📦Can’t Download VSIX Files from the VS Code Marketplace Anymore? Here’s What You Can Do
If you've tried to manually download a .vsix file from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace recently, you may have noticed something missing: the download button is gone. Microsoft quietly removed the ability to download VSIX packages directly from the browser, making it more cumbersome to install extensions offline or in environments where the Marketplace isn't accessible.
💡 Good News: You Still Have Options
While workarounds exist, like downloading from within VS Code or manually constructing URLs, not everyone is using VS Code. Other IDEs and tools built on the same extension model also rely on .vsix files and open access to extensions.
🌐 OpenVSX to the Rescue
OpenVSX is an open-source alternative to the VS Code Marketplace. It allows users to freely download VSIX files for most popular extensions, and makes it easy to integrate extensions into other IDEs like:
- Eclipse Theia
- Eclipse Che
- Coder
- Gitpod
- VSCodium
- And more...!
For developers and teams using these IDEs, often in self-hosted or enterprise environments, OpenVSX is a lifeline.
🙌 A Call to Extension Publishers
If you're an extension author, publishing your work to OpenVSX takes just minutes, and dramatically expands your reach:
- 🧑💻 Reach more users on other platforms, not just VS Code
- 💼 Enable adoption in regulated, offline, or air-gapped environments
- 🔄 Foster openness by contributing to an open ecosystem
Many open IDEs (like Eclipse Theia IDE) don’t use the proprietary Microsoft Marketplace. If your extension isn’t on OpenVSX, you’re missing a growing community of users and developers.
🛠️ Get Started
Publishing to OpenVSX is simple:
👉https://github.com/eclipse/openvsx/wiki/Publishing-Extensions
Microsoft removed the direct download option from their Marketplace, but the open web has your back. OpenVSX is not only a workaround: it’s a better, freer way forward.
🧭 Looking for .vsix files? Start here: https://open-vsx.org
