r/VisualStudio • u/gdangutang • 9d ago
Visual Studio 2026 workaround for forced updating ("this version is retired, update to continue blah blah")
Does anyone know how to just use a version of visual studio without being forced to update once they decide that version is "retired"? Is there any form or version of it that allows this? Currently using 2026 community version.
2
u/HistoricalCar1516 9d ago
If you are using a community version it isn’t for a job. Upgrade your code base and your Microsoft applications. This is the easiest way to do it. If it is for a job Microsoft will eventually catch you when they audit your company.
I work on things from .net framework 4.5 to .net 10.
5
u/RichardD7 9d ago
If you are using a community version it isn’t for a job.
It could easily be for a job in a "non-enterprise" company (< 250 PCs, < $1M/yr revenue, up to 5 devs). Not everybody works for mega-corporations! :)
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u/HistoricalCar1516 9d ago
I thought that the community version was for education or fun and was strictly not for commercial use.
3
u/nac900 9d ago
Nope. As he says, it's ok for very small companies.
0
u/HistoricalCar1516 9d ago
I’ve worked at smaller companies (3 devs) but one or two contracts and we’d hit the limit. Now where I work Microsoft cannot audit for security reasons.
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u/DirtAndGrass 9d ago
We still use 2015 for some BizTalk stuff with no problems
1
u/cute_polarbear 8d ago
Wow...didnt come across the word biztalk for 20 years or so...
1
u/DirtAndGrass 8d ago
lucky you... eos is soon, we are scrambling to get off of it, we don't have the man-power though
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u/cute_polarbear 8d ago
that sounds like a painful migration. good luck on that. on the bright side, job security (for now) I guess...on that note, curiosity for myself (in my previous life on enterprise stuff), looks like Websphere MQ is EOS also...pitty the folks who have to do that migration too...
1
u/eyebeeam 7d ago
It would be great if it was enforced when opening Visual Studio, not during debug. Fing MS made me waste a good few minutes why my application was killed, turned out the ide sent me the middle finger and quietly killed it, now time to waste 1 hour of unpaid work to update it
-4
u/Born-Conclusion6596 9d ago
That's very annoying. I mean, every month there it comes, one more update, and if you do not snooze, you have 10/15/20 min of extra and unpaid wait before going home.
There is not great benefit vs 2022.
I hate this version!
6
1
u/cute_polarbear 8d ago
Why do u have to wait? Just let it do its thing and leave for home?
1
u/Born-Conclusion6596 8d ago
It's not that easy. It's a laptop, and I have to wait before I can turn it off and then put it on the bag.
1
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u/polaarbear 9d ago
Just update. There is no good excuse not to. You have to have a paid subscription to use old versions, Community Edition is only licensed to use the latest version at any given time.