Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 allows you to build native and managed applications like WPF, WinForms, and Win32 with syntax-aware code editing, source code control, and work item management. It includes support for C#, Visual Basic, and Visual C++. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 from the command line using the EXE installer.
How to Install Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 Silently
Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/vs_WDExpress.exe
- Download the vs_WDExpress.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_WDExpress.exe --layout .\vs_WDExpress
- Press Enter
- Navigate to the C:\Downloads\vs_WDExpress folder
- Enter the following command:
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --quiet --norestart
- Press Enter
After a few 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 Desktop Express 2017 |
| Vendor: | Microsoft Corporation |
| Architecture: | x86_x64 |
| Installer Type: | EXE |
| Silent Install Switch: | vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --quiet --norestart |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | vs_setup.exe uninstall --installPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\WDExpress" --quiet --norestart |
| Download Link: | https://aka.ms/vs/15/release/vs_WDExpress.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 Desktop Express 2017 to “C:\vs_WDExpress2017”
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --installPath C:\vs_WDExpress2017 --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --quiet --norestart |
Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 Silent Install Using Response File
- Follow Steps 1-6 under “How to Install Visual Studio Desktop Express 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.WDExpress",
"includeRecommended": true,
"quiet": true,
"norestart": true,
"addProductLang": [
"en-US"
],
"add": [
"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.WDExpress"
]
}- Save the file to C:\Downloads\vs_WDExpress 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_WDExpress folder
- Enter the following command:
vs_setup.exe --quiet --nocache --wait --in C:\Downloads\vs_WDExpress\CustomInstall.json
- Press Enter
Express for Windows Desktop Silent Install
ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.WDExpress
Description: Build Native and Managed applications like WPF, WinForms and Win32 with syntax-aware code editing, source code control,
and work item management. Includes support for C#, Visual Basic, and Visual C++
vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.WDExpress;includeRecommended --quiet --norestart |
How to Uninstall Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 Silently
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter the following command:
Visual Studio Desktop Express 2017 Silent Uninstall (EXE)
vs_setup.exe uninstall --installPath "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\WDExpress" --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.