Visual Studio Community 2017 is a free, fully-featured IDE for students, open-source and individual developers. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Visual Studio Community 2017 from the command line using the EXE installer.
How to Install Visual Studio Community 2017 Silently
Visual Studio Community 2017 Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/vs_Community.exe
- Download the vs_Community.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
- Enter the following command to extract the setup files:
vs_Community.exe --layout .\vs_Community
- Press Enter
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\vs_Community folder
- Enter the following command:
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --includeOptional --quiet --norestart
- Press Enter
After several minutes you will find Visual Studio entries in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
Software Title: | Visual Studio Community 2017 |
Vendor: | Microsoft Corporation |
Architecture: | x86_x64 |
Installer Type: | EXE |
Silent Install Switch: | vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Silent Uninstall Switch: | vs_setup.exe uninstall --installPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community" --quiet --norestart |
Download Link: | https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/vs_Community.exe |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Change Default Installation Directory
You can change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing Visual Studio Community 2017 to “C:\vs_Community2017”
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --installPath C:\vs_Community2017 --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Visual Studio Community 2017 Silent Install Using Response File
- Follow Steps 1-6 under “How to Install Visual Studio Community 2017 Silently”
- Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
- Add the following lines:
{
"installChannelUri": ".\\ChannelManifest.json",
"channelUri": "https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/channel",
"installCatalogUri": ".\\Catalog.json",
"channelId": "VisualStudio.15.Release",
"productId": "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Product.Community",
"includeRecommended": true,
"includeOptional": true,
"quiet": true,
"norestart": true,
"addProductLang": [
"en-US"
],
"add": [
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Azure",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Data",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.DataScience",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedGame",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeCrossPlat",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeGame",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeMobile",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCoreTools",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCrossPlat",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Node",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Office",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Python",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Universal",
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VisualStudioExtension"
]
}
- Save the file to C:\Downloads\vs_Community and name it: CustomInstall.json
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\vs_Community folder
- Enter the following command:
vs_setup.exe --quiet --nocache --wait --in C:\Downloads\vs_Community\CustomInstall.json
- Press Enter
Visual Studio Core Editor Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor
Description: The Visual Studio core shell experience, including syntax-aware code editing, source code control and work item management
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Azure Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Azure
Description: Azure SDKs, tools, and projects for developing cloud apps and creating resources using .NET Core and .NET Framework. Also includes tools for containerizing your application, including Docker support
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Azure;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Data Storage and Processing Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Data
Description: Connect, develop, and test data solutions with SQL Server, Azure Data Lake, or Hadoop
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Data;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Data Science and Analytical Applications Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.DataScience
Description: Languages and tooling for creating data science applications, including Python and F#
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.DataScience;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
.NET Desktop Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop
Description: Build WPF, Windows Forms, and console applications using C#, Visual Basic, and F# with .NET Core and .NET Framework
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Game Development with Unity Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedGame
Description: Create 2D and 3D games with Unity, a powerful cross-platform development environment
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedGame;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Linux Development with C++ Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeCrossPlat
Description: Create and debug applications running in a Linux environment
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeCrossPlat;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Desktop Development with C++ Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop
Description: Build modern C++ apps for Windows using tools of your choice, including MSVC, Clang, CMake, or MSBuild
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Game Development with C++ Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeGame
Description: Use the full power of C++ to build professional games powered by DirectX, Unreal, or Cocos2d
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeGame;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Mobile Development with C++ Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeMobile
Description: Build cross-platform applications for iOS, Android or Windows using C++
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeMobile;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
.NET Core Cross-Platform Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCoreTools
Description: Build cross-platform applications using .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, HTML/JavaScript, and Containers including Docker support
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCoreTools;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Mobile Development with .NET Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCrossPlat
Description: Build cross-platform applications for iOS, Android or Windows using Xamarin
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetCrossPlat;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
ASP.NET and Web Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb
Description: Build web applications using ASP.NET Core, ASP.NET, HTML/JavaScript, and Containers including Docker support
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Node.js Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Node
Description: Build scalable network applications using Node.js, an asynchronous event-driven JavaScript runtime
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Node;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Office/SharePoint Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Office
Description: Create Office and SharePoint add-ins, SharePoint solutions, and VSTO add-ins using C#, VB, and JavaScript
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Office;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Python Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Python
Description: Editing, debugging, interactive development and source control for Python
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Python;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Universal Windows Platform Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Universal
Description: Create applications for the Universal Windows Platform with C#, VB, or optionally C++
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Universal;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
Visual Studio Extension Development Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VisualStudioExtension
Description: Create add-ons and extensions for Visual Studio, including new commands, code analyzers and tool windows
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VisualStudioExtension;includeRecommended;includeOptional --quiet --norestart |
How to Uninstall Visual Studio Community 2017 Silently
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter the following command:
Visual Studio Community 2017 Silent Uninstall (EXE)
vs_setup.exe uninstall --installPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community" --quiet --norestart |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.