Technical Report
Subject: Acquisition and Deployment of Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition (Offline Installer)
Date: October 26, 2023
Prepared For: IT Department / System Administrators / Development Team
Purpose: To provide a procedural guide for creating an offline installation package for Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition. This method is essential for deploying the software on machines without internet access or for maintaining a consistent installation baseline across multiple workstations.
vs_community.exe --layout c:\vs2019_offline --lang en-US
Open Command Prompt as Administrator and navigate to the folder containing vs_community.exe. Then run:
vs_community.exe --layout c:\vs2019_offline --lang en-US
Explanation:
--layout : destination folder for offline files.--lang : language pack (e.g., en-US, de-DE, zh-CN). Omit for all languages (very large).--includeRecommended or --includeOptional to pre-download all components.Example with specific workloads (smaller download):
vs_community.exe --layout c:\vs2019_offline --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb --lang en-US
Available workload IDs (partial list):
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.CoreEditor – Core editorMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop – .NET desktop devMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb – ASP.NET web devMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop – C++ desktop devMicrosoft.VisualStudio.Workload.Universal – UWP devvs_community.exe --layout C:\VS2019Offline --lang en-US
vs_community.exe --layout C:\VS2019Offline --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop --lang en-US
C:\VS2019Offline\vs_community.exe --noweb
If you want, I can produce a compact script that creates a layout with a specific set of workloads and estimates disk usage based on those choices—tell me which workloads you need (e.g., .NET desktop, ASP.NET, C++, Python).
To download and install Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition offline, you must create a "local layout." Microsoft no longer provides a single .ISO file; instead, you download a small bootstrapper and use command-line arguments to download the full installation files. Phase 1: Download the Bootstrapper Basic command (all languages & features – very
You need the initial setup file for Visual Studio 2019 Community. Go to the Visual Studio Older Downloads page.
Expand the 2019 section and download the Community edition.
Rename the downloaded file to vs_community.exe for easier use in the next steps. Phase 2: Create the Offline Layout
Run these commands on a computer with a reliable internet connection. Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Navigate to the folder where you saved vs_community.exe.
Execute the following command to download all workloads and languages (this can exceed 35 GB): vs_community.exe --layout C:\vs2019layout Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard
Recommended (Partial Download): To save space, download only specific languages or workloads (e.g., English and .NET desktop development):
vs_community.exe --layout C:\vs2019layout --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Phase 3: Install on the Offline Machine
Once the download is complete, transfer the C:\vs2019layout folder to your offline computer using a USB drive or network share.
Install Certificates (Required): Open the certificates folder inside your layout directory and install each certificate (usually by right-clicking and selecting "Install Certificate") to ensure the installer is trusted without an internet connection.
Run the Installer: Run the setup file from your layout folder using the --noWeb parameter to force it to use local files: C:\vs2019layout\vs_community.exe --noWeb Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Step 2: Create the Offline Layout Open Command
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Important Notes
Sign-in Requirement: Even for the Community Edition, you may occasionally need to connect to the internet to sign in and refresh your "free" license.
Disk Space: Ensure the destination drive on both machines has enough space; a full layout for VS 2019 is approximately 35-50 GB.
How to download Visual studio 2019 offline installer - Stack Overflow
After installation, verify the version:
For more details, refer to the official guide:
Create an offline installation of Visual Studio 2019
By following this guide, you will have a reliable offline installer for Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition, ready for air-gapped networks or repeated deployments.
Downloading Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition for offline use is a critical move for developers working in environments with limited internet, air-gapped systems, or those who need a reliable, repeatable installation across multiple machines.
While Microsoft primarily promotes its web-based Visual Studio Installer, you can easily create a "local layout" to install the IDE without an active connection. Why Choose an Offline Installation?
Unreliable Internet: Prevents installation failures caused by bandwidth fluctuations or dropped connections. By following this guide
Speed: Installing from a local drive or high-speed network share is significantly faster than downloading 20GB+ of data for every machine.
Security: Essential for secure, air-gapped environments that do not allow outside web access.
Consistency: Ensures every developer on a team is using the exact same version and toolset. Pre-Installation Requirements
Before you begin, ensure your target machine meets these official system requirements:
OS: Windows 10 (version 1703+), Windows 7 SP1 (with latest updates), or Windows Server 2016/2019. Processor: 1.8 GHz or faster (Quad-core recommended). RAM: Minimum 2 GB (8 GB recommended).
Storage: 800 MB to 210 GB, depending on features. An SSD is highly recommended for performance. Step-by-Step: Creating Your Offline Installer
Creating an offline installer involves two phases: downloading the "bootstrapper" on a machine with internet access and then using command-line arguments to download the actual installation files. 1. Download the Bootstrapper Install Visual Studio 2019 with Offline Installer
Here is the information and the necessary links to download Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition offline (ISO/Offline Installer).
Open Command Prompt as Administrator (or PowerShell) and navigate to where vs_community.exe is saved.
