diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/browser/commands/configureSnippets.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/browser/commands/configureSnippets.ts
index 771c8891856bc..115c37ad91e28 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/browser/commands/configureSnippets.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/browser/commands/configureSnippets.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { IWorkspaceContextService } from '../../../../../platform/workspace/comm
 import { SnippetsAction } from './abstractSnippetsActions.js';
 import { ISnippetsService } from '../snippets.js';
 import { SnippetSource } from '../snippetsFile.js';
+import { IEditorService } from '../../../../services/editor/common/editorService.js';
 import { ITextFileService } from '../../../../services/textfile/common/textfiles.js';
 import { IUserDataProfileService } from '../../../../services/userDataProfile/common/userDataProfile.js';
 
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ interface ISnippetPick extends IQuickPickItem {
 	hint?: true;
 }
 
-async function computePicks(snippetService: ISnippetsService, userDataProfileService: IUserDataProfileService, languageService: ILanguageService, labelService: ILabelService) {
+async function computePicks(snippetService: ISnippetsService, userDataProfileService: IUserDataProfileService, languageService: ILanguageService, labelService: ILabelService, activeLanguageId: string | undefined) {
 
 	const existing: ISnippetPick[] = [];
 	const future: ISnippetPick[] = [];
@@ -138,9 +139,33 @@ async function computePicks(snippetService: ISnippetsService, userDataProfileSer
 		return a.label.localeCompare(b.label);
 	});
 
+	promoteActiveLanguage(existing, future, activeLanguageId);
+
 	return { existing, future };
 }
 
+// Move the active editor's language to the front of each group and mark it as detected.
+export function promoteActiveLanguage(existing: ISnippetPick[], future: ISnippetPick[], activeLanguageId: string | undefined): void {
+	if (!activeLanguageId) {
+		return;
+	}
+	const detectedHint = nls.localize('detected', "This file type was detected from the current file.");
+	promote(existing, existing.findIndex(pick => basename(pick.filepath) === `${activeLanguageId}.json`), detectedHint);
+	promote(future, future.findIndex(pick => pick.label === activeLanguageId), detectedHint);
+}
+
+function promote(picks: ISnippetPick[], index: number, hint: string): void {
+	if (index < 0) {
+		return;
+	}
+	const pick = picks[index];
+	pick.tooltip = hint;
+	pick.description = pick.description ? `${pick.description} *` : '*';
+	if (index > 0) {
+		picks.unshift(picks.splice(index, 1)[0]);
+	}
+}
+
 async function createSnippetFile(scope: string, defaultPath: URI, quickInputService: IQuickInputService, fileService: IFileService, textFileService: ITextFileService, opener: IOpenerService) {
 
 	function createSnippetUri(input: string) {
@@ -265,13 +290,14 @@ export class ConfigureSnippetsAction extends SnippetsAction {
 		const quickInputService = accessor.get(IQuickInputService);
 		const opener = accessor.get(IOpenerService);
 		const languageService = accessor.get(ILanguageService);
+		const editorService = accessor.get(IEditorService);
 		const userDataProfileService = accessor.get(IUserDataProfileService);
 		const workspaceService = accessor.get(IWorkspaceContextService);
 		const fileService = accessor.get(IFileService);
 		const textFileService = accessor.get(ITextFileService);
 		const labelService = accessor.get(ILabelService);
 
-		const picks = await computePicks(snippetService, userDataProfileService, languageService, labelService);
+		const picks = await computePicks(snippetService, userDataProfileService, languageService, labelService, editorService.activeTextEditorLanguageId);
 		const existing: QuickPickInput[] = picks.existing;
 
 		type SnippetPick = IQuickPickItem & { uri: URI } & { scope: string };
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/test/browser/configureSnippets.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/test/browser/configureSnippets.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c33fe4fa9a833
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/snippets/test/browser/configureSnippets.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+ *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
+ *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+import assert from 'assert';
+import { URI } from '../../../../../base/common/uri.js';
+import { ensureNoDisposablesAreLeakedInTestSuite } from '../../../../../base/test/common/utils.js';
+import { promoteActiveLanguage } from '../../browser/commands/configureSnippets.js';
+
+suite('Configure Snippets', () => {
+
+	ensureNoDisposablesAreLeakedInTestSuite();
+
+	type TestPick = { label: string; filepath: URI };
+
+	function file(name: string): TestPick {
+		return { label: name, filepath: URI.file(`/snippets/${name}`) };
+	}
+
+	function lang(id: string): TestPick {
+		return { label: id, filepath: URI.file(`/snippets/${id}.json`) };
+	}
+
+	function reorder(existing: TestPick[], future: TestPick[], activeLanguageId: string | undefined) {
+		promoteActiveLanguage(existing, future, activeLanguageId);
+		return { existing: existing.map(p => p.label), future: future.map(p => p.label) };
+	}
+
+	test('promotes the active language in both groups', () => {
+		// existing file for python, and a new-language entry for python -> both jump to front
+		const existing = [file('global.code-snippets'), file('javascript.json'), file('python.json')];
+		const future = [lang('csharp'), lang('go'), lang('python')];
+
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(reorder(existing, future, 'python'), {
+			existing: ['python.json', 'global.code-snippets', 'javascript.json'],
+			future: ['python', 'csharp', 'go']
+		});
+	});
+
+	test('no-op cases: no active language, already first, or not present', () => {
+		const existing = () => [file('javascript.json'), file('python.json')];
+		const future = () => [lang('go'), lang('python')];
+
+		// undefined active language leaves order untouched
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(reorder(existing(), future(), undefined), {
+			existing: ['javascript.json', 'python.json'],
+			future: ['go', 'python']
+		});
+
+		// already first in the existing group -> untouched
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(reorder(existing(), future(), 'javascript'), {
+			existing: ['javascript.json', 'python.json'],
+			future: ['go', 'python'] // no future entry for javascript, so future untouched too
+		});
+
+		// language absent from both groups -> untouched
+		assert.deepStrictEqual(reorder(existing(), future(), 'rust'), {
+			existing: ['javascript.json', 'python.json'],
+			future: ['go', 'python']
+		});
+	});
+});