# Setup: Install Visual Studio 2026

Install Visual Studio 2026 Community with the two workloads this course uses, and open it for the first time.

Novice · Operating System · C# · Updated October 29, 2026

## After this lesson you can

- Install Visual Studio with the workloads a C# web developer needs

## Key takeaways

- Visual Studio is Microsoft's IDE for C#: you write, build, run and debug your code in one program, and its Community edition is free.
- A workload is a bundle of tools and templates. This course needs ASP.NET and web development and .NET desktop development.
- No Console App template means the .NET desktop development workload is missing.
- You can add a workload at any time with Modify in the Visual Studio Installer.

**Windows only.** **Visual Studio** is Microsoft's IDE for C#: one program where you write code, build it, run it, and find your mistakes with the **debugger**. The **Community** edition is free for students and individual developers.

Visual Studio can build many kinds of software, so its installer asks what you want to build. Each kind is a **workload**: a bundle of tools and templates. You will choose two:

| Workload | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| **ASP.NET and web development** | Templates and tools for web apps and web APIs, which you build from Module 1 on |
| **.NET desktop development** | Templates for console apps (programs that run in the terminal), which you write first |

You can add more workloads later, at any time, from the **Visual Studio Installer** app.

## Install Visual Studio

In Git Bash, run:

```bash
winget install -e --id Microsoft.VisualStudio.Community --interactive
```

`--interactive` opens the installer's own windows, so you can choose the workloads. Click **Yes** if Windows asks whether the app may make changes.

1. The **Visual Studio Installer** prepares itself, then shows the **Workloads** tab.
2. Check **ASP.NET and web development**.
3. Check **.NET desktop development**.
4. Leave everything else as it is, and click **Install** at the bottom right.

The download is several gigabytes, so this can take 20 minutes or more. You can carry on with the next exercise's reading while it runs.

## Open it for the first time

When the install finishes, open **Visual Studio 2026** from the Start menu.

1. It asks you to sign in. Signing in with a Microsoft account keeps your settings on every computer, but you can choose **Skip and add accounts later**.
2. Choose a color theme you like. You can change it later in **Tools > Options**.
3. Click **Start Visual Studio**.

The start window opens, with **Create a new project** on the right. You will create your first project there in the C# Basics chapter.

## Check your work

In the start window, click **Continue without code**. Then open **Help > About Microsoft Visual Studio**. The window should name **Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2026** and a version that starts with **18**.

Close the window. Then open the **Visual Studio Installer** from the Start menu: your installation should show **ASP.NET and web development** and **.NET desktop development** when you click **Modify**. Click the **X** to close it without changing anything.

## Common problems

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The installer never showed the **Workloads** tab | Open **Visual Studio Installer** from the Start menu, click **Modify** beside Visual Studio Community 2026, check the two workloads, and click **Modify**. |
| `There is not enough space on the disk` | Visual Studio needs about 20 GB with these workloads. Free some space, then open the Visual Studio Installer and click **Resume**. |
| The install stopped part way | Open **Visual Studio Installer**. It offers **Resume** or **Repair**. |
| No **Console App** template when you create a project | The **.NET desktop development** workload is missing. Add it with **Modify**, as above. |

## Check yourself

2 questions to try on the lesson page.

## So what

Visual Studio is where you will spend most of this course. Choosing the right workloads now means every project template you need is there when you need it.

## Key terms

- [Visual Studio](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/visual-studio)

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/csharp-setup-visual-studio