3 Minutes
Visual Studio 2015 Reaches End of Life in 2025
On October 14, 2025, a major transition is on the horizon for developers and IT professionals using Microsoft products. Alongside the official end of support for Windows 10—including the 2015 LTSC, Enterprise, Education, and IoT variants—Microsoft has confirmed that support for Visual Studio 2015 will also cease on this date.
Understanding Visual Studio 2015 and Its Legacy
Visual Studio 2015, launched in July 2015, quickly became one of Microsoft’s most popular integrated development environments (IDEs) for building robust desktop, web, cloud, and mobile applications. Featuring a range of productivity tools and support for multiple programming languages, it significantly empowered developers for nearly a decade.
As of October 13, 2020, Visual Studio 2015 transitioned from mainstream support to extended support, primarily receiving security updates and critical fixes. However, after October 14, 2025, Microsoft will discontinue all updates for Visual Studio 2015 and its key components, including Visual Studio 2015 Community, Enterprise, Professional editions, the Visual Studio Shell and SDK, Team Foundation Server (TFS), and MSVC Tools v140.
What Does End of Support Mean for Developers?
End of support means that Visual Studio 2015 will no longer get security patches, technical fixes, or feature updates. This leaves organizations and developers vulnerable to security risks and compliance issues. Continued use of unsupported software could hinder productivity and increase potential exposure to vulnerabilities.
Comparing Recent Visual Studio Versions
While Visual Studio Code is widely used for its lightweight, cross-platform editing capabilities, Visual Studio remains Microsoft’s primary IDE—offering enterprise-grade debugging, collaboration, and application lifecycle management tools.
Visual Studio versions that remain supported beyond 2025 include:
- Visual Studio 2017 (version 15.9): Extended security support until April 13, 2027.
- Visual Studio 2019 (version 16.11): Security updates available through April 10, 2029.
- Visual Studio 2022 (version 17.4): Currently in mainstream support, with extended support available until January 13, 2032.
Advantages and Key Features of Upgrading
Upgrading to Visual Studio 2022 brings a suite of innovations: native Git integration for easier source control, Copilot AI-powered code completion, modern .NET support, enhanced performance for large-scale projects, and a more secure development environment.
Best Practices and Market Relevance
For businesses and technology professionals, keeping your IDE and developer tools up-to-date ensures security, compliance, and ongoing access to cutting-edge features. Microsoft strongly recommends migrating to the latest supported versions, particularly Visual Studio 2022, to maximize productivity and stay aligned with industry standards.
Transitioning to the Future of Development Tools
The end-of-support milestone for Visual Studio 2015 underlines the continuous evolution of software development platforms. Shifting to newer versions not only protects development workflows but also unlocks the latest advancements offered by Microsoft’s developer ecosystem.
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