Visual Studio 2017, 2019 and 2022: Complete Comparison

Visual Studio is Microsoft’s flagship integrated development environment (IDE), used by developers to create desktop, web, mobile, and more applications in a wide variety of languages. In this blog, we will compare Visual Studio 2017, Visual Studio 2019, and Visual Studio 2022 from a general perspective, analyzing their key differences in performance, compatibility, new features, development tools, supported languages, and user experience.

We will also explore how the development environment has evolved across these versions, including improvements in debugging, integration with Git and other collaborative tools, as well as support for modern technologies (.NET, C++, web/mobile development) and recent hardware architectures such as ARM64 or the transition to 64-bit. The goal is to provide an accessible comparison for developers of all levels, showing how each version has brought significant improvements without overwhelming with overly technical details.

IDE Performance and Architecture

64-bit Architecture in Visual Studio 2022

One of the most notable differences is that Visual Studio 2022 is the first edition of the IDE to run as a 64-bit application. In previous versions (2017 and 2019), Visual Studio was a 32-bit process, which limited memory usage to ~4 GB. With Visual Studio 2022, this limit disappears, allowing you to take full advantage of the available RAM on modern machines. This means you can open, edit, run, and debug large-scale solutions (with hundreds of projects and thousands of files) without the IDE running out of memory or closing unexpectedly. For small or medium projects, the difference might not be very noticeable, but in corporate environments with huge codebases, the 64-bit architecture provides greater stability and performance. It’s important to note that although the IDE is now 64-bit, you can still develop 32-bit applications with Visual Studio 2022 — in other words, the ability to compile software targeting x86 remains; the architecture change affects the IDE itself and does not prevent the creation of 32-bit applications.

Progressive Performance Improvements

Each new version of Visual Studio has introduced optimizations to make the development experience more agile. Visual Studio 2017 already brought improvements over its predecessors, with faster startup times and a modular installation that was lighter. In 2017, a “lightweight” installer was introduced, allowing you to select only the workloads and components you needed, thus reducing the initial size and improving installation and update speed. Visual Studio 2019 continued this trend, further optimizing solution load times and UI responsiveness. For example, Visual Studio 2019 added the Solution Filters feature (with .slnf extensions), which allows you to partially load a large solution — opening it without loading all its projects, but only a selected subset. This greatly speeds up initial loading when you only need to work on specific projects within a massive solution. Likewise, VS 2019 included background downloading of updates (while the IDE is idle), so keeping the environment up to date is faster and doesn’t interrupt your work.

Visual Studio 2022 takes performance optimizations even further in specific areas. A notable example is the “Find in Files” feature, whose speed has been significantly increased: locating text in code is now up to 2 or 3 times faster in VS 2022 compared to VS 2019, especially in large solutions. This saves time when navigating a large codebase. Other common operations have also benefited from the greater memory availability and internal improvements, making the IDE feel smooth even in demanding scenarios. It’s worth mentioning that VS 2022, by leveraging modern hardware, can consume more absolute memory if working with very large projects, but in exchange it avoids bottlenecks and freezes that previously occurred under high load. In short, in terms of raw performance and the ability to scale to complex projects, Visual Studio 2022 offers the most solid experience, followed by VS 2019, which already improved many aspects over 2017. However, for simple projects, all these versions provide adequate performance; the difference becomes apparent as the scale and complexity of solutions increase.

Project and Environment Compatibility

Compatibility is a crucial aspect when comparing these versions, as many developers need to work with existing projects and diverse environments. Fortunately, Microsoft has ensured that Visual Studio 2017, 2019, and 2022 can coexist without conflicts and that projects can move between them relatively easily. It is entirely possible to install and use all three versions in parallel on the same machine (for example, having VS 2017, VS 2019, and VS 2022 all installed) because each one uses its own set of tools and does not interfere with the others. This is useful if you need to maintain an old project in an earlier version while using the newest version for other development work.

