will open the webpage with the HTML structure.
There it is! This is the process to launch Chrome on Visual Studio Code using Live Server extension. Make sure to follow the same process to launch Chrome for other programs like JavaScript, SASS, or CSS file.