[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"extension:v3:en:vsix":3},{"resolvedFromAlias":4,"canonicalExt":5,"ext":5,"name":6,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"updatedAt":9,"popularity":10,"summary":11,"howToOs":12,"quickAnswer":18,"answerIntro":19,"whatIs":20,"description":21,"furtherReading":22,"openInstructions":41,"commonIssues":53,"securityNotes":72,"faq":76,"aliases":86,"mimeTypes":87,"relatedExtensions":88,"breadcrumbs":135,"categoryAnchor":145,"categoryFuturePath":146,"metaDescription":147,"availableHowToOs":148,"openOnDeviceLinks":149,"cannotOpenReasons":165,"cannotOpenFixes":166,"convertOptions":167,"securityAffiliateMessaging":168,"securityAffiliates":169},false,"vsix","Visual Studio VSIX extension package","archives","Archives","2026-06-12T09:17:03.168Z",35,".vsix is a packaged extension used to install add-ins into Microsoft development tools such as Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code. It is essentially a ZIP/OPC container that includes an extension manifest and the files that make up the extension.",[13,14,15,16,17],"windows","mac","linux","ios","android","To open .VSIX files on Windows, if the VSIX is for Visual Studio: open Visual Studio and use its extension installation flow, or (for inspection) rename the file from .vsix to .zip and extract it to view extension.vsixmanifest and other contents.","To open a .vsix file, you typically install it in the product it targets: Visual Studio (on Windows) or Visual Studio Code (cross-platform). If you only need to inspect its contents, you can treat it like a ZIP/OPC package and extract it to view files such as extension.vsixmanifest.","A VSIX package is an extension deployment format used by Visual Studio, built on the Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) standard (ZIP-based). A typical VSIX contains an extension manifest file named extension.vsixmanifest plus the extension’s payload files and metadata that controls installation behavior.","VSIX is the packaging format used to distribute and install extensions for Visual Studio. Microsoft’s documentation describes a VSIX as an OPC package (a ZIP-based container) that includes a manifest (extension.vsixmanifest) and other content required by the extension.",[23,26,29,32,35,38],{"title":24,"url":25},"Anatomy of a VSIX package - Visual Studio (Windows) | Microsoft Learn","https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/extensibility/anatomy-of-a-vsix-package?view=visualstudio",{"title":27,"url":28},"Using the VSIX Manifest Editor - Visual Studio Blog","https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/using-the-vsix-manifest-editor/",{"title":30,"url":31},"Extension Marketplace - Visual Studio Code documentation (Install from VSIX / --install-extension)","https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/extension-marketplace?azure-portal=true",{"title":33,"url":34},"ECMA-376 Office Open XML file formats (includes Open Packaging Conventions)","https://ecma-international.org/publications-and-standards/standards/ecma-376/",{"title":36,"url":37},"List of filename extensions (S–Z) - Wikipedia (.vsix as Visual Studio VSIX Package)","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_filename_extensions_%28S%E2%80%93Z%29",{"title":39,"url":40},"Media Types - IANA (registry reference for official MIME types)","https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types",{"windows":42,"macos":45,"linux":48,"ios":50,"android":52},[43,44],"If the VSIX is for Visual Studio: open Visual Studio and use its extension installation flow, or (for inspection) rename the file from .vsix to .zip and extract it to view extension.vsixmanifest and other contents.","If the VSIX is for Visual Studio Code: open VS Code and choose “Install from VSIX” in the Extensions view, or use the command line with: code --install-extension path\\to\\file.vsix.",[46,47],"In Visual Studio Code, use the Extensions view and choose “Install from VSIX”, or run: code --install-extension /path/to/file.vsix.","To inspect without installing, copy the file to a desktop OS and extract it as a ZIP/OPC container (for example by renaming to .zip).",[46,49],"To inspect without installing, extract it as a ZIP/OPC container (for example by renaming to .zip) and review the manifest and included files.",[51],".vsix files are meant to be installed by desktop development tools (Visual Studio/Visual Studio Code). Transfer the file to a PC/Mac/Linux machine and install it from within Visual Studio Code (Install from VSIX) or open it as a ZIP/OPC package for inspection.",[51],[54,60,66],{"title":55,"description":56,"steps":57},"The VSIX installs in the wrong product (Visual Studio vs VS Code)","Both Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code use .vsix for extensions, but the packages target different platforms and extension APIs. A VSIX built for one product typically will not install or function in the other.",[58,59],"Check which product the extension is intended for (for example, the download source or the manifest inside the VSIX).","Install it using the correct tool: Visual Studio for Visual Studio extensions, or VS Code via “Install from VSIX” / code --install-extension for VS Code extensions.",{"title":61,"description":62,"steps":63},"Install fails due to compatibility requirements declared in the manifest","VSIX packages include a manifest (extension.vsixmanifest) that declares installation behavior and requirements; if your installed IDE version doesn’t match, installation can be blocked.",[64,65],"Extract the VSIX (it is a ZIP/OPC container) and review extension.vsixmanifest to understand the declared requirements.","Install the extension in a compatible IDE version, or obtain a VSIX build that targets your IDE version.",{"title":67,"description":68,"steps":69},"Trying to “open” the file in a text editor shows gibberish","A VSIX is a ZIP/OPC package, so opening it as