Project Compatibility

In terms of project compatibility, Visual Studio 2019 can directly open most solutions created in VS 2017 without requiring conversion, and Visual Studio 2022 in turn supports projects from both 2019 and 2017. The project formats (.sln and files like .csproj, .vcxproj, etc.) did not change radically; for example, standard .NET or C++ projects created in 2017 usually open in 2019/2022 simply by selecting them. There may be cases where very old projects or certain deprecated templates require updating (Visual Studio will indicate if a project component needs updating when opened in a newer version), but overall the transition is smooth. Conversely, opening in VS 2017 a project originally created in VS 2019 or 2022 is also usually possible if the project uses compatible tools and settings. However, new features from the latest IDE versions (for example, .NET 6-specific tools only available in VS 2022) will not be available in older versions. In C++ scenarios, each version comes with its own toolset (compiler and libraries) — v141 for VS 2017, v142 for VS 2019, v143 for VS 2022 — so if you open in VS 2017 a solution configured with the VS 2019 toolset, you would need to retarget it to the closest available toolset. Even so, Visual Studio allows multiple toolsets to be installed, and VS 2022 includes the VS 2019 compilers to facilitate backward compatibility in C++.

Operating System Compatibility

Operating system compatibility is another point to consider. Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019 support installation on relatively old operating systems — for example, VS 2017 could be installed on Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 8.1, and VS 2019 also offered support for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. In contrast, Visual Studio 2022 requires a more modern environment: it is supported only on Windows 10 (recent updates) and Windows 11, as well as their equivalent Windows Server editions. This means that if a developer works on a machine with Windows 7 or 8, they will not be able to use VS 2022 there and would have to stay with VS 2019 at most. In practice, most developers have already migrated to Windows 10/11, but this is still a compatibility factor worth mentioning.

Extension and Ecosystem Compatibility

Lastly, there is compatibility in terms of extensions and ecosystem: Visual Studio has a Marketplace with thousands of third-party extensions that expand its capabilities (analysis tools, UI controls, integrations, etc.). Due to internal changes in Visual Studio 2022 (mainly from the switch to 64-bit), extensions developed for VS 2017/2019 need to be updated by their authors to work in VS 2022. During the first months of VS 2022, not all popular extensions were immediately available, although most have since been adapted. In contrast, VS 2019 could use almost any extension made for VS 2017 with little or no modification. This is something to keep in mind if your workflow depends on a specific extension: it is advisable to check whether it is supported in VS 2022 or if an equivalent alternative exists. In general, Microsoft worked with extension providers to ease the migration to the new 64-bit model, and today Visual Studio 2022 supports the vast majority of essential add-ons, but the initial transition marked a difference in extension compatibility compared to VS 2019.

User Experience and Interface

In terms of user experience, each version of Visual Studio has refined the interface and added improvements to make the environment more comfortable and intuitive. Visual Studio 2017 introduced an interface that followed the design of 2015 but with more polish, and especially brought with it a simplified Start Page and a workload-based installation process that improved usability from the first contact. It also included adjustments to better support high-resolution displays and provided smoother rendering performance in the code editor.

Visual Studio 2019 further modernized the experience: one of the first things a user will notice in VS 2019 is the new Start Window that appears when opening the IDE, presenting clear options to clone a code repository, open an existing project, or create a new one from templates. This contrasts with VS 2017, where the start page was a document inside the IDE with links and news. In VS 2019, the start window is separate and focused on quickly getting you into what you need to do. In addition, Visual Studio 2019 introduced a much more powerful and visible quick search box (formerly called Quick Launch) located in the top corner. This unified search allows you to find commands, settings, files, and even NuGet packages or extensions simply by typing keywords, with instant results appearing as you type. The VS 2019 search is tolerant of typos and shows keyboard shortcuts next to the commands found to help users learn them. This search improvement makes navigating the IDE’s features easier, especially for new developers who may not remember where each option is in the menus.

Support for Monitors with Different DPIs

Another advancement with VS 2019 was support for monitors with different DPIs (per-monitor DPI awareness). Previously, if you moved the Visual Studio window between screens with different scaling (for example, from a laptop to an external 4K monitor with scaling), the interface could appear blurry or incorrectly sized. VS 2019 resolved this: the IDE now renders properly on each screen, ensuring sharp text and correct sizes in multi-monitor setups, which improves the user experience for those working with multi-screen workstations.

