To install Visual Studio 2022 on a machine without an internet connection, you must first create a "local layout" (a local repository of installation files) on a machine that has internet access. 1. Download the Bootstrapper
Download the bootstrapper for your preferred edition from the Visual Studio 2022 download page: Community: vs_community.exe Professional: vs_professional.exe Enterprise: vs_enterprise.exe 2. Create the Local Layout
Run the bootstrapper via Command Prompt using the --layout parameter to download the necessary files. To download the entire product (approx. 40GB+): vs_enterprise.exe --layout c:\localVSlayout --lang en-US Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard
To download specific workloads (recommended to save space):Use the --add parameter followed by the workload ID. For example, for .NET desktop and C++ development:
vs_professional.exe --layout c:\localVSlayout --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard 3. Transfer the Files visual studio 2022 offline install
Once the download is complete, copy the entire folder (c:\localVSlayout) to the offline computer using an external hard drive or network share. 4. Install on the Offline Machine
On the machine with no internet access, navigate to the folder you copied and run the bootstrapper with the --noWeb parameter to prevent the installer from trying to reach the internet.
vs_professional.exe --noweb --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --includeRecommended Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Key Tips for Success
Install Certificates: If the installer fails to start, navigate to the certificates folder within your layout and manually install the .cer files found there to the Trusted Root Certification Authorities. To install Visual Studio 2022 on a machine
Minimal Layouts: For regular updates, you can use the Minimal Layout tool to download only what has changed.
Documentation: For a complete list of workload IDs (e.g., Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb), refer to the official Visual Studio workload ID guide.
Which workloads (e.g., .NET, C++, Python) do you need to include in your offline installer?
Create an offline installation - Visual Studio (Windows) - Microsoft Learn Prerequisites
Here’s a breakdown of the offline install feature for Visual Studio 2022, including why you’d use it, how it works, and key commands.
vs_enterprise.exe --layout C:\vs_offline\vs2022_layout ^
--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop ^
--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop ^
--lang en-US
Visual Studio is updated frequently. To update your offline installation media for future use, you do not need to redownload everything from scratch.
.exe file you downloaded (e.g., vs_community.exe).cd command to navigate to the directory where the bootstrapper file is located.C:\VS2022Offline with the path where you want to save the files.For the Community Edition:
vs_community.exe --layout C:\VS2022Offline
For the Professional Edition:
vs_professional.exe --layout C:\VS2022Offline