Microsoft has been working on Visual Studio 2022 version 17.0 for quite some time now. Currently, their latest Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is running on Visual Studio 2022 version 17.0 Preview 4.1. It also includes Visual C++ Redistributables 2022. You can download it using the direct download links given down below.
Since it is a Preview release, Microsoft suggests that you do not run it in the production environment, but rather use it for testing purposes only. However, we will only be discussing on how you can install Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 only, while not having to deal with the entire Visual Studio 2022.
Update: Microsoft has released the Visual Studio 2022 stable version. We are updating this post with Visual C++ redistributable 2022 direct download links.
This release is not “go-live” and not intended for use on production computers or for creating production code.
Microsoft
Visual Studio 2022 brings in some significant improvements and changes as compared to its older versions. For one, they have now shifted to a 64-Bit architecture from the previous 32-Bit architecture, allowing it to work more efficiently while being lightweight.
Table of Contents
Continue reading to download and learn how to install Visual C++ 2022.
Download and install Visual C++ 2022
Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 Direct Download Links
Here are the direct download links for Visual C++ Redistributable 2022:
Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 for 64-bit systems
Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 for 32-bit systems
Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 for ARM64 systems
The process involves installing a Visual Studio 2022 version 170.0 Preview 4.1 component alongside C++ Redistributable. However, you can then delete the component afterward while maintaining the Visual C++ 2022 on your computer. Here is how to do so:
Install Visual Studio 2022
- Download the Visual Studio Community installer and then run the .exe file by double-clicking it.
- You will be prompted with a notification. Click Continue.
- The wizard will then download a small file and move onto the next screen automatically. Now switch to the Individual Components tab from the top of the wizard.
- Search for “redistributable” from the search box at the top. Next, check the box next to C++ 2022 Redistributable Update, and click Install.
- The installation process of Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 will now begin. However, the “MSBuild tools” component will also be installed by default alongside it.
Although the additional component is only 103 MBs in size, you can still delete it by performing the following steps:
- Run the downloaded .exe file which was used earlier to install VS 2022. You will be prompted with a notification. Click Continue.
- The Visual Studio Installer will now launch and you will see Visual Studio Build Tools 2022 already installed. Click More and then click Uninstall.
- In the confirmation dialog box, click OK.
You will now have both Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 x86 and x64 installed on your computer with no Visual Studio 2022, or any of its components. You can confirm this through Programs and Features:
What’s new in Visual Studio 2022 version 17 Preview 4.1
Microsoft is now headed towards a new direction with Visual Studio. VS 2022 is now based on 64-bit architecture, which means it will not be bound to only 4GBs of RAM – but more! Therefore increasing its performance. Users will now be able to execute, debug, and edit their code simultaneously without having to wait for one task to finish.
There are other improvements in Visual Studio 2022 as well which can be discussed further:
Changes to User Interface
Microsoft is now aiming for everyone to be able to use Visual Studio. The User Interface (UI) has been redesigned to make it more user-friendly with a modernized touch. They have also made the following changes:
- Icons have been updated for more clarity and a better contrast.
- A new font has been introduced named “Cascadia Code” which is a fixed-width font for better readability and ligature support.
- Improved product themes.
- Accessibility Insights has been integrated to detect accessibility issues before end-users come across them.
A more personalized environment
More options have been added so that each developer can customize their environment to whatever they are more comfortable with. Microsoft believes that true productivity cannot come if you are uneasy with your surroundings.
Now everyone can customize their Visual Studio IDE to their liking till everything is just right.
Easier integration with Azure
VS 2022 will make it easier for developers to build cloud-based applications with predefined repositories The repositories will be made up of opinionated code showing the patterns in action, infrastructure-as-code assets to provision the Azure resources, and pre-built GitHub workflows setting up a developer with a complete CI/CD solution when the first project is created.
.NET 6 support
Visual Studio 2022 will have complete support for .NET 6 is a unified framework for web, client, and mobile apps. This includes the .NET Multi-platform App UI for cross-platform client apps on Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS.
C++20
Visual Studio 2022 will also include support for the C++ workload with the new productivity feature C++20 tooling, and IntelliSense.
To learn more about the exciting changes in Visual Studio 2022 version 17 Preview 4.1, read the release notes.
Verdict
Visual Studio comes in 3 different editions: Community, Professional, and Enterprise. Community is the free version that everyone can benefit from. However, Professional and Enterprise versions are licensed and need to be purchased.
Moreover, Visual C++ Redistributable 2022 is backward-compatible (2015-2022). Meaning, anything developed with C++ 2015 can run using C++ 2022. However, vice versa is not true.