Visual Studio 2022, in addition to the major architectural change, came with a series of visual and usability adjustments. Microsoft refreshed the application’s icons, adopting a cleaner, higher-contrast style for better readability. It also introduced a new default font for the code editor: Cascadia Code, a typeface designed for developers with optional ligatures and excellent on-screen clarity, replacing the classic Consolas from previous versions. These changes, though subtle, make the interface feel more modern and pleasant to look at after long coding sessions. VS 2022 also added more interface customization options, allowing, for example, adjustments to icon spacing, enhanced color themes, and quick toggling of settings to suit each user’s preferences. Accessibility also continued to improve: VS 2022 is more accessible for people with disabilities, with better screen reader support, improved contrast in both dark and light themes, and customizable color settings for color blindness, among other enhancements. All these improvements aim to make the IDE comfortable and usable for as many developers as possible, regardless of their experience level or special needs.

In summary, the user experience has evolved to become more agile and customizable from 2017 to 2022. Where VS 2017 was already a mature IDE, VS 2019 made it more efficient with unified search and a productivity-focused start flow, and VS 2022 refined the interface with new iconography, better high-resolution support, and personalization options, keeping Visual Studio as a familiar environment adapted to modern expectations.

Development Tools and New Features

Each version of Visual Studio has introduced new tools and features designed to improve developer productivity during coding. Visual Studio 2017 already came with a wide range of features such as the integration of the Roslyn analyzer to provide refactorings and quick fixes in C# and VB, the ability to open folders with code without creating projects (very useful for working with C++ source code via CMake or simple projects), and improvements to IntelliSense and code navigation (Go To Definition, Find All References faster, etc.). VS 2017 also introduced Live Unit Testing (in the Enterprise edition), an innovative feature that runs unit tests in the background as the developer writes code, instantly showing if a change breaks any tests — a valuable aid for maintaining high quality in real time.

With Visual Studio 2019, Microsoft introduced several noteworthy new development tools:

IntelliCode (AI in Code)

VS 2019 was the first version to integrate IntelliCode, an AI-powered coding assistant. IntelliCode analyzes thousands of open-source projects to learn common patterns and suggests intelligent code completions. In VS 2019, it initially offered intelligent suggestions for C# (and in extensions for C++ and other languages), prioritizing the most likely IntelliSense options based on context and common practices. This helps write code faster and with fewer errors, as the IDE “predicts” what you likely need. For example, when calling a .NET API, IntelliCode orders suggestions by placing the most used methods for that object first. In Visual Studio 2022, IntelliCode went further, being able to complete entire lines of code automatically. That is, with VS 2022 the IDE can suggest not just the next word or variable name, but an entire line based on context, which the developer can accept with the Tab key. This further speeds up writing repetitive or pattern-based code.

One-Click Code Cleanup

VS 2019 added the Code Cleanup button next to the document health indicator (the lightbulb/broom icon on the bottom bar). With this feature, the developer can automatically apply a set of predefined refactorings and formatting rules to improve code quality with a single click. For example, you can configure rules to remove unused usings, tidy up whitespace, apply formatting according to the project’s convention, etc., and then execute them all at once on the current document. Visual Studio 2017, in many cases, required each refactoring to be applied manually; with VS 2019, automatic cleanup speeds up keeping code clean and consistent. Different cleanup profiles can also be saved (a lighter one for frequent use and a more thorough one before making pull requests, for example).

New Refactorings and Code Adjustments

Leveraging the Roslyn platform’s capabilities, VS 2019 added dozens of small refactorings for C# and other languages. For example, actions to convert foreach loops into LINQ queries, move class members to an interface or base class, automatically adjust namespaces to match folder structure, and more. These suggestions appear via the lightbulb icon when Visual Studio detects opportunities for code improvement. VS 2017 already offered several basic refactorings, but VS 2019 significantly expanded the collection. Visual Studio 2022 continues in this direction by incorporating the latest refactorings that accompany new C# versions (for example, helpers to simplify using with the new global syntax, refactor switch patterns, etc., from C# 9/10).

Improved Search and Navigation

In addition to the aforementioned global search in the interface (Quick Search), VS 2019 introduced improvements to code navigation, such as a faster Go To All (Ctrl+T) view to find files, types, or symbols in the solution, with filters to narrow results. The Peek Definition view was also improved (showing a function definition inline without leaving the current file). Visual Studio 2022, in turn, added optional indexed search in files, building a background index to further accelerate text searches in massive solutions, and the Code Search Preview feature that allows previewing snippets of search results without opening each file.

