diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
index 3c6d378b942..1e8288bbf1a 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ import { URI } from 'vs/base/common/uri';
 const xdgRuntimeDir = process.env['XDG_RUNTIME_DIR'];
 
 function getNixIPCHandle(userDataPath: string, type: string): string {
-	if (xdgRuntimeDir) {
+	const vscodePortable = process.env['VSCODE_PORTABLE'];
+
+	if (xdgRuntimeDir && !vscodePortable) {
 		const scope = crypto.createHash('md5').update(userDataPath).digest('hex').substr(0, 8);
 		return path.join(xdgRuntimeDir, `vscode-${scope}-${pkg.version}-${type}.sock`);
 	}
@@ -93,6 +95,7 @@ export class EnvironmentService implements IEnvironmentService {
 	@memoize
 	get userDataPath(): string {
 		const vscodePortable = process.env['VSCODE_PORTABLE'];
+
 		if (vscodePortable) {
 			return path.join(vscodePortable, 'user-data');
 		}
@@ -170,6 +173,7 @@ export class EnvironmentService implements IEnvironmentService {
 		}
 
 		const vscodePortable = process.env['VSCODE_PORTABLE'];
+
 		if (vscodePortable) {
 			return path.join(vscodePortable, 'extensions');
 		}