Visual Studio subscription benefits

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How do I use my benefits?

The types of benefits vary. So do the methods for activating and using them. For example, many of our benefits are provided by partners. The processes for setting up accounts, installing software, and using online resources vary widely.

For each benefit available in the subscriber portal, we've provided information such as which subscriptions include them, and steps to activate the benefits.

Check out our documentation to learn more (select 'Subscriptions' in the left nav pane, and choose 'Benefits').

Why can't I find certain benefits?

Available benefits vary by subscription level and are subject to change. To see which benefits are included for each paid subscription level, visit https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/benefits/. You can select the subscription you're interested in, and then see which benefits are available in the various categories - Tools, Azure, Software and Downloads, Services, Training, and Support.

What is the Visual Studio subscriptions with GitHub Enterprise setup process?

Visual Studio subscriptions with GitHub Enterprise are managed in two parts:

  • The Visual Studio subscription (Enterprise or Professional)
  • GitHub Enterprise

When you're assigned a Visual Studio subscription with GitHub, you receive an email letting you know that your Visual Studio Subscriptions administrator has assigned a subscription to you. At that point, you're able to view available subscription benefits at https://my.visualstudio.com/benefits. GitHub Enterprise is included.

GitHub administrators manage GitHub Enterprise separately from Visual Studio subscriptions. When your company has set up a GitHub Enterprise account, you receive an email from GitHub notifying you that your Visual Studio subscription has been linked. The benefit tile updates to reflect that. Setting up this account may take some time and is dependent on your company completing the setup process. After you receive the email, you can reach out to the appropriate GitHub organization administrator to request an invitation to their organization and/or repo.

When an invitation is sent from your GitHub org administrator, you receive an email from GitHub, and the benefit tile updates again.

After you accept the GitHub org invitation, the appearance of the benefit tile at https://my.visualstudio.com/benefits will change from “Pending” to “Activated” and you can now start using GitHub Enterprise.

Read more details on the GitHub Enterprise set up process.

How do I download, find a key, and activate the Visual Studio IDE?

Your subscription level identifies which level of the Visual Studio IDE you have access to. For example, a Visual Studio Professional subscription doesn't have access to Visual Studio Enterprise. If you’re not sure which level you're using, see the subscriptions available to you by checking the subscriptions page in the portal.

How to download and activate

  1. Sign in to the subscriptions portal.
  2. For the latest release, locate the Visual Studio IDE tile in the Tools section and select on the Download link at the bottom of the benefit tile.
  3. You're redirected to the Download Results page for Visual Studio, where you have the opportunity to download the IDE.
  4. Follow the download and set up instructions.
  5. Using the email your subscription is assigned to, you’ll be able to immediately sign into the IDE after installation, no product key is required. Learn how to claim a product key so you can use the IDE when you're offline.

Find an older version

You can also search and download previous versions from the downloads page in the subscriptions portal.