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![Announcing a free GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/12/VS-CodeGitHub-Copilot-1920x1080-1.jpg)
Announcing a free GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio
![Rhea Patel](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/01/DP-microsoft-cropped-96x96.jpg)
We're excited to announce an all new free plan for GitHub Copilot, available for everyone today in Visual Studio. All you need is a GitHub account. No trial. No...
Latest posts
![First preview of Visual Studio 2022 v17.14](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/a-close-up-of-a-purple-band-description-automatic.png)
First preview of Visual Studio 2022 v17.14
![Mads Kristensen](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/09/Mads-glasses-square-96x96.jpg)
We are pleased to announce the release of Visual Studio 2022 v17.14 Preview 1, marking the initial preview of our next update to Visual Studio. This update prioritizes delivering exceptional developer experiences, with an emphasis on stability and security, as well as AI enhancements. Download the preview and see the full list of enhancements in the release notes. Stability & security In this release, we’re focusing on bug fixes that help make Visual Studio more stable and secure. This is something we do from time to time. Our goal is to ensure that developers can work in a reliable and secure environme...
![Visual Studio 2022 v17.13 is Now Available!](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/word-image-252327-1.png)
Visual Studio 2022 v17.13 is Now Available!
![Mads Kristensen](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/09/Mads-glasses-square-96x96.jpg)
We're excited to announce the availability of Visual Studio 2022 v17.13. This update focuses on stability and security, along with continuous improvements for all developers using Visual Studio. Based on your feature requests, several new tools and enhancements have been added to this release. This update includes improvements for developers, such as advanced debugging capabilities, efficient code management, and enhanced security features. These additions aim to simplify workflows and boost productivity. For detailed information on each new feature, check out the release notes. If you’re pressed fo...
![VisualStudio.Extensibility: Managing .NET runtime versions](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/Extensions_purple.jpg)
VisualStudio.Extensibility: Managing .NET runtime versions
We continue to invest in the VisualStudio.Extensibility SDK to allow developers like you to create extensions that run faster and smoother than ever before! VisualStudio.Extensibility helps you build extensions that run outside the main Visual Studio IDE process for improved performance and reliability, and that can be installed without the need to restart Visual Studio. Additional benefits include a sleek and intuitive .NET 8-based API and comprehensive, well-maintained documentation to help you develop amazing extensions faster than ever before. In the recent releases of Visual Studio, we've focused on d...
![HTTP File updates for Request Variables and more](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/http-file-req-variables-screenshot.png)
HTTP File updates for Request Variables and more
![Sayed Ibrahim Hashimi](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/05/sayedha-profile-pic-96x96.jpeg)
Many users have requested adding support for Request Variables in HTTP files in Visual Studio. With Request Variables, you can send an HTTP request and then use data from the response, or request, in any subsequent request that is sent from the HTTP file. We have also added support for a shared environment, $shared, which enables you to share variables across different environments. In this post we will outline the new support which has been added for Request Variables and more. All the features listed in this post are included in Visual Studio 2022 17.12+. Request Variables When working with APIs it’s common t...
![Your fonts are now preserved when changing theme](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/word-image-252255-1.png)
Your fonts are now preserved when changing theme
![Mark Downie](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/08/20210412-mdownie-x-small-96x96.jpg)
Do you find yourself adjusting your font settings every time you change themes in Visual Studio, We've made some changes that we think will help. The latest update in Visual Studio 2022 allows theme switching without affecting font settings. This feature maintains the selected font face and size regardless of the chosen theme, while font colors continue to adapt to the theme. Seamless integration for a better user experience This improvement is automatically enabled for all users, facilitating a consistent appearance in your coding environment. If you prefer the prior behavior, you can revert it easily. ...
![Customize your AI-generated git commit messages](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/02/word-image-252252-1.png)
Customize your AI-generated git commit messages
![Jessie Houghton](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/08/headshot-96x96.jpg)
When it comes to collaborative software development, clear and effective communication is key. One area that often gets overlooked is the Git commit message. Poorly crafted suggestions and feedback for the AI-generated commit messages, and now you can add custom prompt instructions! This new capability enables you to tailor commit messages to fit your workflow and team's standards seamlessly. This means you have control over the number of lines, the length of the lines, and even the style of the commit message. By specifying these details, you ensure that each commit message is meaningful and consistent...
![Customizing collapsed text Indicators](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/word-image-252226-1.png)
Customizing collapsed text Indicators
![Dominic Nahous](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2018/09/Dominic-Nahous1-150x150.jpg)
Visual Studio 2022 introduces new options for customizing the collapsed text indicator, which helps in distinguishing between different sections of collapsed text in the editor. This aims to make the coding environment more intuitive and easier to use by providing additional customization for visual cues. Customizing your coding environment You can now personalize the color and background of the editor’s collapsed text indicator independently by setting custom colors for both the collapsed and expanded text indicators. This feature can be accessed via the Tools > Options > Environment > Fonts and C...
![Iterate across multiple files more efficiently with GitHub Copilot Edits](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/Github-Copilot_16by9.jpg)
Iterate across multiple files more efficiently with GitHub Copilot Edits
![Aaron Yim](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/02/download-96x96.png)
GitHub Copilot Edits in Visual Studio 2022 combines the conversational flow of chat and an inline review experience to help you iterate across your codebase with more control and efficiency.
Here’s how Copilot Edits helps with iterating across multiple files:
Available in Visual Studio 2022 17.13, released February 11th.
*Preview versions of this feature were released in 17.13 Preview, released December 18th, 2024.
Get started with GitHub Copilot Edits in Visual Studio
For more details on how to use Copilot Edits, visit our documentation.
Watch Copil...
![Our Favorite NEW Visual Studio Features of 2024](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/wrapped2024vs.jpg)
Our Favorite NEW Visual Studio Features of 2024
![Jason Chlus](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/08/ME-1-96x96.jpg)
![James Montemagno](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/02/VwJrc4QB_400x400-96x96.jpg)
Last year, the Visual Studio team delivered many new developer-focused improvements and AI integrations, many of which came directly from your feedback on Developer Community. In this post, we highlight the team’s favorite features from 2024 that boost productivity, streamline workflows, and enhance your coding experience. Let’s dive in! Image Hover Preview: See your images instantly! (Mads Kristensen 00:30) Struggling to visualize referenced images in your code? Visual Studio’s Image Hover Preview solves this by showing a quick preview of any image, complete with dimensions and file size, when you hover ...