Testing and Analysis Tools

Visual Studio 2019 updated the Test Explorer to better handle massive sets of unit tests, with filtering by project, by category, more efficient test name searches, and the ability to group tests into playlists with separate tabs. This makes life easier for developers working with hundreds or thousands of tests. VS 2019 also integrated the ability to take performance snapshots or debug profiles with the Diagnostic Tools while running. Visual Studio 2022 retains these tools and adds, for example, flame charts in the profiler to visually identify performance bottlenecks.

In Visual Studio 2022, in addition to extending IntelliCode capabilities as mentioned, new features were introduced such as Hot Reload (detailed in the debugging section) and improvements to the .NET language service to provide faster IntelliSense responses and lower memory usage when handling large files. It also included Web Live Preview (live view for web development, allowing you to see web pages or XAML interfaces update instantly as you edit the code), which benefits UI design work. For C++ developers, VS 2022 brings tools such as more advanced static analysis and better integration with memory sanitizers, helping to detect errors early (these utilities build on those available since VS 2017 but with greater maturity).

In short, between 2017 and 2022, Visual Studio has significantly enriched its development tools: from the way code is suggested and cleaned up, through navigation and search, to the integration of AI to assist the programmer. Each version has aimed to make writing, refactoring, and maintaining code more efficient than before. New developers find an increasingly proactive IDE to guide them (with intelligent suggestions and automatic fixes), while experienced developers appreciate the time savings in repetitive tasks and the availability of advanced tools integrated into the environment.

Version Control and Collaboration Integration

Version control is an integral part of modern development, and Visual Studio has evolved from a traditional model to a more seamless integration with Git and current collaborative tools.

Visual Studio 2017

In Visual Studio 2017, the IDE offered source control integration primarily through the Team Explorer window. VS 2017 supported Git and also Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC, Microsoft’s centralized control system) via Team Explorer, allowing you to clone repositories, perform pull/push, commits, view histories, etc., although the interface was somewhat tied to the “Team Projects” concept from TFS/Azure DevOps. At the time, it worked, but many users felt the Git workflow could be more intuitive.

With Visual Studio 2019...

Microsoft shifted towards a “Git-first” approach. The first thing you notice is that when opening VS 2019, the start window prominently displays the option to “Clone or check out code from a repository”. This reflects the expectation that many projects will begin by cloning from GitHub, Azure DevOps, or similar services. VS 2019 initially retained Team Explorer, but starting with version 16.8 introduced a new integrated Git experience: a Git button in the main menu bar and a dedicated window for Git version control (separate from Team Explorer). This new interface simplifies common operations: for example, you can switch branches directly from the bottom status bar of Visual Studio with a single click, clearly view which pending changes (staged/unstaged) you have in the Repository View, and make commits or stash without leaving the editor. Many of these workflows are inspired by popular tools like Visual Studio Code or GitKraken, bringing their simplicity into Visual Studio. During VS 2019’s lifecycle, this functionality was under development, but by VS 2022 it was fully consolidated.

With Visual Studio 2022...

It comes with Git integration refined from the start. The Git menu in VS 2022 offers commands to create new branches, sync with remote origins, resolve pull requests, view commit history, and even a commit graph view to visualize the current branch in relation to merges and other changes. This is useful for understanding a repository’s branch history directly within the IDE. Additionally, Git operations are faster thanks to internal improvements; for example, handling a large repository with many branches is more efficient in VS 2022 than in VS 2019, partly due to enhancements like the commit graph, which optimizes repository information retrieval. Another new feature is the ability to start a Pull Request for GitHub or Azure DevOps directly from Visual Studio 2022 (requires an extension or connection, but the integration is designed for team workflows). On top of that, VS 2022 makes code reviews easier: there’s an official GitHub Extension for VS that integrates well, but even without it, the IDE allows comparing changes (diffs) with good visualization, commenting on sections of code, etc., to support review before committing.

