Abdulkader Safi

ImageMagick for VS Code 0.3.0: Explorer drag-and-drop

The 0.3.0 release of my ImageMagick VS Code extension fixes drag-and-drop from the Explorer, plus what is coming next.

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ImageMagick extension lets you resize, crop, rotate, compress, and convert images inside VS Code, with a live preview and no uploads. The engine is ImageMagick compiled to WebAssembly, running in the webview.

My ImageMagick extension lets you resize, crop, rotate, compress, and convert images inside VS Code, with a live preview and no uploads. The engine is ImageMagick compiled to WebAssembly, running in the webview.

What 0.3.0 fixes

Dragging an image from the VS Code Explorer onto the preview did nothing. Those drops hand the webview only a file reference, not the file itself, so the drop handler had nothing to read. Now the dropped file is loaded off disk through the extension host, the same path the right-click menu uses. Drags from Finder and File Explorer keep working as before.

Next steps

  • Presets and one-click optimize from the Explorer
  • Strip metadata (EXIF, GPS, color profiles) on export
  • Before and after size with percent saved
  • Compare slider in the preview
  • Responsive size set from one source
  • Color and sharpen adjustments
  • Watermark and text overlay
  • Auto-optimize on save

More soon.

Last updated 17 Aug 2026 · filed under Typescript, vs code, extension, tools, svelte

Every entry on this project

4 build notes, in order

Including the ones where nothing worked. You are on part 1.

Read the series →

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do I open an image?

Right-click it in the Explorer, drag it onto the preview, or run "ImageMagick: Open Image" from the command palette.

Does it upload my images anywhere?

No. Everything runs locally in the editor through ImageMagick compiled to WebAssembly, so nothing leaves your machine.

Which formats can it write?

JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, TIFF, BMP, and AVIF where the bundled build supports it. The extension probes the available encoders at startup and only shows formats it can produce.

Why did Explorer drag-and-drop not work before 0.3.0?

Explorer drops pass only a file reference, not the file bytes, so the drop handler had nothing to read. 0.3.0 loads the dropped file off disk through the extension host instead.

Written by

Abdulkader Safi

Full-Stack Developer

Lead engineer at DSRPT, from Lebanon and based in Kuwait. I write about the tools and bugs from real client work, with the numbers I measured.

About me → GitHub LinkedIn

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