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Downloading and activating software

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What software downloads are available?

The software downloads available depend on the subscriptions you have. If you have more than one subscription, the downloads for the highest level subscription are visible from within all of your subscriptions. This makes it easy to get the downloads you want without switching between subscriptions.

Check out this list of the downloads available by subscription level. For more information about downloads, see the following articles:

How do I activate the software I just downloaded using product keys?

Activation isn't always required for a product. In some cases, a single key can be used multiple times. In general, if a product key is required, you'll be asked to enter it during the installation process or on first use.

You can obtain product keys in two places:

  • When you download a product you can click on the 'Get Key' link listed next to the product you're downloading.
  • You can also find keys on the Product Keys page in the Subscriber Portal.

For more information about obtaining and using product keys, please see these articles:

How do I access my product keys when my subscription expires?

To have access to your product keys after your subscription expires, you need to export your claimed keys before the subscription expires. After it expires you will not be able to retrieve your keys.

To export your keys, simply click on the Export all keys link at the far right of the Product Keys page. An .xml file entitled KeysExport.xml will be created, and you'll have the option to open or save the file. You will need to open the file with an application capable of handling .xml files. For example, you can open the file as a read-only workbook in Excel. The file will contain any keys you've claimed, as well as any 'static' keys that are automatically claimed for you.

Where can I find older versions of Visual Studio?

If you're looking for previous releases of Visual Studio 2019 specifically, you can find download links to the releases as well as instructions in the Visual Studio 2019 Releases article.

If you need earlier versions of Visual Studio, such as Visual Studio 2017, see Visual Studio Release Notes.

Where are my product keys?

A list of the product keys available with your Visual Studio subscription is accessible in the subscriptions portal under the Product Keys tab at https://my.visualstudio.com/productkeys.

How do I troubleshoot problems with Visual Studio?

If you have a question about Visual Studio, several resources are available to assist you.

Visual Studio IDE technical support

Visual Studio IDE technical issues or questions should be directed to Visual Studio technical support. Before using the limited Visual Studio technical support incidents that may be included with your Visual Studio subscription, we suggest trying some other online resources.

  • For Visual Studio installation issues, see Troubleshoot Visual Studio installation and upgrade issues for step-by-step guidance. You can also try the installation chat (English only) support option.
  • Review tutorials, troubleshooting guides, and helpful resources within Visual Studio IDE documentation.
  • Search the online Developer Community and get expert answers via a community supported forum. You can search keywords and read, vote, comment all without logging in. If you don’t find what you need with a search, you can suggest a feature or report a problem from the navigation menu. To submit a feature request, you’ll need to sign in to fill out the report and post. To report a problem or bug, a running instance of Visual Studio is required to report feedback.
  • Search the Stack Overflow public Q&A tagged with visual-studio to get answers to already asked questions or sign up for an account and ask a new question.

Technical support incidents

If you’ve exhausted the options above and still don’t have an answer, activate a Visual Studio technical support ticket by visiting the subscriptions portal benefits page and clicking on the Technical Support benefit tile in the Support tab. Read more about the Technical Support benefit. (Technical support is not available with all subscriptions. Compare Visual Studio subscription benefits to find out what is included with your subscription.)