Share via

Download and use Visual Studio if you don't have access to downloads

If your subscription is provided by your work or school, you might not be able to download software or get product keys from the subscription portal. If you're part of a special program with limited subscriptions, you might also face the same issue.

You can use Visual Studio if included in your subscription. You can't download it from the portal or activate it with a product key. All you need to do is download Visual Studio from the Visual Studio website and sign in. This article details the steps for doing that.

Download Visual Studio from the Visual Studio page

The first step is to download the Visual Studio installer package from the Visual Studio page instead of from the subscription portal.

  • Connect to https://visualstudio.microsoft.com.
  • In the "Meet the Visual Studio family" section, locate the version of Visual Studio you want to install.
  • Select the Download Visual Studio drop-down and select the version included in your subscription.
  • The installer package is downloaded to the default downloads folder on your computer.
  • Start the installer.

Sign into Visual Studio

After Visual Studio is installed, you'll need to launch it to sign in.

  • Launch Visual Studio.
  • You're prompted to sign in to your account. Use the email address to which the subscription was assigned. (This address is normally the one where you received a notification that a subscription was assigned to you.)

That's the process. As long as you're signed in your computer, Visual Studio recognizes you automatically. If you restart your computer, you're prompted to sign in again.

Support resources

See also

Next steps

Get the most out of your subscription. Activate these great benefits if they're included in your Visual Studio subscription: