Microsoft

Better Models, Smarter Defaults: Claude Sonnet 4, GPT-4.1, and More Control in Visual Studio

We’re excited to share some major improvements to the Copilot experience in Visual Studio, including smarter default models, more choices, and easier ways to manage your usage. Smarter default model Copilot in Visual Studio now uses GPT-4.1 as the default model (previously 4o). In our testing, it delivers significantly better performance—faster responses, higher quality suggestions, […]
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Inside Access: Join Us at VS Live! Redmond for a Week of Deep Developer Learning

A long time ago, I stood in a packed room at VS Live! and watched developers erupt in applause after a debugging demo shaved hours off a real-world problem. That was the moment I realized this wasn’t just a conference—it was a place where developers and toolmakers come together to push the craft forward. I’m […]
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Agent mode is now generally available with MCP support

Copilot agent mode is the next evolution in AI-assisted development—and it’s now generally available in the Visual Studio June update. Agent mode turns GitHub Copilot into an autonomous pair programmer capable of handling multi-step development tasks from end to end. It builds a plan, executes it, adapts along the way, and loops through tasks until […]
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Next edit suggestions available in Visual Studio

GitHub Copilot code completions, or gray text, are specialized in autocompleting unfinished code or providing helpful template code. In reality, coding activities are more diverse than writing new code. What if Copilot could better assist your coding not only with code generation, but your code editing activities as well? We are excited to announce next […]
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How to filter C++ Build Insights by project

Visual Studio 2022 version 17.14 comes with quality-of-life improvements to its C++ Build Insights integration that will make it easier for you to navigate large multi-project traces and handle long file names for your build inputs and artifacts. What is C++ Build Insights? C++ Build Insights is a powerful tool that lets you visualize and […]
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Cloud Academy: Unlock Your Azure Skills and Accelerate Your Career

When we launched the Cloud Academy benefit for Visual Studio Professional and Enterprise subscribers back in March 2025, our goal was simple: give you the hands-on, practical learning experience you need to confidently master Azure and cloud technologies — without spending a dime beyond your subscription. Why? Because in today’s fast-changing tech world, knowing theory […]
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Extension Manager updates in Visual Studio

The latest updates in Visual Studio 2022 introduced features specifically designed to improve how you manage extensions. These updates offer tools that help you automate processes, provide detailed controls for configuration, and enhance the user interface to streamline your development workflows. Seamless auto updates Visual Studio now automatically triggers updates whenever you open the Extension […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Our Favorite NEW Visual Studio Features of 2024

Last year, the Visual Studio team delivered many new developer-focused improvements and AI integrations, many of which came directly from your feedback on Developer Community. In this post, we highlight the team’s favorite features from 2024 that boost productivity, streamline workflows, and enhance your coding experience. Let’s dive in! Image Hover Preview: See your images […]
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Join us at VS Live! 2025 Las Vegas

Join Your Favorite Speakers at VS Live! Las Vegas With the new year here, many developers are looking for the best ways to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. That’s why Visual Studio Live! Las Vegas, March 10-14, 2025, is a must-attend event! Stay ahead of the curve with the latest enhancements in […]
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Enhanced Change Signature in C++

Change Signature allows you to modify a function’s parameters, including reordering, adding, removing, or altering them across various locations. Previously, the Change Signature feature in Visual Studio involved multiple clicks and nested pop-up windows. In Visual Studio 2022 version 17.12, we’ve reduced the number of clicks and eliminated these nested steps to streamline the process. […]
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Benchmarking with Visual Studio Profiler

In Visual Studio 17.13 Preview we have released our updated BenchmarkDotNet diagnosers, allowing you to use more of the tools in the performance profiler to analyze benchmarks. With this change it is super quick to dig into CPU usage and allocations of benchmarks making the measure, change, measure cycle quick and efficient. Benchmarking a real […]
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Unlocking insights with Meter Histogram in the profiler

Are you struggling with performance bottlenecks in your applications? Look no further! Visual Studio 2022 introduces the Meter Histogram feature in its performance profiling suite, providing you with the tools to analyze and visualize histogram data like never before. The Meter Histogram is a key enhancement to Visual Studio’s performance profiling suite. This feature enables […]
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Dock the Code Search window in Visual Studio 2022

Ever felt frustrated with the search window cluttering your workspace? The latest feature in Visual Studio 2022 gives you more control over the behavior of the Code and Feature Search window, making your search experience smoother and more efficient. Some users have shared that the search window feels intrusive, interrupting your work by appearing mid-screen […]
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Go to line anywhere with Code Search for Visual Studio 2022

Finding the exact line of code where an issue is occurring can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Whether you are debugging an error on line 43 of a file or diving into a specific section of code, you can efficiently jump to the right places with this newest addition to Code […]
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Connect securely to your Azure resources

Visual Studio 2022’s Connected Services features are being updated to help you start secure. In the past, for example with Azure Storage, we’d inject the entire connection string into your configuration. With this update, we’ve removed the secrets from the UX – and from what we save to configuration – altogether. This means your code […]
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Security updates to Azure publishing from Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2022 introduces a new feature to improve the security of publishing applications to Azure App Service. This feature is designed to disable Basic Authentication and enable integrated security for a more secure publishing process. Basic Authentication has been identified as a less secure method for managing app deployments. Visual Studio 2022 addresses this […]
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GitHub Copilot Free is here in Visual Studio

If you haven’t already heard, GitHub just announced Copilot Free! And great news: you can already start using Copilot Free right now in Visual Studio. It’s available now, and we’re putting the finishing touches on a more streamlined experience in January. We’re excited to bring these benefits to the entire Visual Studio family. With Copilot […]
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Refresh your Find results

