In October, Microsoft will definitively pull the plug on Visual Studio 2015. Users can switch to a newer version.
October 14, 2025, is known as doomsday for various Microsoft services. Microsoft is cleaning house and will pull the plug on older software it no longer wishes to support. Windows 10 is the most well-known example, but Microsoft also has an important announcement for users of the integrated development platform Visual Studio.
Support for Visual Studio 2015 will be terminated in all its forms in October. Users can switch to newer versions 2017, 2019, and 2022. Microsoft prefers you use the latest one, as it integrates Copilot and will receive updates for the longest time.
End of Support
This news is not very surprising. Mainstream support for Visual Studio 2015 actually ended in 2020. Microsoft has given users an extra five years to take action, and those who have waited until the last moment should also look at themselves. The Mac version received a less extensive farewell and was discontinued by Microsoft in the summer of 2024.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is already preparing the end of Visual Studio 2017. Only version 15.9 will receive extended support with security updates until April 2027. Visual Studio 2019 version 16.11 will be on the chopping block in 2029, and the current version Visual Studio 2022 will receive mainstream support until early 2027, with extended support until 2032. This way, Visual Studio users know what to expect in the next five years.
Those using Windows 11 should also mark October 14 in red on their calendar. Microsoft will stop support for older Windows 11 versions, namely the Enterprise and Education versions 22H2. The latest version is Windows 11 24H2, but the rollout, as usual, did not go smoothly.