VS2022 Community Edition crashes/flashes back upon startup

Question

After installing VS2022, it crashes/flashes back upon startup. System: Win10 22H2. Check Windows Event Log:

Faulting application name: devenv.exe, version: 17.14.37111.16, timestamp: 0x69b1f566 Faulting module name: clr.dll, version: 4.8.9310.0, timestamp: 0x67db4f32 Exception code: 0x80131506 Fault offset: 0x0000000000404898 Faulting process ID: 0x4b30 Faulting application start time: 0x01dcc273027a415a Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\Common7\IDE\devenv.exe Faulting module path: C:\Windows[Microsoft.NET](https://microsoft.net/)\Framework64\v4.0.30319\clr.dll Report ID: 44a80118-e8da-4b7b-a860-5c3caa4dd1fb Faulting package full name: Faulting package-relative application ID:

Answer 1

Hi @xxxx ,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Based on the Event Log details you shared, this issue appears to be related to the .NET Framework 4.8 CLR (clr.dll) on Windows 10/11. To help address this, I recommend following the steps below carefully.

1. Please open Developer Command Prompt as Administrator, then run the following commands one at a time:

      Sfc /scannow
   

   Allow this process to complete fully. Once finished, run:

      DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth 
   

   If any errors are reported, please repeat these steps until no further errors appear in the logs.
2. Still in the Developer Command Prompt, run the following command to help resolve potential 0x80131506 crashes caused by corrupted native images:

      ngen update
   

   Then, press Win + R, search for Temp and delete all contents within the Temp folder.
3. Next, navigate to the following directory: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\Common7\IDE From there, run the command below to clear any corrupted MEF cache, extensions, or user settings that could trigger CLR load failures:

      devenv /resetuserdata
   

Please note that in some cases, VPN software, antivirus tools, or network security policies may interfere with Visual Studio services. If applicable, kindly try temporarily disabling any such software and check whether the issue persists.

I hope the steps above help resolve the issue. If you have any further questions or run into any difficulties while performing these actions, please don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help.

If you find this guidance helpful, I would greatly appreciate your feedback by following this instruction.

Have a great day!

Answer 2

The crash is occurring inside the .NET CLR (clr.dll) when Visual Studio starts, which typically indicates a corrupted or mismatched runtime/installation rather than a specific project issue.

Use the following steps in order:

1. Repair or reinstall Visual Studio Installer and VS
   • Uninstall Visual Studio Installer from Apps & Features.
   • Delete the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer completely.
   • Download the Visual Studio 2022 Community bootstrapper again from the Visual Studio site and run it as Administrator.
   • In the installer, choose Repair for the existing Visual Studio 2022 Community instance, or reinstall if Repair is not available.
   This follows the documented guidance for fixing broken Visual Studio installations where setup or the product fails to start.
2. Ensure Windows and .NET runtime are up to date
   • Install all pending Windows Updates on Windows 10 22H2.
   • Make sure the latest .NET Framework updates are installed (they update clr.dll). A corrupted or outdated CLR can cause devenv.exe to terminate with exceptions like 0x80131506.
3. Check for known Visual Studio 2022 issues and update VS
   • After repair, open the Visual Studio Installer and update Visual Studio 2022 Community to the latest available version (for example 17.10.x or 17.9.x as shown in the release notes).
   • Many startup crashes are fixed in servicing updates; keeping VS current is required to pick up those fixes.
4. If the crash persists
   • Try starting Visual Studio in Safe Mode from an elevated Developer Command Prompt:
     • Run: devenv /safemode
   • If Safe Mode works, the crash is likely caused by an extension; disable or uninstall third‑party extensions from Extensions → Manage Extensions.
   • If Safe Mode still crashes, collect a crash dump (via Task Manager → right‑click devenv.exe → Create dump file) and open a ticket on Developer Community so the Visual Studio team can analyze it.

These steps address the most common causes: corrupted installer, damaged CLR/runtime, or an extension causing Visual Studio to crash immediately on startup.

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References:

• Visual Studio installation stops during package 10 on Windows 10, version 21H2
• Visual Studio 2022 version 17.9 Release Notes
• Visual Studio 2022 version 17.10 Release Notes
• Visual Studio 2022 version 17.4 Release Notes
• Visual Studio 2022 version 17.5 Release Notes
• Visual Studio 2022 version 17.0 Release Notes