microsoft / microsoft/vscode

Settings editor and other webview-based panels cannot be detached into a real, independent OS window

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#335,955 0 comments 0 reactions 1 assignee Claimed by @rzhao271 View on GitHub
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Description

Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes

- VS Code Version: 1.137.0
- OS Version: 10.0.19045.6456

### Description

VS Code renders UI surfaces like the Settings editor, and several panels, as webview/iframe-based overlays confined to the single main workbench window, rather than as **real, independently movable OS windows**.

Regular file editor tabs can already be dragged out via "Move Editor into New Window" into a genuine separate OS window. However, the Settings editor (and other iframe/webview-based editors) cannot be detached the same way — it always stays locked inside the main window.

On Windows specifically, this breaks a core piece of the platform's UX convention: windows **are meant to be independently movable and positionable** (e.g. across multiple monitors). Older, natively-built applications such as the classic Visual Studio (WinForms/WPF based) supported fully detachable tool windows for decades. In VS Code's current Electron/webview-based architecture, this capability was lost for iframe-based editors like Settings.

### Requested fix

Allow iframe/webview-based editors (including the Settings editor) to be detached into their own real, independently movable OS window — the same "Move into New Window" capability that already exists for regular text editor tabs.

### Impact

Users cannot view Settings side by side with other windows/monitors without constantly switching tabs inside the same main window. **This is a significant usability regression compared to native desktop applications.**

### Related issues
- #193267 (Aux window: allow detaching views and panels)
- #195715 (Support iframe based editors to reparent into floating windows)

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