# VS Code: Simple Browser

*Updated September 16, 2025 to indicate that Flares have a singleton mode as explained by PEZ.*

I just learned about [Calva Flares](https://brettrowberry.com/calva-flares?showSharer=true). Then I wondered, is there something built into VS Code for viewing webpages? There is! It’s called `Simple Browser` and [was added way back in 2021](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/pull/109276)!

For my use case of viewing the [Clojure Cheatsheet](https://clojure.org/api/cheatsheet) without leaving VS Code, all I have to do is:

Open the [Command Palette](https://code.visualstudio.com/api/ux-guidelines/command-palette) and select `Simple Browser: Show`

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1757649050892/d6cd0ee0-26f1-438e-9436-6abc7af6f8f3.png align="center")

Type or paste in the URL

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1757649066899/a8ec1345-e89d-4d37-93b4-31f204510cde.png align="center")

And the page appears!

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1757649081774/ba2f4d2c-dc5b-4440-acc9-dcc9a3142847.png align="center")

Simple Browser beats out Flares by having an address bar, back, forward, reload, and open in browser controls. But, Simple Browser is a singleton.

With Flares, I can open as many as I want, and I can have a singleton in the sidebar if I add the key-value pair `:sidebar-panel? true`.

It’s nice to have options!