Installing Visual Studio
To install Visual Studio, you can use the installation media (DVDs) or download the installation files from Microsoft.
The page includes detailed information to help you with installing Visual Studio 2013. But to get you quickly to information about features, editions, system requirements, and more, please see the links in the following table.
SKUs |
For information about what features are available in each edition of Visual Studio 2013, see Compare Editions. |
System Requirements |
For information about system requirements for each edition of Visual Studio 2013, including platform targeting and supported upgrade paths, see System requirements and platform compatibility. |
Download |
To install Visual Studio, you can use the installation media—for example, DVDs—or you can download the installation files from Microsoft. |
Product Key |
To locate your product key, see How to: Locate the Visual Studio Product Key. |
Licensing |
Whether you are an individual user or an enterprise customer, we have a licensing option for you. To learn more, see the Visual Studio and MSDN Licensing White Paper. |
Tip
Looking for Visual Studio 2015? Visit our Installing Visual Studio 2015 page.
This page includes the following Visual Studio 2013 installation information:
Installing Visual Studio
Troubleshooting installation
Enterprise network deployment
After Visual Studio is installed
Registering Visual Studio
Repairing Visual Studio
Installing selectable items
Checking for service releases and product updates
Related topics
Installing Visual Studio
You need administrator credentials to install Visual Studio. However, you don't need them to use Visual Studio after you install it.
If an earlier version of Visual Studio is installed on the computer, read about how to run multiple versions. For more information, see Installing Visual Studio Versions Side-by-Side and Determining Which Version of the .NET Framework Is Installed.
Installing by using installation media
To install Visual Studio, in the root directory on the Visual Studio installation media, run the installation file for the edition you want:
Edition
Installation File
Visual Studio Ultimate
vs_ultimate.exe
Visual Studio Premium
vs_premium.exe
Visual Studio Professional
vs_professional.exe
Installing by downloading from the product website
- Visit Visual Studio Downloads on the MSDN website and then click the edition that you want to install.
Downloading Visual Studio for an offline installation
In most cases, you can install Visual Studio from the download site with no problems. However, in some cases, you may want to download all the update packages before you install them (for example, to install on multiple machines or on an offline machine). The following steps explain how to download all the update packages that you need for an offline installation.
After you download the update executable from the MSDN website to a location on your file system, run the following command at a command prompt: <executable name> /layout.
This command downloads all the packages for the installation.
By using the /layout switch, you can download all the installation packages, not just the ones that apply to the download machine. This approach gives you all the files that you need to run this update anywhere and may be useful if you want to install components that weren't installed originally.
After you run the command, you should be prompted for the download location. Enter the location, and then choose Download.
When the package download is successful, you should see a Visual Studio screen that says Setup Successful! All specified components have been acquired successfully.
In the file location that you specified, find the executable file and the package folder. This is everything you need to copy to a shared location or install media.
You can now run the installation from the file location or the install media.
Installing Visual Studio in virtualized environments
If you run Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V enabled and an accelerated graphics adapter, you may experience system slowdowns.
For more information, see the following page on the Microsoft website: Video performance may decrease when a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 based computer has the Hyper-V role enabled and an accelerated display adapter installed.
Using command-line parameters
When you run the installation application, you can use the following command-line parameters, which are case-insensitive.
Parameter |
Description |
|---|---|
/? /help /h |
Displays command-line parameters. |
/AddRemoveFeatures |
Specifies which features to add or remove from the installed product. |
/AdminFileAdminDeployment.xml |
Installs Visual Studio using the data file that you specified for administrative installation. |
/CEIPConsent |
Consents to the collection of information to improve the customer experience in accordance with the product privacy policy. |
/ChainingPackageBundleName |
Specifies which bundle is chaining this bundle. |
/CustomInstallPathInstallationDirectory |
Installs all re-targetable packages in the directory that you specify. |
/ForceRestart |
Always restarts the computer after installation. |
/full |
Installs all product features. |
/l /LogFilename |
Specifies a location for the log file. |
/layoutDirectory |
Copies the files on the installation media to the directory that you specify. |
/NoCacheOnlyMode |
Prevents pre-population of the package cache. |
/norestart |
Prevents the installation application from restarting the computer during or after installation. See Return codes for return codes to look for. |
/noweb |
Prevents installation from the Internet. |
/ProductKeyProductKey |
Sets a custom product key that contains no dashes and no more than 25 characters. |
/PromptRestart |
Prompts the user before restarting the computer. |
/q /quiet /s /silent |
Suppresses the user interface (UI) for the installation application. If Visual Studio is already installed and you specify no parameters except this one, the installation application runs in Maintenance mode. |
/qb /passive |
Shows progress but doesn't wait for user input. |
/repair |
Repairs Visual Studio. |
/u /Uninstall |
Uninstalls Visual Studio. |
/Uninstall /Force /u /force |
Uninstalls Visual Studio and all features that are shared with other products. Warning If you use this parameter, other products that are installed on the same computer might stop functioning correctly. |
Troubleshooting installation
Use these resources to get help for setup and installation issues:
Visual Studio Setup and Installation forum. Review questions and answers from others in the Visual Studio community. If you don't find what you need, ask your own questions.
