Visual Studio

ApplicationMicrosoft Corporation

Also called vs, visual studio ide, devenv

Microsoft CorporationProductivity

Microsoft's full Windows IDE. The process is devenv.exe. Visual Studio Code is a different product whose process is Code.exe.

What you need to know

Visual Studio is devenv.exe. VS Code is Code.exe.

Visual Studio is the full Microsoft IDE. Community, Professional, and Enterprise share devenv.exe. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight editor. Uninstalling one does not remove the other.

What is it?: Microsoft's full IDE
Is it VS Code?: No. That is Code.exe
Process name?: devenv.exe

Feex says

If a guide says close Visual Studio and you only have Code.exe, you are already on the other product. I would look for devenv.exe. Workloads live in the Visual Studio Installer, not in the VS Code Marketplace.

What is Visual Studio?

Visual Studio is Microsoft's full IDE with compilers, designers, and workloads. It is not VS Code. Rider is a JetBrains .NET IDE, not this installer.

If you have never used it

If a job posting said Visual Studio, this is the large IDE, not Visual Studio Code. Download the Visual Studio Installer from visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads and pick Community, Professional, or Enterprise. The tell is devenv.exe. Code.exe is VS Code. Workloads can take tens of gigabytes.

What is it used for?

Build Windows and .NET apps

Solutions, designers, and the debugger. VS Code can edit the same files without devenv.exe.

Workloads via the Installer

Desktop, web, C++, and more. Each workload is why the install is huge. VS Code extensions are not this catalog.

MSBuild and test explorers

Integrated build and test UI. cmake.exe can generate projects this IDE then opens.

Who is it for?

People whose org standardizes on Visual Studio solutions
Anyone who clicked Visual Studio and got VS Code by mistake
.NET and C++ developers who need designers, not only a folder editor

Current status

Visual Studio (1997) is a current full ide from Microsoft Corporation. The vendor still points Windows users at https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/.

How old is it?

Microsoft shipped Visual Studio in 1997. VS 2022 is the current Windows IDE line. Visual Studio Code (2015) reused the name and is a different editor. A 6.0-era MSDN disc is history.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Community

Professional

Enterprise

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	Visual Studio 2022: 64-bit Windows 11 or supported Windows Server, per Microsoft
RAM	4 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended for typical professional solutions, per Microsoft

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
devenv.exe	Visual Studio IDE
vs_installer.exe	Visual Studio Installer for workloads

Startup components

Visual Studio can restore the last solution. That is the IDE, not a Windows service named devenv.

File locations

Common Visual Studio locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\<Edition>\Common7\IDE\

File formats

SLNCSPROJVCXPROJ

Common problems

Name collision with Visual Studio Code

Start menu tiles look similar. devenv.exe is this article. Code.exe is VS Code. Rider is rider64.exe.

Installer disk shock

Microsoft lists 850 MB to 210 GB depending on workloads. Typical installs are tens of GB. That is not a VS Code download.

Getting unstuck

Open the Visual Studio Installer, not Apps > VS Code

Modify workloads there. The VS Code Marketplace cannot add a Visual Studio C++ toolset.

Confirm devenv.exe under Microsoft Visual Studio\2022

Community, Professional, or Enterprise folders all use devenv.exe. Programs\Microsoft VS Code is the other product.

Install from visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads

A Visual Studio cracked ISO is junk. Microsoft hosts the Installer.

Alternatives

Visual Studio Code for a folder editor. Rider if you want JetBrains for .NET. Build Tools if you only need the compiler on a server.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	learn.microsoft.com/visualstudio/ Vendor support
Official site	visualstudio.microsoft.com/ Start here, not a random exe host
System requirements	learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2022/system-requirements What Microsoft lists for Visual Studio 2022

Related hardware

Microsoft lists a 64-bit ARM64 or x64 CPU, 4 GB RAM minimum, and 16 GB recommended for typical professional solutions. An SSD is strongly recommended.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Visual Studio official site · Vendor product page
Visual Studio help · Vendor support
Visual Studio 2022 system requirements · Official RAM, CPU, and OS list
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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