Run the downloaded .exe file. The Visual Studio Installer application will launch.
The 2017 edition moved away from the massive "all-in-one" installs of the past. Its standout features include:
The core editor can be installed with a minimal footprint of only a few hundred MBs, making it useful as a basic text editor with advanced IntelliSense.
Since Visual Studio 2017 is an older version, you cannot find it on the main Microsoft Visual Studio landing page easily. You must access the legacy archives. visual studio 2017 community installer
(No quotation marks in actual usage, just in the explanation.)
Microsoft’s official branding at the time was , so the most accurate full name is:
: Complete support for C#, Visual Basic, F#, C++, Python, Node.js, and HTML/JavaScript . Run the downloaded
: Instead of a monolithic install, you select specific "Workloads" (e.g., .NET desktop development, Web development with ASP.NET, Game development with Unity) to install only the components you need .
: Optimized to reduce startup time and solution load times, with the first launch reported to be at least 50% faster than earlier versions . Core IDE Features Included
: Built-in source control support for GitHub and Azure DevOps . Its standout features include: The core editor can
Although it has been succeeded by newer versions (2019, 2022), many developers still rely on 2017 for legacy project maintenance or specific environment requirements.
: You can add or remove individual components or entire workloads at any time after the initial installation .