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

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.