Configure Visual Studio policies using Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune)

Christine Ruana

Visual Studio global policies are now included in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) settings catalog! It’s easier for administrators to configure their organization’s devices now that the Visual Studio software policies are readily accessible in the Device Configuration Profile UI.

A few months ago, we announced the release of Visual Studio Administrative Templates (ADMX files), which improved Visual Studio policy discoverability and usability. In order to use these ADMX files to deploy device configuration via Intune, an administrator had to take a couple of actions. First, they had to manually upload the ADMX files into their Intune environment, which was a pretty straightforward operation. Then, they needed to keep the imported settings updated whenever the ADMX files changed, which was a bit more complicated and error-prone. Now that Visual Studio will be keeping the policies up to date in Intune’s settings catalog, administrators will now be able to always access the most current Visual Studio feedback, Live Share, install and update, and privacy configuration options without having to hassle with manual imports.

To take advantage of Visual Studio’s built-in configuration policy settings in Intune, simply create a Device Configuration Profile, choose “Settings catalog”, and then add the desired policies that you want configured on your devices. The settings catalog also displays helpful information about what the policy is for, as well as a link to more detailed online documentation.

Visual Studio will update Intune’s backend settings catalog quarterly alongside each minor release. You can use these policies to control Visual Studio 2017 and higher behaviors. We hope that this new feature will give you more options to successfully acquire, update, and configure Visual Studio.

We always welcome your feedback. Feel free to add comments to this blog post, or submit a report on the Visual Studio IT Administrator feedback page about any challenges you have or improvements you’d like to see in this space. We appreciate your feedback on other topics too – you can leave a suggestion for another experience you’d like us to deliver. Lastly, please fill out our Customer Deployment Profile survey so we have a better understanding of your operational environment and needs.

Christine Ruana Principal Program Manager, Visual Studio

Follow