Visual Studio Product Lifecycle and Servicing

Visual Studio is serviced on the Stable Channel and Insiders Channel through both cumulative monthly feature updates that include new features, platform updates, and bug fixes, and also through cumulative servicing updates to the last monthly update. Security fixes may be included in both monthly feature updates and in servicing updates. Feature updates are indicated by a change in the minor version number, such as 18.3 to 18.4, and servicing updates are indicated by a change in the servicing version number such as 18.4.5 to 18.4.6 or for the Insiders Channel the build number.

For the best and most secure product experience, we strongly recommend that all customers always use the latest release of Visual Studio on their chosen channel.

How to get updates

Visual Studio will notify you that an update is available for your installed channel by displaying a notification icon in the status bar of the IDE or a notice in the Visual Studio Installer. You can also download the latest recommended update from VisualStudio.com, or the Microsoft Catalog. IT Administrators can also configure machines within their organization to automatically download and apply administrator security updates which are released monthly.

Stable Channel support

The Stable Channel enables teams to remain supported on the latest release of all Visual Studio editions. The Stable Channel is eligible for technical support from Microsoft Product Support. You can also provide bug reports and feature suggestions to the product team by using Developer Community. You can install the latest releases for the Stable Channel from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads or my.visualstudio.com.

Insiders Channel support

The Insiders Channel provides an early look at new features so that you can provide feedback to shape the direction of the product experience. Insiders Channel is provided as-is. Feedback is encouraged via Developer Community. You can install the latest releases for the Stable Channel from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/insiders/.

Community and Team Explorer edition support

Visual Studio Community is available on both the Stable and Insiders Channels. Visual Studio Team Explorer is available only on the Stable Channel. You must update to the latest release of the Community or Team Explorer edition within 50 days to continue using the product. Both editions are provided as-is.

Enterprise, Professional, and Build Tools editions support

Enterprise, Professional, and Build Tools editions are available on the Insiders Channel and the Stable Channel.

Additional update guidance

• Guidance for IT Admins responsible for deployment and configuration of Visual Studio can be found in the Visual Studio Administrator Guide.
• You can create and maintain your own network installation of Visual Studio (aka, a layout) and store it locally or on a network share.
• All feature and servicing updates are available on the Microsoft Catalog if you want to update your installation or your offline install cache to a specific release.
• The Visual Studio Release History page provides direct links to the bootstrappers for every minor version and servicing release that you can use to install or update from.
• You can install or update Visual Studio using the Windows Package Manager winget tool.

Support for Older versions

Visual Studio 2022, Visual Studio 2019, and Visual Studio 2017 are supported and serviced at their latest release.

The following table summarizes the current support state for versions of Visual Studio. For additional details, see Microsoft Product Lifecycle Information.

• For a full list of product lifecycle dates, see the Microsoft Lifecycle site.
• Visual Studio 2022 product lifecycle information

.NET and .NET Framework

.NET and .NET Framework follow an independent product lifecycle. See the official .NET support policy. Additionally, see Versioning info for .NET SDK, MSBuild, and Visual Studio for specific support timeframes of the .NET SDK and how it relates to Visual Studio and MSBuild.

Microsoft C++

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and Runtime (VCRedist and CRT)

The Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable follows the product lifecycle for the version of Visual Studio in which it first ships. For reference, here is a list of the latest supported versions of the Visual C downloads. For details on supported scenarios, see Lifecycle FAQ - Visual C++ Redistributable and runtime libraries. We do not support the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for any third-party applications beyond the underlying Visual Studio lifecycle or what is specifically mentioned above.

Microsoft C++ (MSVC) Build Tools

The MSVC Build Tools versions 14.16 (Visual Studio 2017) through 14.44 (Visual Studio 2022) follow the product lifecycle for the version of Visual Studio in which it first ships even if it ships in a subsequent version of Visual Studio. For example, the "MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 Build Tools (v14.44)" follows the support lifecycle of Visual Studio 2022 and the "MSVC v142 - VS 2019 C++ x64/x86 Build Tools (v14.20)" follows the support lifecycle of Visual Studio 2019.

Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime

The Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime (VSTO Runtime) is not included with Visual Studio Enterprise, Professional, or Community. You must install Microsoft Office on your development machine to develop and debug using the VSTO Runtime. The VSTO Runtime ships with Visual Studio Build Tools and follows the Modern support lifecycle. If the VSTO Runtime needs to be serviced, only the latest version will be updated. You may also download and use newer versions of VSTO Runtime with Visual Studio. We recommended that developers install the latest version of the VSTO Runtime with their applications. It will be supported when running with supported versions Office. For more information, see Visual Studio Tools for Office Runtime Lifecycle Policy. For more information on the Office Support Lifecycle, see Lifecycle FAQ - Office, Office 365, and Microsoft 365.

Components not covered by Visual Studio servicing

Visual Studio includes a collection of compilers, languages, runtimes, environments, and other resources or tools that enable development for many platforms. As a convenience to Visual Studio customers, these components may be installed with Visual Studio and are subject to their own license and servicing, support, and lifecycle policies. For Microsoft components that are installed by Visual Studio and do not have an explicit lifecycle policy in the lifecycle database, the supported version is the latest version that is currently available for download.

Out of Support components

During the timeframe when these components are still under support within their respective support timeframes, the Visual Studio team will review any CVEs issued against these components, determine whether they constitute a vulnerability for Visual Studio use, and addresses the vulnerability appropriately per the Visual Studio support policy. When these components are no longer supported, they will be appended with the "(out of support)" label in the installer UI, and you may remove them during the next update using the Remove out-of-support components functionality. Click here for a listing of all the components that have already transitioned to be out of support.

Tools and templates for components

When Visual Studio provides tools and templates that depend upon a component, the lifecycle and support policy for the tool will follow the support policy for the component. For example, the tooling for .NET 10 follows the support policy for .NET 10.

Independent components

The following list represents the most used list of components included with Visual Studio that are governed by their own policy. Additional Microsoft and third-party components are also included; see https://aka.ms/VS/ThirdPartyNotices.

Compilers & Languages

• .NET Core
• .NET Framework
• ASP.NET Web Stack
• CMake
• Entity Framework
• LLVM
• Microsoft C++ (MSVC)
• Python
• SharePoint
• TypeScript

Runtimes & Environments

• Microsoft Azure
• Exchange
• Office
• SQL Server
• Unreal Engine
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and Runtime
• Web Optimization Framework
• Windows
• Windows Server
• Xamarin

Other Resources

• Android NDK
• Android SDK
• Application Insights
• Cocos Creator
• Dotfuscator Community Edition
• Git for Windows
• IncrediBuild
• JSON Web Token Handler for the Microsoft .Net Framework
• NuGet
• Miniconda
• mingit
• Ninjam
• Online Services
• SignalR
• Unity Tools for Visual Studio
• WebGrease
• Windows SDK
• Workflow Manager Client

Feedback and Suggestions

We would love to hear from you! You can Report a Problem or Suggest a Feature by using the Send Feedback icon in the upper right-hand corner of either the installer or the Visual Studio IDE, or from Help > Send Feedback. If you're an IT Administrator and don't have Visual Studio installed, you can submit IT Admin feedback here. You can track your issues by using Visual Studio Developer Community, where you add comments or find solutions. You can also get free installation help through our Live Chat support.