Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silent Install (How-To Guide)

Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 supports running automated tests and load tests remotely. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silently

Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vs_TestAgent.exe
  2. Download the vs_TestAgent.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  3. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  4. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  5. Enter the following command to extract the setup files:
    • vs_TestAgent.exe --layout .\vs_TestAgent
  6. Press Enter
  7. Navigate to the C:\Downloads\vs_TestAgent folder
  8. Enter the following command:
    • vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --quiet --norestart
  9. 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 Test Agent 2019
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\2019\TestAgent" --quiet --norestart
Download Link:https://aka.ms/vs/16/release/vs_TestAgent.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 Test Agent 2019 to “C:\vs_TestAgent2019”

vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --installPath C:\vs_TestAgent2019 --allWorkloads --includeRecommended --quiet --norestart

Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silent Install Using Response File

  • Follow Steps 1-6 under “How to Install Visual Studio Test Agent 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.TestAgent",

  "includeRecommended": true,
  "quiet": true,
  "norestart": true,

  "addProductLang": [
    "en-US"
    ],

    "add": [
        "Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.TestAgent"
    ]
}
  • Save the file to C:\Downloads\vs_TestAgent 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_TestAgent folder
  • Enter the following command:
    • vs_setup.exe --quiet --nocache --wait --in C:\Downloads\vs_TestAgent\CustomInstall.json
  • Press Enter

Test Agent Silent Install

ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.TestAgent
Description:
Supports running automated tests and load tests remotely

vs_setup.exe --nocache --wait --noUpdateInstaller --noWeb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.TestAgent;includeRecommended --quiet --norestart

How to Uninstall Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silently

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

Visual Studio Test Agent 2019 Silent Uninstall (EXE)

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

Jason Bergner

I am an accomplished Software Engineer at Patch My PC, leveraging more than 18 years of hands-on experience in Configuration Manager administration and application packaging. I am driven by a genuine passion for solving complex problems and consistently strive to discover innovative and effective solutions. Sharing my extensive knowledge of application deployments is a true joy for me, and I am honored to contribute to the community here at Silent Install HQ.

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