This downloads all required packages to your local computer beginning installation. However, as noted earlier, this layout is not designed to be copied to another machine—doing so may cause installation failures.
Perform these steps on a computer with a high-speed internet connection:
This article walks you through exactly how to obtain the , from downloading the correct bootstrapper to troubleshooting the most common issues. visual studio community edition offline installer
On the target offline computer:
You can install Visual Studio Community Edition on a computer without internet access by creating an offline installation layout. This method downloads all necessary files upfront, allowing you to install the software on isolated machines or save network bandwidth across multiple computers. Why Use an Offline Installer? This downloads all required packages to your local
vs_community.exe --layout D:\VS2022_Offline --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US
Now, you will run the bootstrapper with the --layout command-line parameter to begin downloading the full installation files. On the target offline computer: You can install
If your target machine is completely air-gapped, the installation might stall because the OS cannot verify the digital signatures of the layout packages online. To fix this, look inside your layout folder for a subfolder named Certificates . Right-click and install each certificate found in that directory into the local machine's trusted root storage before initiating the setup. Layout Verification Failures
When you download the offline layout, you’re not just getting the installer. You’re getting a snapshot of a moment in time. Microsoft’s documentation moves fast—workloads get renamed, components get deprecated. The offline layout preserves a specific, reproducible state.
| Layout Type | Approximate Size | |-------------|------------------| | Full Visual Studio Community (all workloads, all languages) | ~45 GB | | .NET desktop development only | ~10–15 GB | | C++ desktop development only | ~8–12 GB | | Web & cloud development only | ~10–15 GB |