How do I "Add Existing Item" an entire directory structure in Visual Studio?

Question

I have a free standing set of files not affiliated with any C# project at all that reside in a complicated nested directory structure.

I want to add them in that format to a different directory in an ASP.NET web application I am working on; while retaining the same structure. So, I copied the folder into the target location of my project and I tried to “add existing item” only to lose the previous folder hierarchy.

Usually I have re-created the directories by hand, copied across on a one-to-one basis, and then added existing items. There are simply too many directories/items in this case.

So how do you add existing directories and files in Visual Studio 2008?

Pervert

You might find this question useful which asks how to add a solution folder as a real folder: #267700 – Carmella

Answer 1

Drag the files / folders from Windows Explorer into the Solution Explorer. It will add them all. Note this doesn't work if Visual Studio is in Administrator Mode, because Windows Explorer is a User Mode process.

Quadrangle

This doesn't work for me. It just gives me the icon of an invalid drop target. The show all files below works perfectly though – Dorathydorca

In VS 2010, after draggin got the folder, choose the option to Show All Files in the project. The files exist in "ghosted" form, right click on the folder and Include in Project. They will then be added – Romanticize

@JohnPtacek: That works in a project, but not in the solution. – Initiation

This answer is not valid for VS2010 (At least as far as I can tell). Tom's answer on 7/10/12 was the best solution for me in VS2010 – Tousle

Kill explorer.exe using the task manager, start it as administrator and then you can drag and drop to Visual Studio even if its running as Administrator. – Philippe

Opened an instance of explorer.exe in administrator mode and it worked for me. – Cambell

It also works if you use the "add existing item" explorer window. You may need to open Visual Studio in Admin mode to make that work, though. – Labdanum

You can hold alt(some versions with shift it seems) to create a link instead of copying files if they are not in a subfolder of your project. – Tyburn

No need to drag files; Brannon's solution is the most canonical. – Gospodin

Drag and drop folders in to the solution explorer then clicking on show all files works in VS 2015. I battled with this one until I found this question (and answers). – Unsure

WOW! This solved my problem! I could not drag a folder to the Application Folder because I was in Admin mode. TY – Malemute

I did this and my entire solution crashed. "The designer cannot be shown because the document for it was never loaded." – Gambrel

However even after adding this way, right click on an include and "Go To Document" does not work out-of-the-box. – Baguio

This does not work if you're trying to add a folder to an existing solution folder, it only works for projects in a solution. – Unrelenting

Answer 2

Enable "Show All Files" for the specific project (you might need to hit "Refresh" to see them)**.

The folders/files that are not part of your project appear slightly "lighter" in the project tree.

Right click the folders/files you want to add and click "Include In Project". It will recursively add folders/files to the project.

** These buttons are located on the mini Solution Explorer toolbar.

** Make sure you are NOT in debug mode.

Bairn

It seems that this only works for files deeper than your project file, if you keep your project file in a folder on its own, this wont work. – Untidy

This only works in individual projects, but not within a solution. – Initiation

Duh... that's not where you're supposed to put files. Of course it's not going to find files above your root folder. – Civic

This will only work when you want the folders you add to reside in your project folder. In my case, I want them to be somewhere else (shared between projects). In XCode, dragging a folder structure from any location into project structure preserves the folder sructure instead of flattening it like VS. Looks like VS lacks a feature here. – Atalayah

This works for a 'website' but not a 'web application project'. There is no 'show all files' button. – Bloch

tip - ensure the project is selected, not the solution - then you can do show all! – Bloch

Although I am grateful for this answer, it was hard to find the "Show All Files" icon, and really the people making VS should have made this simple thing work automatically! (But thanks to the people who answered here) – Stratosphere

This does not work if you're trying to add a folder to an existing solution folder, it only works for adding structures projects in a solution. – Unrelenting

Answer 3

In Solution Explorer:

1. Click Show All Files (second icon from the left at the top of Solution Explorer).
2. Locate the folder you want to add.
3. Right-click and select "Include in Project"

I use this to install add-ons like HTML editors and third-party file browsers.

Kwangtung

How is this different than Brannon's answer from 4 years earlier? – Dropping

This does not address the original problem which is for a Solution folder. It has also been previously covered. – Candlepin

@ToolmakerSteve: It is different in that it is the same as Gant's solution from... 7 years earlier. #392973 – Turnip

Highly recommend this solution as it also helps when conflicting csproj files have been checked in and tfs ignores the conflicts and overwrites – Defeasible

It's the third from the left and not the second – Company

This does not work if you're trying to add a folder to an existing solution folder, it only works for projects in a solution. – Unrelenting

Answer 4

I just want to point out that two of the solutions offered previously,

• Drag and drop from Windows Explorer
• Show All Files and then include in project.

do not do what the question asked for:

Include in project while preserving the directory structure.

At least not in my case (C++/CLI project Visual Studio 2013 on Windows 7).

In Visual Studio, once you are back in the normal view (not Show All Files), the files you added are all listed at the top level of the project.

Yes, on disk they still reside where they were, but in Solution Explorer they are loose.

I did not find a way around it except recreating the directory structure in Solution Explorer and then doing Add Existing Items at the right location.

