Visual Studio Blog
The official source of product insight from the Visual Studio Engineering Team
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🎉 Visual Studio 2022 v17.14 is now generally available!
We’re thrilled to announce the general availability of Visual Studio 2022 version 17.14! This release continues our mission to empower developers with faster, s...
Latest posts
Improve the commands in your extensions
As Visual Studio extension authors, our goal is to create tools that empower developers across diverse environments. A key part of this mission involves ensuring that your extension commands remain accessible and consistent across all Visual Studio locales. In your VSSDK extensions, by adding the CanonicalName property to your commands in the .vsct file, you can achieve greater resilience and user satisfaction for your extension. And with a few simple tricks, you can make your command names a lot prettier as well. Why add the CanonicalName property? When a Visual Studio extension supports multiple locales, t...
VisualStudio.Extensibility: Editor classification and updates to user prompt
We continue to invest in the VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK to allow users like you to create extensions that run faster and smoother than ever before! VisualStudio.Extensibility helps you build extensions that run outside the main Visual Studio IDE process for improved performance, reliability, and installation without restarting Visual Studio. Additional benefits include a sleek and intuitive .NET 8-based API and comprehensive, well-maintained documentation to help you develop amazing extensions faster than ever before. For the latest up-to-date docs and installation instructions, visit https://aka.ms/Vi...
Connecting to Private NuGet Feeds Just Got Easier
The Visual Studio 2022 17.14 update is here, and it brings great quality-of-life improvements—especially around NuGet authentication. From context about the authentication needs of private NuGet feeds to a simplified account selection workflow, this update helps you stay focused on your code! If you haven’t already, download the latest Visual Studio update to take advantage of this and the rest of the improvements. Streamlining the NuGet authentication experience Over the past year, we’ve made significant strides to improve the identity and authentication experiences across Visual Studio 2022. For instance, we ...
Faster .NET Upgrades Powered by GitHub Copilot
Introducing GitHub Copilot app modernization – Upgrade for .NET You probably don’t look forward to the process of modernizing your applications. It can be time consuming, risky, and full of manual toil. Today we’re changing that. We’re thrilled to introduce the public preview of GitHub Copilot app modernization - Upgrade for .NET, an AI-powered experience that helps you bring your .NET applications to the latest version quicker and more confidently than ever before. Powered by GitHub Copilot and Agent Mode, it serves as an intelligent upgrade companion that understands your code, determines the right upgrade ...
How to Watch Microsoft Build 2025 Online
Microsoft Build 2025 Is Here! — How to Make the Most of It Virtually It’s that time again—Microsoft Build has started! Microsoft Build 2025 runs this week (May 19–22)—and now’s the perfect time to catch the sessions live or watch past sessions on-demand. This year, Build is more accessible than ever. Every keynote, breakout session, demo theater, and even our hands-on labs are available to stream—live or on-demand—completely free. No travel. No ticket. Just you, your browser, and some of the best developer content of the year. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside our Product Managers and Engineeri...
Agent mode has arrived in preview for Visual Studio
Plan, build, test, and fix — all from one prompt. Agent mode is now available in public preview for all users in Visual Studio 17.14. Agent mode in Visual Studio allows you to define tasks using natural language, with Copilot autonomously planning, editing your codebase, invoking tools, and iterating to resolve issues. Unlike Copilot Chat or Edits, agent mode doesn’t stop at one suggestion or file edit but works iteratively until the task is complete. What can agent mode do? Agent mode doesn’t just help you write code — it helps you finish the job. All of this is done iteratively, meaning that Copilo...
Set the default file encoding
Have you ever encountered unexpected issues due to file encoding when working in cross-platform environments? These frustrating problems can disrupt your workflow and consume valuable time. Visual Studio addresses these concerns with a new feature – the Default File Encoding option. You can now specify the encoding Visual Studio should use when saving files. This ensures that files are saved with the correct encoding, minimizing potential issues. Developers often work on projects across different platforms, each requiring specific file encodings. Incorrectly managed encodings can lead to various issues, fro...
Effortless adjustments with an adaptive paste
Find yourself needing to adjust pasted code to actually work in your project? Visual Studio 2022 introduces the capability to adapt your pasted code with Copilot to reduce the time you spend on making tedious changes. Streamline manual code modifications with adaptive paste When you're copying and pasting code, the process often comes with extra steps. Adjusting parameters, correcting styling, or fixing even the most minor errors can slow down your workflow. These small, repetitive tasks add up and disrupt your focus. Addressing these challenges, Visual Studio introduces a new Copilot-powered capability tha...
Toolbox Support for Explicit Assembly References in Windows Forms Out-of-Process Designer
Visual Studio 17.14 Preview 3 introduces a new feature that enhances the Windows Forms out-of-process designer experience for .NET Framework projects. This release brings Toolbox support for Explicit Assembly References, addressing a long-standing need in legacy application development and migration workflows. What Are Explicit Assembly References? Explicit Assembly References are stand-alone assemblies directly referenced in your project. They are not pulled in through NuGet packages, project references, or the Global Assembly Cache (GAC). These assemblies often represent legacy .NET Framework components, ...