In terms of real-time collaboration, Visual Studio Live Share deserves mention. Live Share is a service that allows multiple developers to work together on the same codebase in real time, even sharing debugging sessions. It was initially launched as an extension during VS 2017, but in Visual Studio 2019 it began to be installed by default (especially in VS 2019 Community and above). This means that with VS 2019, anyone can start a Live Share session and send a link to a colleague to join; that colleague, from their own VS (or VS Code), can view and edit files as if they were local, and both can even debug the application together, seeing each other’s pointer in the code. It’s a powerful tool for pair programming, joint reviews, team member support, etc. Visual Studio 2022 includes Live Share as well, and thanks to overall performance improvements, it handles scenarios with multiple participants editing simultaneously better. Live Share in 2022 also added features like seeing the named cursor of who is editing at the moment, integrated text chats, and support for temporary voice sessions (with extensions). So, in terms of live collaboration, VS 2019 and VS 2022 are on par in offering this capability, something VS 2017 only had via an extension in its later stages.

Of course, Visual Studio still offers integration with Microsoft’s development services like Azure DevOps. In versions 2017 and 2019, this was mainly done through Team Explorer, connecting to Azure DevOps projects to view work items, builds, etc. In VS 2022, although Team Explorer is no longer the center of the Git experience, it’s still possible to connect to Azure DevOps; work item or pipeline management is typically done via the web, but VS still lets you link commits to tasks, for example. Authentication has also been simplified: when signing in with a Microsoft or GitHub account in VS 2022, those credentials are applied to the corresponding repositories, making it easier to clone or publish repositories without manually entering tokens.

In Summary...

Visual Studio 2022 offers the most user-friendly and complete version control integration, with Git deeply embedded in the interface, making versioning tasks natural within the IDE’s workflow. VS 2019 took the significant step of adopting Git as the default workflow and already presented most of these capabilities (especially in its latest updates). VS 2017, while it supported Git, did so in a more traditional and less visible way, so the experience can feel more cumbersome compared to the ease brought by 2019 and 2022. For modern teams using GitHub, GitLab, or other Git services, the clear recommendation is to take advantage of VS 2022 or 2019 for their better UX in this area. And for simultaneous collaboration, Live Share makes Visual Studio (from 2019 onwards) a very powerful tool for remote work or real-time mentoring.

Support for Modern Architectures (ARM64 and 64-bit)

The technology landscape evolves not only in software but also in hardware. An important point is how Visual Studio adapted to modern CPU architectures, particularly the rise of ARM64 processors and, as already explained, the IDE’s own transition to 64-bit.

We have already highlighted the fact that Visual Studio 2022 is a 64-bit application, unlike VS 2017/2019 which were 32-bit. This in itself is an adjustment to modern architectures, given that practically all current development machines run 64-bit operating systems and have abundant RAM. Fully leveraging that architecture allowed VS 2022 to remove the memory bottleneck. But beyond that, there’s the matter of ARM processors. In recent years, Windows has expanded into devices with ARM64 CPUs (for example, ultralight laptops with Snapdragon, the Surface Pro X, etc.). Running Visual Studio on these devices was always a challenge, since VS 2017 and VS 2019 had no native versions for ARM; on Windows 10/11 on ARM, they could only run via x86 emulation, with reduced performance.

Visual Studio 2022, starting from version 17.3, introduced a native ARM64 version. This means that if you have a Windows 11 ARM64 machine, you can install Visual Studio 2022 designed specifically to run on that architecture, delivering much better performance than before. Although not all VS workloads were initially available on ARM (for example, the Windows Forms designer took a bit longer to be ported), today VS 2022 offers fairly complete compatibility on ARM, including the ability to build and debug projects directly there. This is crucial looking to the future, where ARM processors (energy-efficient) may become more common.

All VS Versions Allow Development Targeting ARM64

On the other hand, all VS versions allow development targeting ARM64 as a deployment target. That is, even without a native ARM IDE, a developer with VS 2017 or 2019 on a traditional PC could already build applications to run on ARM devices (for example, create an ARM64 C++ executable or publish a Universal Windows Platform app for Windows 10 ARM). Microsoft gradually added cross-compiler support: VS 2017 added compatibility for ARM64 UWP apps in a later update, VS 2019 consolidated the ARM64 option in platform settings for C++ and .NET (especially with .NET 5, which supported ARM64 on Windows and Linux), and VS 2022 obviously supports all targets including ARM64 from the start. For example, when developing a desktop application in C++ with VS 2022, you can compile not only to x86 and x64, but also to ARM64 directly using the appropriate toolset. Likewise, in .NET, with VS 2022 you can choose to publish a self-contained build of your application for Linux ARM64 or Windows ARM64, which is increasingly relevant in IoT and mobile scenarios.