Alaynaalayne

I see the same behavior, VS2010, c++. – Stickler

True, also in Visual Studio 2010. It doesn't even add the files without a directory structure for me, just the very first file within that folder structure and not any subfolders. – Unclear

Agreed, it still differs. I wonder how a popular and expensive software such as VS can lack such a feature. I consider it rather confusing to have two different yet similar structures in the solution explorer and windows explorer... – Ferretti

Using 2015 here; still doesn't preserve folder structure. Stunned. – Appetence

Using 2015 Update 3, just had success with the approach from Bannon and Tom. All nested folders came in as expected. – Majordomo

#42986316 – Limulus

+1 for the drag&drop. However even after adding this way, right click on an include and "Go To Document" does not work out-of-the-box. – Baguio

Drag n Drop / Copy + Pasting only for entire folder trees including sub folders/files when you're adding it to a project. It does not work when you're trying to add it to a solution folder (non project) – Unrelenting

Answer 5

I didn't immediately understand this based upon these descriptions but here is what I finally stumbled on:

1. Turn on "Show All Files" - there is an icon on the Solution Explorer toolbar
2. Using Windows Explorer (not solution explorer), move your files into the directory structure where you want them to reside
3. Click "Refresh" also on the Solution Explorer toolbar
4. The files that you've moved should be visible "ghosted" in the Solution Explorer tree structure where you've placed them
5. Right click on your ghosted files or folders and click "Include in Project". All the contents of a folder will be included

Teishateixeira

This is for a solution folder, not a project. – Masticatory

Update: There is no "refres" button in VS2019 – Durwin

Answer 6

Below is the icon for the 'Show All Files', just for easy reference.

Zinkenite

Answer 7

Click above in the red circle. Your folder will appear in Solution Explorer.

Right click on your folder -> Include in project.

Gravante

Answer 8

You can change your project XML to add existing subfolders and structures automatically into your project like "node_modules" from NPM:

This is for older MSBuild / Visual Studio versions

<ItemGroup>
   <Item Include="$([System.IO.Directory]::GetFiles(&quot;$(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\node_modules&quot;,&quot;*&quot;,SearchOption.AllDirectories))"></Item>
</ItemGroup>

For the current MSBuild / Visual Studio versions:

Just put it in the nodes of the xml:

<Project>
</Project>

In this case just change $(MSBuildProjectDirectory)\node_modules to your folder name.

Sodium

Yep, sometimes hand-editing the *.*proj file will get you where you want to go. – Myrtismyrtle

So you're saying someone could make a plugin to batch-do this? Because I ain't recreating a folder structure with tens of folders by hand in an xml – Midwifery

Exactly what I was looking for – Wristwatch

Answer 9

You need to put your directory structure in your project directory. And then click "Show All Files" icon in the top of Solution Explorer toolbox. After that, the added directory will be shown up. You will then need to select this directory, right click, and choose "Include in Project."

Cavuoto

This is pretty much what the accepted answer suggests and one of the comments under it. – Annuity

Answer 10

This is what I do:

1. Right click on solution -> Add -> Existing Website...
2. Choose the folder where your website is. Just the root folder of the site.

Then everything will be added on your solution from folders to files, and files inside those folders.

Damales

Answer 11

There is now an open-source extension in the Marketplace that seems to do what the OP was asking for:

Folder To Solution Folder

If it doesn't do exactly what you want, the code is available, so you can modify it to suit your scenario.

HTH

Apical

Extension didn't work for me on version VS 15.9.13 2017 – Whig

This works but be careful because it adds everything including obj and bin folders. If you want to add projects in nested folders but don't want them flattened then add the empty folder structure first. Basically I added everything then removed everything except the folders and then did add existing project. – Kwapong

Answer 12

At last, Visual Studio 2017 allows the user to import an entire directory with a single click. Visual Studio 2017 has a new functionality "Open Folder" that allows opening the entire folder, even without the need to save it as solution. The source code can be imported using the following methods.

1. Menu File → Open → *Folder (Ctrl + Shift + O)
2. devenv.exe <source folder>

It even supports building and debugging CMake projects.

Bring your C++ codebase to Visual Studio with “Open Folder”

Vladikavkaz

Answer 13

A neat trick I discovered is that if you go to "Add existing...", you can drag the folder from the open dialog to your solution.

I have my Visual Studio to open in Admin Mode automatically, so this was a good workaround for me as I didn't want to have to undo that just to get this to work.

Rosas

Doesn't preserve the subdir structrure, but kinda works. Also good thing is the Admin mode is no obstacle... – Wing

Answer 14

What worked for me was to drag the folder into Visual Studio, then right click the folder and select "Open Folder in File Explorer". Then select all and drag them into the folder in Visual Studio.

Bub

Answer 15

In Windows 7 you could do the following:

Right click on your project and select "Add->Existing Item". In the dialog which appears, browse to the root of the directory you want to add. In the upper right corner you have a search box. Type *.cs or *.cpp, whatever the type of files you want to add. After the search finishes, select all files, click Add and wait for a while...

Fresnel

This does not maintain directory structure - it just puts everything at the folder where you clicked add. – Intoxication

Answer 16

The cleanest way that I've found to do this is to create a new Class Library project in the target folder, and redirect all of its build output elsewhere. It still leaves a .csproj file sitting in that folder, but it does let you see it in Visual Studio and pick which files to include in your project.

Immunology

Answer 17

It has been a while since this was originally posted, but here is an alternative answer. If you only care to be able to look at the physical files from inside visual studio and do not necessarily require to see them in the solution explorer default view, then click on the switch view button and choose the folder view and any physical directory/directories that are under your solution root folder will appear here even if they do not appear in the solution explorer default view.

If however, you want to add a folder tree that isn't too large as a virtual solution directory/directories to match your existing tree structure, do that and and then "add the existing" physical files to the virtual directory/directories. If the physical directory exists in your solution directory it will not copy the files - it will link directly to the physical files but they will appear as part of the solution virtual directories.

Sparkie

Before you paste this in even more locations, please take the time to read Is it acceptable to add a duplicate answer to several questions?. – Embankment

Answer 18

It's annoying that Visual Studio doesn't support this natively, but CMake could generate the Visual Studio project as a work around.

Other than that, just use Qt Creator. It can then export a Visual Studio project.

Windjammer