What's new in Visual Studio docs

Welcome to what's new in Visual Studio docs. The following sections provide details on the previous three months of new and updated content.

August 2026

Extensibility

Updated articles

• VSIX Color Editor - Clarify theme-color editing entry points, override precedence, and extension testing with customized tokens.
• Visual Studio Theme Color Tokens - Clarify live token customization, per-theme overrides, customizable surfaces, and shared override-file naming.

IDE

Updated articles

• Use code snippets in Visual Studio - Restructure guidance for finding, inserting, customizing, troubleshooting, and safely reviewing code snippets.
• Manage chat context in GitHub Copilot Chat - Clarify where context-window usage indicators appear across Visual Studio versions and chat surfaces.
• Customize chat responses - Add organization-level custom-instruction behavior, review, and opt-out guidance.
• Use custom agents in GitHub Copilot - Add organization-level custom-agent discovery, inspection, availability, and configuration guidance.
• GitHub Copilot usage and models - Explain AI Credit calculation, plan limits, usage alerts, and the distinction between plan and context-window usage.

MSBuild

Updated articles

• Change waves - Document MSBuild 18.9/18.10 change waves and how to restart persistent build processes after changing feature-wave settings.
• Common MSBuild Project Properties - Add the DeterministicTimestamp property and clarify deterministic-build behavior.
• MSBuild Server - Explain .NET 11 default enablement, node reuse, disabling, fallback conditions, and diagnostics for MSBuild Server.

Test

New articles

• Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console telemetry - Describe code-coverage telemetry, collected data, first-run disclosure, and opt-out settings.

Community contributors

Learn how to contribute by following the links under "Get involved" in the what's new landing page.

July 2026

Debugger

New articles

• Debug with Copilot Prompts - Add prompt techniques for reproducing, diagnosing, instrumenting, and verifying bugs with Debugger Agent

IDE

Updated articles

• Show and hide symbol nodes beneath files in Solution Explorer
  • Customize Visual Studio for working with projects and solutions
  • Learn about Solution Explorer
• Configure IntelliSense Options for C and C++ - Add EditorConfig controls for C++ include completion and refresh IntelliSense guidance
• Improve custom-agent tool-group reset guidance, workarounds, diagnostics, and contextual links
  • Use Agent Mode
  • Use custom agents in GitHub Copilot
  • Use MCP Servers to Extend GitHub Copilot
  • Troubleshoot GitHub Copilot state
• Developer Community data privacy - Disclose that MIEngine logs might be collected with a Visual Studio problem report
• Use Agent Skills with GitHub Copilot - Add Insiders-only skill creation, workspace and personal scopes, and specification-based generation
• Copilot Next Edit Suggestions - Clarify settings paths, nearby and extended-range suggestions, and display controls

MSBuild

Updated articles

• Obtaining Build Logs with MSBuild - Explain binary-log contents and potential performance overhead

Testing

Updated articles

• Configure unit tests with a .runsettings file - Add command-line run-setting overrides
• VSTest.Console.exe command-line options - Modernize options, diagnostics, exit codes, filtering, and environment guidance

Community contributors

The following people contributed to the Visual Studio docs during this period. Thank you! Learn how to contribute by following the links under "Get involved" in the what's new landing page.

• LLLichlet - LLLichlet
• raadisi - raadisi

June 2026

Debugger

Updated articles

• Supported Code Changes (C# and Visual Basic) - Clarify Hot Reload support

IDE

Updated articles

• Keyboard shortcuts - Add Git Blame and search updates
• Visual Studio search - Enhance search documentation
• Use MCP Servers - Clarify MCP server chat setup steps

Install

Updated articles

• Applying administrator updates - Clarify .vsconfig install guidance
• Installing Visual Studio - Clarify settings sharing in side-by-side installations

JavaScript

Updated articles

• Develop JavaScript code without solutions or projects - Update project opening guidance.
• Unit testing JavaScript and TypeScript - Updates for TypeScript 7 SDK

MSBuild

Updated articles

• General MSBuild project properties - Clarify MSB3821 messaging

Testing

Updated articles

• Add color emoji documentation support
  • Unit testing in Visual Studio

Community contributors

The following people contributed to the Visual Studio docs during this period. Thank you! Learn how to contribute by following the links under "Get involved" in the what's new landing page.

