First Look at Visual Studio 2026: Fast, Modern, and AI-Powered
Microsoft Events presents an in-depth overview of Visual Studio 2026, detailing AI-powered innovations including GitHub Copilot and Profiler Agent integration, and developer-centric features for high-impact coding.
Visual Studio 2026: Fast, Modern, and AI-Powered
Introduction
This Microsoft Ignite 2025 session, led by Jon Galloway, showcases new advancements in Visual Studio 2026.
Key Highlights
- AI-Powered IDE: Visual Studio 2026 integrates agentic AI, enhancing developer workflows with features like code review, guided diagnostics, and intelligent recommendations.
- GitHub Copilot Integration: Copilot offers smarter code reviews and assists with coding tasks, improving productivity and code quality.
- Profiler Agent: This tool provides automated performance recommendations and measurable improvements, such as 16% faster project loading.
- Personalization and Modern UI: Developers get more theme options, customization settings, and a refreshed interface for improved user experience.
- Project Insights: Native integration with Microsoft Learn and NuGet delivers deeper insights and recommendations directly within the IDE.
- Collaboration Tools: The session demonstrates new ways for teams to edit, upgrade, and collaborate on projects, including a dashboard for tracking modernization.
- Update Cycle: Visual Studio shifts to a monthly update cadence, making continuous improvements and new features available more frequently.
Chapters Overview
- Introduction and session overview
- Positioning Visual Studio 2026 as the premier IDE
- Personalization and new settings experience
- MCP-integrated tools for project insights
- Automated performance improvements
- Profiling tools also in Visual Studio Code
- Modernization and upgrade processes
- Dashboard and collaboration
- Update cycle and distribution channels
Additional Resources
Speaker
- Jon Galloway
Conclusion
Visual Studio 2026 brings modern design, AI-powered assistance, and stronger collaboration into the development environment, supporting faster and more efficient application delivery.