Visual Studio Community 2019 Silent Install (How-To Guide)

Visual Studio Community 2019 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 2019 from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install Visual Studio Community 2019 Silently

Visual Studio Community 2019 Silent Install (EXE)

Navigate to: https://aka.ms/vs/16/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 2019
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\2019\Community" --quiet --norestart`
Download Link:	https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vs_Community.exe
PowerShell Script:	https://silentinstallhq.com/visual-studio-community-2019-install-and-uninstall-powershell/

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 2019 to “C:\vs_Community2019”

vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --installPath C:\vs_Community2019 --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --includeOptional --quiet --norestart

Visual Studio Community 2019 Silent Install Using Response File

Follow Steps 1-6 under “How to Install Visual Studio Community 2019 Silently”
Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
Add the following lines:

{
  "installChannelUri": ".\\ChannelManifest.json",
  "channelUri": "https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/channel",
  "installCatalogUri": ".\\Catalog.json",
  "channelId": "VisualStudio.16.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

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 2019 Silently

Check out the Visual Studio Community 2019 Install and Uninstall (PowerShell) post for a scripted solution.

Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
Enter the following command:

Visual Studio Community 2019 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

vs_setup.exe uninstall --installPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\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.