Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition Offline Download
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 Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition for offline use, you must first download a small "bootstrapper" file and use it to create a local layout on a machine with internet access. You can then transfer this layout to your offline machine for installation. 1. Download the Bootstrapper
Since Microsoft no longer provides direct ISO images, you must download the initial installer file. Go to the Visual Studio Older Downloads page.
Download the Visual Studio 2019 Community bootstrapper (usually named vs_community.exe). 2. Create the Local Layout (Offline Installer)
Open a Command Prompt with administrator privileges and run the bootstrapper with the --layout parameter.
Full Installation (Warning: can exceed 45GB):vs_community.exe --layout C:\VS2019Layout --lang en-US
Specific Workloads (Recommended to save space):If you only need .NET desktop development, use:vs_community.exe --layout C:\VS2019Layout --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US 3. Install on the Offline Machine
Once the download is complete, copy the entire C:\VS2019Layout folder to the target offline computer.
Install Certificates: Navigate to the certificates folder within your layout and install all certificates (right-click -> Install Certificate) to prevent installation errors.
Run Installer: Run the vs_community.exe file from the layout folder using the --noWeb flag to ensure it doesn't try to connect to the internet.C:\VS2019Layout\vs_community.exe --noWeb System Requirements & Constraints Create an offline installation - Visual Studio (Windows)
Replace en-US with:
Or omit --lang to download all languages (very large).
The command will download all required packages into c:\vs2019_offline.
This can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on your internet speed and selected components. If you want, I can produce a compact
✅ You will see
Download completed successfullywhen done.
Last updated: 2025. For the most current information, especially regarding extended support, refer to Microsoft’s official documentation.
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
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. Or omit --lang to download all languages (very large)
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
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
Microsoft does not provide a single .ISO file for Visual Studio 2019. Instead, you must create a "layout" folder on a machine with internet, then move that folder to your offline machine. 1. Download the Bootstrapper
Go to the Visual Studio older downloads page to get the Visual Studio 2019 Community bootstrapper file (usually named vs_community.exe). 2. Create the Offline Layout
Open Command Prompt as an Administrator and navigate to your download folder. Run one of the following commands to download the files into a local folder (e.g., C:\vslayout):
For everything (very large, ~35-45GB):vs_community.exe --layout C:\vslayout
For .NET Desktop & Web development only (~5-10GB):vs_community.exe --layout C:\vslayout --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.ManagedDesktop --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NetWeb --lang en-US
For C++ Desktop development:vs_community.exe --layout C:\vslayout --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop --includeRecommended --lang en-US 3. Install on the Offline Machine
Copy the entire C:\vslayout folder to your offline computer. The command will download all required packages into
Install Certificates: Open the Certificates folder inside your layout and install every certificate found there.
Run Installer: Open Command Prompt as Administrator on the offline machine, navigate to the folder, and run:vs_community.exe --noWeb
The --noWeb flag is critical; it forces the installer to use local files only. 💡 Quick Tips
Path Length: Keep your layout path under 80 characters to avoid errors.
Sign-In: Community edition requires a one-time sign-in every 30 days. You may need to briefly connect to the internet once a month to refresh the license.
Fixing Layouts: If the download was interrupted, run the command again with --fix to repair missing files.
Microsoft does not provide a single large ISO file for VS2019 Community. Instead, you download a small bootstrapper (vs_community.exe) and then use command-line arguments to pull the full offline layout.
Locate Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition and download vs_community.exe.
Alternatively, if you cannot access the older downloads page, use this direct bootstrapper (if still valid):
https://download.visualstudio.microsoft.com/download/pr/f3fec1ec-7dfa-49c8-843a-3e0e6d4659b1/85fef6b2daa07e3c3b3e4b8c1f0d6e3b/vs_community.exe
(Note: Hashes and URLs may change – always verify against Microsoft’s official site.)
Microsoft does not provide a direct ISO for VS2019 Community. Instead, you use the small web installer to create an offline folder.
⚠️ Do not use the “Visual Studio 2022” link – that’s a newer major version.
The tool will download all required packages, manifests, and the installer engine. This can take 1-3 hours depending on your internet speed. The final folder will contain:
💡 Tip: If interrupted, simply re-run the same command – it resumes downloads.