• JohanSmarius - JohanSmarius

May 2026

Code quality

Updated articles

• Install External Analyzers - Review and update screenshots

Containers

Updated articles

• Review and update links and text quality
  • Add support for containers
  • Visual Studio Container Tools on Windows
  • Error codes for Visual Studio Container Tools
• Deploy ASP.NET container app to Container Registry - Review and update screenshots

Data tools

Updated articles

• Add, update, or remove WCF data service reference - Review and update screenshots

Debugger

Updated articles

• Add source checksum algorithm details
  • CV_SourceChksum_t
• Fix DIA SDK links and references
  • IDiaDataSource::loadDataFromIStream
  • IDiaDataSourceEx::loadDataFromIStreamEx
• Tips and Tricks in the Debugger - Review and update screenshots
• Configure Hot Reload - Clarify configuration guidance
• Debug ASP.NET Core in the Visual Studio Debugger - Review and update
• Review and update
  • Debug C++ Code, Set Breakpoints, Inspect Variables
  • Debug Managed Code in the Visual Studio Debugger
• Review and update
  • Start the Spy++ Tool to Debug a Solution
  • Protected mode for dump debugging
  • Using the IntelliTrace stand-alone collector
  • Debugging Techniques and Tools

Extensibility

New articles

• Visual Studio Theme Color Tokens

Updated articles

• Set moniker range for UX color guidance
  • Color Value Reference
  • Shared Colors for Visual Studio
• Create Your First Extension Reference - Review and update screenshots

Get started

Updated articles

• Tutorial: Create a simple C# console app - Fix input validation pattern
• Tutorial: Add Icons to the Matching Game - Review and update screenshots

IDE

New articles

• Use the GitHub Copilot plan agent
• Razor editor code actions

Updated articles

• Add and refine Copilot plan agent and cloud workflow guidance
  • Use Agent Mode
  • Use custom agents in GitHub Copilot
  • Get Started with GitHub Copilot
• Add Chat History panel and Git context updates
  • Manage chat context in GitHub Copilot Chat
  • About GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio
• Update Copilot billing and plan information
  • AI-assistance for developers in Visual Studio
  • Customize chat responses
  • GitHub Copilot Free in Visual Studio
  • GitHub Copilot usage and models
  • Manage GitHub Copilot installation and state
• Add Razor Quick Actions references
  • Common Quick Actions
  • Generate a method
  • Code cleanup refactorings
• Add system theme automatic change feature
  • Configure Visual Experience Options
  • Change Themes, Fonts, Text, Accessibility Options
  • Visual Studio Color Themes
• Use IntelliSense for quick information & completion - Clarify IntelliSense and Copilot priority
• Copilot Completions - Clarify IntelliSense and Copilot priority
• Update Team Explorer work items deprecation notes
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Develop code without projects or solutions
• Review and update screenshots and make other updates
  • Explore advanced features for developers
  • Customize and Save Layouts of Windows and Tabs
  • Identify and customize keyboard shortcuts
  • Manage application settings (.NET Framework)
  • Use MCP Servers
  • Multifactor authentication with Visual Studio sign-ins
  • Explore code editor features
  • GitHub Copilot Edits in Visual Studio

Install

Updated articles

• Using Visual Studio on an Azure Virtual Machine - Refresh links

JavaScript

Updated articles

• Review and update screenshots and freshness
  • Compile and build TypeScript code using NuGet
  • Explore the Visual Studio IDE for JavaScript
  • Create a Vue.js Project in Visual Studio
• Unit testing JavaScript and TypeScript - Clarify limitations and remove outdated links

Modeling

Updated articles

• Use the Modeling SDK for Visual Studio - Review and update

MSBuild

Updated articles

• Change waves - Sync with current MSBuild change waves
• Update an MSBuild custom task for multithreaded builds - Improve thread safety and experimental-status guidance

Profiling

Updated articles

• Review and update screenshots
  • Visualize dotnet counters
  • Identify hot paths with the Flame Graph

Python

Updated articles

• Apply moniker profiling updates for Visual Studio 2022 content
  • Python Support in Visual Studio on Windows
  • Run profiler to measure Python code performance

Test

Updated articles

• Review and update
  • Isolating Code Under Test with Microsoft Fakes
  • Isolate Your App with Shims (Unit Testing)

Version control

Updated articles

• Add and refine multiline diff support and review flows
  • Browse repos, compare branches & commits
  • Create a pull request in Visual Studio
  • Make a Git commit in Visual Studio
• Manage Git repos in Visual Studio - Add commit-to-chat context guidance

XML tools

Updated articles

• Work with the XML Schema Explorer - Review and update screenshots

Community contributors

The following people contributed to the Visual Studio docs during this period. Thank you! Learn how to contribute by following the links under "Get involved" in the what's new landing page.

• jingeno - jingeno
• lvyijie - lvyijie