Microsoft Support for Visual Studio website. Read knowledge base (KB) articles and learn how to contact Microsoft Support for information about issues with Visual Studio installation.
Enterprise network deployment
For information about how to deploy Visual Studio over a network, see Visual Studio Administrator Guide.
After Visual Studio is installed
After you have installed Visual Studio, we recommend that you register your copy of the product and check for updates.
Registering Visual Studio
To register Visual Studio
On the menu bar, choose Help, About.
The About dialog box shows the product identification number (PID). You'll need the PID and Windows Live credentials to register the product.
On the menu bar, choose Help, Register Product.
Alternatively, use the registration card in the product box.
Installing Visual Studio Help content
After you install Visual Studio, you can add additional Help content.
To install or uninstall Help content
On the Visual Studio menu bar, choose Help, Add and Remove Help Content.
On the Manage Content tab of the Microsoft Help Viewer, select the installation source for your Help content.
If you're looking for a specific Help collection, enter the name or a keyword in the Search text box and then press Enter.
Next to the name of the Help collection you want, choose the Add or Remove link.
Choose the Update button.
Repairing Visual Studio
To repair Visual Studio
In Control Panel, on the Programs and Features page, choose the product edition that you want to repair, and then choose Uninstall/Change.
In the Setup wizard, choose Repair, choose Next, and then follow the remaining instructions.
To repair Visual Studio in silent or passive modes (that is, repair from source)
On the computer where Visual Studio is installed, open the Windows command prompt.
Enter the following parameters:
DVDRoot \vs_ProductName.exe </quiet|/passive> [/norestart]
If ERRORLEVEL 1 Echo ERRORLEVEL=%ERRORLEVEL%
Installing selectable items
To install selectable items
In Control Panel, on the Programs and Features page, choose the product edition to which you want to add one or more components, and then choose Change.
In the Setup wizard, choose Modify, and then choose the components that you want to install.
Choose Next, and then follow the remaining instructions.
Checking for Service Releases and Product Updates
Visual Studio doesn't automatically upgrade extensions when you upgrade from previous versions because not all extensions are compatible. You must reinstall the extensions from the Visual Studio Galleryor the software publisher.
To automatically check for service releases
On the menu bar, choose Tools, Options.
In the Options dialog box, expand Environment, and then select Extensions and Updates. Make sure the Automatically check for updates check box is selected, and then choose OK.
Uninstalling Visual Studio
To uninstall Visual Studio
In Control Panel, on the Programs and Features page, choose the product edition that you want to uninstall, and then choose Change.
In the Setup wizard, choose Uninstall, choose Yes, and then follow the remaining instructions in the wizard.
To uninstall Visual Studio in silent or passive modes (that is, uninstall from source)
On the computer where Visual Studio is installed, open the Windows command prompt.
Enter the following parameters:
DVDRoot \vs_ProductName.exe </quiet|/passive> [/norestart]/uninstall
If ERRORLEVEL 1 Echo ERRORLEVEL=%ERRORLEVEL%
If you can't uninstall Visual Studio by using the uninstallation utility, you can perform a manual uninstallation by removing Visual Studio and then removing related components. For more information, see the Visual Studio Developer Center.
Related Topics
Title |
Description |
|---|---|
Provides information about how to install multiple versions of Visual Studio on the same computer. |
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Provides information about how to install graphics that you can use in Visual Studio applications. |
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Provides information about deployment options for Visual Studio. |
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Provides information about how to install different language versions of Visual Studio. |
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Provides information about how to upgrade from a trial edition to a full edition of Visual Studio 2013. |
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Provides information about how to locate the product key for your installation of Visual Studio. |
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Links to documents that can help you use Visual Studio effectively. |
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Lists certain features that are supported in various versions of Visual Studio. |