Install Visual Studio Tools for Unreal Engine

This article helps you install tools that allow you to do the following Unreal Engine (UE) tasks from within Visual Studio:

View UE logging
View and expand UE macros
Add UE classes, modules, and plugins
Discover, run, manage, and debug Unreal Engine tests
View and find references to UE Blueprints
Debug C++ code called by Unreal Engine Blueprints and see Blueprint information in the Visual Studio debugger

Prerequisites

Install the following before you install Visual Studio Tools for Unreal Engine:

Visual Studio version 17.7 or later. To install, see Visual Studio downloads
Unreal Engine version 4.27 or 5.0 or later. To install, see Download instructions

Installation

Here's an overview of the tools you can install:

Tool	Host	Functionality
Visual Studio Tools for Unreal Engine	Visual Studio	Add UE classes, modules, view UE logging, see UE macro expansions, find blueprint references, open UE `.uprojects` directly, and so on, from within Visual Studio. As of Visual Studio 2022 version 17.7, you no longer need to also have the Unreal Engine Visual Studio Integration Tool plugin to view UE Blueprints in Visual Studio.
Visual Studio debugger tools for Unreal Engine Blueprints	Visual Studio	Supports debugging C++ code and Blueprints. Requires the Unreal Engine plugin for Visual Studio to show Blueprint node pin values in the debugger.
Unreal Engine Test Adapter	Visual Studio	Discover, run, manage, and debug your Unreal Engine tests from within Visual Studio. Requires the Unreal Engine plugin for Visual Studio.
Unreal Engine plugin for Visual Studio	Unreal Engine	Provides integration between Unreal Engine and Visual Studio to run UE tests in Visual Studio and view Blueprint node pin values in the Visual Studio local variables window.

Follow these steps to add the tools to Visual Studio:

Use the Windows search box to launch "Visual Studio Installer".
When the installer appears, select the version of Visual Studio you're using and then select Modify.
Select the Workloads tab, then select the Game development with C++ workload.
In the Installations details pane, ensure that under Game development with C++ > Optional that the following are selected:
- Visual Studio Tools for Unreal Engine
- Visual Studio debugger tools for Unreal Engine Blueprints
- Unreal Engine Test Adapter
- Windows 10 SDK 10.0.18362.0, or higher
- If you work with High-Level Shader Language (HLSL) files, select HLSL Tools.
Select Modify to complete the installation.

Install the Unreal Engine plugin for Visual Studio to UE

To install the Unreal Engine plugin for Visual Studio to UE, there are two approaches:

For manual installation instructions, see vc-ue-extensions.
If you have an Unreal Engine project that you can open in Visual Studio, another way to install the plugin is in Visual Studio via the Unreal Engine Configuration window.
- With an Unreal Engine project opened in Visual Studio, choose Project > Configure Tools for Unreal Engine which opens the Unreal Engine Integration Configuration window.
- In the Visual Studio Integration Tool Status section, select the refresh button. Then choose Install to Project or Install to Engine as meets your needs.

If you don't see the install buttons, choose the refresh icon in the top right corner of the Visual Studio Integration Tool Status section to refresh the status. The Manual installation instructions link opens the vc-ue-extensions page, if you need to install the plugin manually.

Screenshot of the Unreal Engine Integration Configuration window. In the Visual Studio Integration Tool Status section, the refresh, Install to Project, Install to Engine buttons are highlighted. The Manual installation instructions link is also highlighted.

Check for updates

We recommend that you keep Visual Studio updated for the latest bug fixes, features, and Unreal Engine support. Updating Visual Studio doesn't require an update of Unreal Engine.

From the Visual Studio main menu, select Help > Check for Updates.
If an update is available, the Visual Studio Installer shows a new version. Select Update.