The key difference is the ability to run the IDE itself on those architectures. Visual Studio 2017 and 2019 simply weren’t designed to run natively on an ARM processor, while Visual Studio 2022 is (in recent versions). Thus, we can say that VS 2022 is aligned with modern hardware architectures, both in enabling developers to create software for them and in running on them efficiently. This adaptation to ARM64 complements the transition to 64-bit: both ensure that Visual Studio remains viable on any current machine, whether it’s a powerful desktop PC (where VS 2022 can use 64-bit and more than 32 GB of RAM) or an ultra-portable ARM64 device where efficiency is key (now with a native, optimized VS).

In Summary...

On the architecture front, Visual Studio 2022 is the first in the family to break past limitations (32-bit) and fully embrace emerging platforms (ARM64), while VS 2017 and 2019 run only on the traditional x86 architecture (though they can produce binaries for multiple platforms). This is a factor to consider for developers working with specific hardware: if, for example, you want to program directly on an ARM64 laptop or simply want to ensure you’re ready for any deployment environment, VS 2022 offers that expanded support.

Conclusion

In closing, we can see that Visual Studio 2017, 2019, and 2022 represent a consistent evolution of Microsoft’s IDE, each building upon the achievements of the previous one to adapt to the changing needs of developers and the software industry. Visual Studio 2017 laid the foundation for a more modular, faster environment open to multiple platforms (with the arrival of .NET Core and Xamarin). Visual Studio 2019 refined the experience with significant usability improvements – from an intelligent search interface to code cleanup tools – and boosted collaboration (more user-friendly Git integration, Live Share by default) and support for emerging frameworks of its time (.NET Core 3, etc.). Finally, Visual Studio 2022 marked an architectural and functional leap: by becoming a 64-bit IDE, it removed technical limitations for large-scale projects and incorporated modern features such as IntelliCode AI completing entire lines, hot reload for code changes, and full support for the latest technologies (.NET 6/7, C++20, MAUI, Blazor) as well as current hardware platforms.

For developers, which version to choose?

As of today (2024–2025), Visual Studio 2022 is the recommended version for new projects and active development, as it offers the best performance and compatibility with the latest technology, in addition to continuing to receive support and updates in the immediate future. VS 2019 remains a solid and user-friendly version, suitable if for some reason it’s not possible to migrate immediately to 2022 (for example, in enterprise environments with custom extensions that have not yet been updated). VS 2017, on the other hand, has entered an extended support phase and can already be considered a legacy environment: it is stable for projects that started on it, but lacks many of the optimizations and compatibilities present in its successors, so most development teams have gradually moved away from it.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that the essence of Visual Studio remains. A developer familiar with VS 2017 will find a recognizable environment in 2019 and 2022, only more polished and with new options available. Likewise, someone starting with VS 2022 who later has to use VS 2017 for a day will be able to manage, though perhaps missing some conveniences one quickly gets used to (like global search or integrated Git).

In terms of accessibility for different skill levels...

In these iterations, Visual Studio has bridged the gap for beginners – with clear project templates, IntelliSense/IntelliCode that suggests how to proceed, quick fixes for common errors – while also providing experts with advanced tools to optimize and debug complex code. Each new version has aimed to minimize friction: ensuring that technology is not an obstacle but rather a support for the developer’s creativity and productivity.

Ultimately

The comparison between VS 2017, 2019, and 2022 shows us a path of evolution in the development environment toward faster, more capable software adapted to the current ecosystem. From tangible performance improvements and compatibility with modern projects and devices, to small but valuable additions to the interface and daily tools, Visual Studio has advanced to remain a leading IDE option. Regardless of the version you use, it remains that “Swiss Army knife” for coding – but if you have the choice, Visual Studio 2022 will give you the most modern and efficient incarnation of this development experience. Happy coding!