plain text will not display meaningful content.",[70,71],"Inspect it by extracting it as an archive (for example, rename .vsix to .zip and extract).","Look for extension.vsixmanifest and other package files to understand what the extension contains.",[73,74,75],"A .vsix installs code and tooling into an IDE; treat it like installing software. Only install VSIX packages from sources you trust.","Because VSIX is a ZIP/OPC container, it can carry many files; inspect the contents (including extension.vsixmanifest) before installing if you did not request the extension.","The manifest controls installation behavior and what gets deployed; reviewing extension.vsixmanifest can help you spot unexpected components or targets before installation.",[77,80,83],{"question":78,"answer":79},"Is a .vsix file just a ZIP file?","It is a ZIP-based Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) container. You can often inspect it by extracting it like a ZIP and viewing files such as extension.vsixmanifest.",{"question":81,"answer":82},"Can Visual Studio Code install a local .vsix?","Yes. VS Code supports installing from a local VSIX using “Install from VSIX” in the Extensions view or by running: code --install-extension path/to/file.vsix.",{"question":84,"answer":85},"What file inside the VSIX describes the extension?","The package typically contains a manifest named extension.vsixmanifest, which declares metadata, content types, and installation behavior.",[],[],[89,95,101,107,113,119,125,130],{"ext":90,"name":91,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":92,"summary":93,"howToOs":94},"zip","ZIP Archive",93,"ZIP archives are widely used to compress and bundle multiple files or folders for easier storage and sharing.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":96,"name":97,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":98,"summary":99,"howToOs":100},"rar","RAR Archive",66,".rar files are compressed archive containers used to bundle and compress one or more files, often including split (multi-part) archives. They’re commonly opened by WinRAR and can usually be extracted by tools like 7-Zip and The Unarchiver.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":102,"name":103,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":104,"summary":105,"howToOs":106},"bz2","bzip2 Compressed File",65,".bz2 is a bzip2-compressed file, typically used to shrink a single file for storage or download. To use the contents, you usually decompress it with an extractor such as 7-Zip or the bzip2 command-line tool.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":108,"name":109,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":110,"summary":111,"howToOs":112},"7z","7-Zip Archive",64,"A .7z file is a 7-Zip compressed archive, commonly used to bundle and compress files with high compression ratios. Open it with 7-Zip on Windows or compatible archive tools such as WinRAR, Keka, The Unarchiver, p7zip, ZArchiver, or RAR.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":114,"name":115,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":116,"summary":117,"howToOs":118},"gz","Gzip Compressed File",57,"GZ files are compressed using the gzip algorithm, commonly used for reducing file size and bundling files with TAR.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":120,"name":121,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":122,"summary":123,"howToOs":124},"br","Brotli-compressed data",55,".br files contain data compressed with the Brotli algorithm, commonly used for web delivery. You open them by decompressing with Brotli tools or compatible archivers, then opening the extracted original file.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":126,"name":127,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":122,"summary":128,"howToOs":129},"crx","Chrome/Chromium Extension Package (CRX)",".crx is the packaged format used to distribute Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browser extensions. It is essentially a signed wrapper around a ZIP archive containing the extension’s files.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":131,"name":132,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":122,"summary":133,"howToOs":134},"ipa","iOS/iPadOS App Store Package (IPA)",".ipa is the package format for iOS/iPadOS apps. It is essentially a ZIP archive that contains an app bundle (typically under Payload/*.app) and related metadata used for installation and distribution.",[13,14,15,16,17],[136,139,142],{"label":137,"to":138},"Home","/",{"label":140,"to":141},"File Extension Index","/file-extension",{"label":143,"to":144},".VSIX","/file-extension/vsix","category-archives","/category/archives","Learn what .VSIX files are, how to open them on every platform, common fixes, and security best practices.",[13,14,15,16,17],[150,153,156,159,162],{"os":13,"label":151,"to":152},"Open .VSIX on Windows","/how-to/open-vsix-on-windows",{"os":14,"label":154,"to":155},"Open .VSIX on Mac","/how-to/open-vsix-on-mac",{"os":15,"label":157,"to":158},"Open .VSIX on Linux","/how-to/open-vsix-on-linux",{"os":16,"label":160,"to":161},"Open .VSIX on iOS","/how-to/open-vsix-on-ios",{"os":17,"label":163,"to":164},"Open .VSIX on Android","/how-to/open-vsix-on-android",[55,61,67],[58,59],[],"archive",[170,174],{"name":171,"description":172,"affiliateUrl":173},"Avast","Avast offers free and premium antivirus software that protects against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing. Scan files before opening them to ensure safety.","https://www.avast.com/lp-aff-consumer-store?expid=inf601",{"name":175,"description":176,"affiliateUrl":177},"Norton","Norton 360 delivers comprehensive antivirus protection, VPN, and identity theft monitoring. Scan files for threats before opening to keep your device secure.","http://buy.norton.com/aff_home?utm_campaign=en-ww_nor_n36_aff_nas_nau_nah_cj_nad_low:_sec_nat_mktc_norton_360"]