Microsoft Visual Studio Lifecycle: End Of Life And Support Status
Last updated on April 18, 2024
Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) used to create programs and software for desktop operating systems as well as mobile, web apps, websites, etc. It is available across various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Additionally, you can install different components and libraries for VS depending on what you want to use it for, and the programming languages needed. It supports .NET, C++, C#, Node.js, and many more.
Apart from the various versions released over the years, Visual Studio is also available in different editions.
Support status guide
End of life (EOL) is the end of a product’s useful life. When a product reaches the end of its life cycle, the manufacturer no longer supports it. The following table explains the different phases of a product’s lifecycle. Testing status is when the product is initially released and EOL is when product support is no longer offered. The time between these two points is the support timeframe.
Testing
The software is not yet publicly available. It is in testing phase i.e., alpha, beta, release preview etc.
Active
The software is actively supported by the vendor.
Phasing Out
The software will soon reach its end of life. You need to look for upgrade or migration options. The software will automatically go into phasing out status 2 months before end of life.
End Of Life
The software is no longer supported by the vendor. You need to make sure your system and environment are safe.
Version
Released
Active Support
(13 February 2024)
(14 November 2023)
(8 July 2025)
(8 August 2023)
(14 November 2023)
(16 May 2023)
(9 January 2025)
(21 February 2023)
(23 May 2023)
(8 November 2022)
(11 July 2024)
(9 August 2022)
(8 November 2022)
(10 May 2022)
(9 January 2024)
(15 February 2022)
(22 May 2022)
(8 November 2021)
(11 July 2023)
(10 August 2021)
(10 April 2029)
(25 May 2021)
(10 August 2021)
(2 March 2021)
(11 October 2022)
(10 November 2020)
(9 March 2021)
(5 August 2020)
(12 April 2022)
(19 May 2020)
(5 August 2020)
(16 March 2020)
(19 May 2020)
(3 December 2019)
(12 October 2021)
(23 September 2019)
(3 December 2019)
(24 July 2019)
(23 September 2019)
(21 May 2019)
(24 July 2019)
(2 April 2019)
(12 January 2021)
(13 November 2018)
(13 April 2027)
(14 August 2018)
(13 November 2018)
(7 May 2018)
(14 August 2018)
(5 March 2018)
(7 May 2018)
(4 December 2017)
(5 March 2018)
(9 October 2017)
(4 December 2017)
(14 August 2017)
(9 October 2017)
(10 May 2017)
(14 August 2017)
(5 April 2017)
(10 May 2017)
(7 March 2017)
(14 January 2020)
(20 July 2015)
(14 October 2025)
(15 January 2014)
(9 April 2024)
(31 October 2012)
(10 January 2023)
(29 June 2010)
(14 July 2020)
Visual Studio versions are named after the year it is released. The major versions are normally released 2 to 3 years apart, but there is no fixed timeline. However, minor releases are much more frequent – almost each month.
Visual Studio is offered through various channels, which are as follows:
- Mainstream channel
- Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC)
- Community channel (Community edition)
The mainstream channel is supported for 10 years in total – The first 5 years include Mainstreat Support which offers new features, security improvements, and fixes. The remaining 5 years of support is the Extended Support which only includes security updates.
The LTSC versions are minor releases, and every minor release is supported for 18 months, which includes bug fixes, security support, and new feature inclusions. The LTSC channel was introduced with Visual Studio 2022, and all even-numbered minor releases are LTSC versions only.
The Visual Studio Community edition is only supported on the recommended latest release of the latest minor version of Visual Studio. this means that the support ends as soon as a newer version hits the market.
To know more about the Visual Studio support lifecycle, read the Visual Studio Product Lifecycle and Servicing blog.
EOLs
