diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/extensionHostDebugService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/extensionHostDebugService.ts
index 8d7b89429d5be45059bdb0d752cc52547c3ca7fb..a42bdff4488de5cb2a582c5b8afcb4425bd202ea 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/extensionHostDebugService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/debug/browser/extensionHostDebugService.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { IWorkspaceProvider, IWorkspace } from 'vs/workbench/services/host/brows
 import { IProcessEnvironment } from 'vs/base/common/platform';
 import { hasWorkspaceFileExtension } from 'vs/platform/workspaces/common/workspaces';
 import { ILogService } from 'vs/platform/log/common/log';
+import { IHostService } from 'vs/workbench/services/host/browser/host';
 
 class BrowserExtensionHostDebugService extends ExtensionHostDebugChannelClient implements IExtensionHostDebugService {
 
@@ -26,7 +27,8 @@ class BrowserExtensionHostDebugService extends ExtensionHostDebugChannelClient i
 	constructor(
 		@IRemoteAgentService remoteAgentService: IRemoteAgentService,
 		@IWorkbenchEnvironmentService environmentService: IWorkbenchEnvironmentService,
-		@ILogService logService: ILogService
+		@ILogService logService: ILogService,
+		@IHostService hostService: IHostService
 	) {
 		const connection = remoteAgentService.getConnection();
 		let channel: IChannel;
@@ -49,14 +51,14 @@ class BrowserExtensionHostDebugService extends ExtensionHostDebugChannelClient i
 		// Reload window on reload request
 		this._register(this.onReload(event => {
 			if (environmentService.isExtensionDevelopment && environmentService.debugExtensionHost.debugId === event.sessionId) {
-				window.location.reload();
+				hostService.reload();
 			}
 		}));
 
 		// Close window on close request
 		this._register(this.onClose(event => {
 			if (environmentService.isExtensionDevelopment && environmentService.debugExtensionHost.debugId === event.sessionId) {
-				window.close();
+				hostService.close();
 			}
 		}));
 	}
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/browserHostService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/browserHostService.ts
index bc224d31267cd85612239e6b4f6d4d507d0f1c3b..530133592778dad6fdc09f99c60fe9438d381235 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/browserHostService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/browserHostService.ts
@@ -413,6 +413,15 @@ export class BrowserHostService extends Disposable implements IHostService {
 		window.location.reload();
 	}
 
+	async close(): Promise<void> {
+
+		// We know that `window.close` will trigger a shutdown
+		// so we update `shutdownReason` to reflect that
+		this.shutdownReason = HostShutdownReason.Api;
+
+		window.close();
+	}
+
 	//#endregion
 }
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/host.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/host.ts
index 222da33fcdece39f0f6143b25d6aa2fdb14b9ba4..db8a05c426291f2627b8ee6c3ca2f80726896b85 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/host.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/browser/host.ts
@@ -83,5 +83,10 @@ export interface IHostService {
 	 */
 	reload(): Promise<void>;
 
+	/**
+	 * Attempt to close the active window.
+	 */
+	close(): Promise<void>;
+
 	//#endregion
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/electron-sandbox/nativeHostService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/electron-sandbox/nativeHostService.ts
index cef9b4614e81840125e9fbbc621530c778cbec79..005f5d42629bb22e3834f3de7096a65d7e644a79 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/host/electron-sandbox/nativeHostService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/host/electron-sandbox/nativeHostService.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,10 @@ export class NativeHostService extends Disposable implements IHostService {
 		return this.nativeHostService.reload();
 	}
 
+	close(): Promise<void> {
+		return this.nativeHostService.closeWindow();
+	}
+
 	//#endregion
 }
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/workbenchTestServices.ts b/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/workbenchTestServices.ts
index 34e84902831720905f9c105e0121111bcbd5f740..b59d073c566a023384511446851af7895c23dce0 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/workbenchTestServices.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/test/browser/workbenchTestServices.ts
@@ -1046,6 +1046,7 @@ export class TestHostService implements IHostService {
 
 	async restart(): Promise<void> { }
 	async reload(): Promise<void> { }
+	async close(): Promise<void> { }
 
 	async focus(options?: { force: boolean }): Promise<void> { }