Are you tired of having to repeatedly launch the Find window in Visual Studio to update your search results? Whether you’ve just refactored some code or pulled recent changes, having to redo a search to get updated results is no longer necessary. With the new refresh option, you can now update your Find results without […]
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Create internal GitHub repos for your team

Visual Studio 2022 now includes support for creating internal repositories for GitHub organizations. This feature allows developers to work within their GitHub organization’s guidelines within the Visual Studio environment more effectively. Managing repositories involves configuring varying levels of visibility and permissions. Visual Studio 2022’s new feature aims to smooth this process by providing support for […]
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Boost your Git confidence with the new file rename notification

Have you ever renamed a file in Solution Explorer and wondered if Git is tracking your changes correctly? You’re not alone. Many developers have found this process confusing and worry whether their changes are being properly staged in Git. But worry no more – there’s a solution! When you rename files in Solution Explorer, Visual […]
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New Boards Hub Rollout Expectations

Although the process may seem slow, we are steadily progressing toward rolling out the New Boards Hub to all customers. Our plan is to deprecate the old Boards experience for all Azure DevOps service users by the end Q1 2025. The rollout is advancing on two fronts. First, we are setting the New Boards Hub […]
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Effortless publishing with Azure Functions Flex Consumption

Struggling with complex deployment processes for your serverless applications? Visual Studio 2022 introduces a seamless solution with the new Azure Functions Flex Consumption hosting plan, now generally available. Imagine a world where deploying your serverless applications to a hosting plan that supports fast scaling and VNet is as simple as a right-click. With the Azure […]
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Effortless publishing to Azure WebJobs on Linux

Are you tired of the cumbersome process involved in publishing your .NET console applications to Azure WebJobs on Linux? For developers yearning for a seamless and efficient method to deploy their applications, Visual Studio 2022 introduces a much-anticipated solution. Visual Studio 2022 now supports right-click publishing to Azure WebJobs on Linux, making the deployment process […]
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Keep working with non-blocking Code Cleanup

Are you tired of waiting for Code Cleanup to finish every time you save your work? Visual Studio 2022 will no longer lock up and get in the way of your tasks as it’s cleaning up the code under the covers. Every developer knows the importance of maintaining clean code. However, the traditional Code Cleanup […]
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Introducing Code Referencing for GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio

Are you tired of the uncertainty that comes with using code suggestions from AI tools? We’ve got exciting news for you! Visual Studio 2022 now includes code referencing in GitHub Copilot, ensuring greater transparency and control for developers. We are thrilled to announce that code referencing is now available in GitHub Copilot Chat within Visual […]
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How Inline Return Values Simplify Debugging in Visual Studio 2022

Have you ever found yourself creating temporary variables just to inspect return values from functions? It’s a small task that can quickly become tedious, breaking your rhythm and cluttering up your code. Visual Studio 2022 introduces a smarter way to handle this with “Inline Return Values,” allowing you to stay focused on coding without the […]
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Microsoft DevLabs Extensions

The Microsoft DevLabs publisher was created as a hub for internal teams at Microsoft to channel their passion for Azure DevOps into experimental extensions. These extensions helped address product gaps and fostered innovation, ultimately benefiting Azure DevOps customers via the public marketplace. The challenge Over time, as the original creators of these extensions moved on […]
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Introducing the Copy Git Permalink Feature in Visual Studio 17.12

We are excited to announce the release of the Copy Git Permalink feature in Visual Studio 17.12. This new functionality streamlines the process of sharing code references, enhancing collaboration and ensuring that critical context is preserved. Effortless Code Sharing If you’ve found yourself needing to share code snippets with colleagues, you know the challenges of […]
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AI-Powered Insights: Streamlining Variable Analysis with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio

Tired of spending countless hours troubleshooting errors and unexpected values in your code? Visual Studio 2022 introduces GitHub Copilot Variable Analysis. This powerful tool makes inspecting and analyzing variables from Locals, Autos, watch windows and DataTips effortless, helping you solve issues faster and cutting down on time and frustration. Enhanced Debugging Experience Debugging can often […]
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Transform your debugging experience with GitHub Copilot

Are your unit tests failing, and do you want to debug them more effectively? The latest feature in Visual Studio 2022, powered by GitHub Copilot, has the perfect solution for you. Introducing the Debug with Copilot button in Test Explorer, this feature takes the hassle out of debugging failed tests and gets you closer to […]
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Updates for C++ developers in Visual Studio 2022 17.12

Visual Studio 17.12 is here and comes with a host of new features for C++ developers. We’ve made improvements across our toolchain, C++ Build Insights, Unreal Engine support, and more. This post gives a quick overview of what’s available; for all the details, see What’s New for C++ Developers in Visual Studio 2022 17.12 on […]
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Getting the most out of Azure DevOps and GitHub

Microsoft has two very successful DevSecOps products in the market – GitHub and Azure DevOps. Azure DevOps has a large enterprise customer base that loves the highly customizable enterprise-focused planning and tracking capabilities in Azure Boards, the robust continuous delivery capabilities in Azure Pipelines, the manual and exploratory testing capabilities in Azure Test Plans, and […]
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Announcing the General Availability of Managed DevOps Pools (MDP) for Azure DevOps

We are thrilled to announce that Managed DevOps Pools for Azure DevOps is now generally available! This milestone marks a significant advancement in our mission to improve developer productivity in the CI/CD loop, reduce your cloud bill for ES infra and to reduce the toil associated with creating and maintaining custom CI/CD infrastructure for your […]
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November Patches for Azure DevOps Server

Today we are releasing patches that impact our self-hosted product, Azure DevOps Server. We strongly encourage and recommend that all customers use the latest, most secure release of Azure DevOps Server. You can download the latest version of the product, Azure DevOps Server 2022.2 from the Azure DevOps Server download page. The following versions of […]
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