Microsoft confirmed the next release of its signature IDE will be faster, more approachable, more intelligent, and 64-bit…getting rid of out-of-memory exceptions. 

Recently, Microsoft announced the release of the new version of Visual Studio which many developers see as an overdue upgrade. Visual Studio 2022 comes with loads of new features and improvements in performance which I will shed more light on in this article. From the major improvements to the least significant additions, the following are 10 new features in Microsoft Visual Studio 2022. 

#1. 64-bit Visual Studio  

The 64-bit upgrade is one of the latest additions to the new version of Visual Studio. The shift from 32-bit to 64-bit is a big leap aimed at improving the app’s overall performance. This means developers using Visual Studio are no longer limited to ~4gb memory.  According to Microsoft, the highlight of Visual Studio 2022 is the 64-bit feature which is going to make the app “faster, more approachable, and more lightweight”. The strategy behind moving the main devenv.exe process from 32-bit to 64-bit is to ameliorate productivity by providing a larger memory which gives developers more room to edit and debug huge and complex solutions. However, the IDE does not affect the bitness of the applications built on it and it still supports 32-bit apps. In a demo released by Microsoft, Visual Studio 2022 was able to open up a solution that consisted of 1,600 projects and almost 300,000 files. 

#2. A Smarter AI Engine (IntelliCode) 

IntelliCode is Visual Studio’s machine learning and AI engine that provides contextual suggestions while devs write code. The whole line completion is the latest upgrade of this feature. In Visual Studio 2022, IntelliCode is smarter at predicting chunks of code and automatically completing sentences. The AI suggests the next chunk of code to the right of the cursor based on the current context. Just like in the earlier VS versions, IntelliCode covers various programming languages and runs on the local machine while it’s being used. With the aid of a large-scale transformer model, trained on about 500,000 public open-source repositories from GitHub, IntelliCode in Visual Studio 2022 now makes more accurate inline suggestions. In addition, the AI machine combines a robust knowledge of the coding context, learning from the type of code that’s being written, variable names, the IntelliSense list, and functions in nearby code. This is a significant upgrade in Visual Studio aimed at improving flexibility and productivity while coding. Now devs can get a lot done just by using their TAB key! 

#3. .NET 6 and .NET MAUI 

Visual Studio 2022 includes .NET 6 SDK (preview). The .NET 6 feature will enable devs to integrate support for new application types without having to increase the size of the SDK. These new application types include mobile and WebAssembly. The new additions to this workloads feature are list and update verbs. These new capabilities allow devs to build their preferred environment with simple commands and subsequently update it. Dotnet workload list shows installed workloads, while dotnet workload update ensures installed workloads are updated to their newest versions. In addition, for cross-platform client apps on Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS, VS2022 now supports .NET Multi-platform App U (.NET MAUI). Plus, devs can now write desktop apps with ASP.NET Blazor web technologies via .NET MAUI. However, you will need to download from Github the .NET MAUI workload template temporarily.  

#4. Enhanced Code Search 

An important tool for software development is code search. VS2022 allows developers to search outside their loaded scope for code, no matter what code base or repository it’s located in. Now code search can serve devs better when sharing code, investigating issues, learning from other devs, and adding changes.  

#5. Modernized UI 

The Visual Studio 2022 user interface welcomed some subtle changes aimed at reducing crowding, hence making the user interface more friendly. One of these changes is Focus Mode, a new feature in VS2022 targeted at enhancing productivity by allowing devs more control over their notifications and distractions. There are also cosmetic upgrades designed to decrease complexity and cognitive load. For example, icons and product themes in Visual Studio 2022 have been updated to enhance legibility and contrast. Moreover, Microsoft has integrated a new fixed-width font called “Cascadia Code” into VS2022. Cascadia was designed to support ligature and improve readability. Also, the new version of this Microsoft IDE integrates with Accessibility Insights to help developers build more accessible apps by discovering accessibility issues earlier on before their products get to the end-user. 

#6. Azure Cloud App Support 

Visual Studio 2022 comes with Azure cloud app support which is aimed at simplifying the process of building modern, cloud-based apps. Repos in VS2022 will describe typical app patterns and opinionated code that shows patterns in action. Repos in Azure cloud app support also offer infrastructure-as-code assets to provide Azure resources, pre-built GitHub workflows and actions set up with complete CI/CD solution. Also, to jumpstart coding and debugging, Microsoft has defined in the repository, the required development environment. 

#7. Integration with Git and GitHub 

Visual Studio 2022 offers support for Git and GitHub workflows for easy CI/CD. To deliver better asynchronous collaboration within the IDE, Microsoft integrated in-built checkpoints and logic to guide developers through the merge and review process. This added feature will save time and facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge among devs during the application development process. Microsoft explained VS support for Git and GitHub is aimed at helping developers have higher confidence in the code they deliver. 

#8. Better support for the C++ Workloads 

In Visual Studio 2022, C++ workload is now integrated with productivity features, tools, and IntelliSense. The new C++20 language features make it easier to manage large codebases, while the enhanced diagnostics makes tough problems simpler to debug with concepts and templates. Also, those upgrading to VS2022 will find it easier to build and debug cross-platform apps within the IDE as C++ is now integrated with support for CMake tools, Linux and WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Plus, VS2022 now also offers binary compatibility with the C++ runtime to address the issue of compatibility. 

#9. Real-time Collaboration 

Live Share also gets an upgrade in VS2022. To improve real-time collaboration, Live Share now features integrated text chats. Developers can collaborate, exchange ideas, pair programming, and review code using the newly integrated text chat feature in VS2022. This feature makes context switches irrelevant for collaborations. Additionally, for simplifying repetitive sessions, developers can now use the same link with frequent contacts. Microsoft will subsequently integrate session policies that will establish compliance requirements for collaboration. For example, MS will decide whether read/write terminals should be shareable. 

#10. Enhanced Diagnostic and Debugging 

Developers will see improvements in the performance of the core debugger in VS2022, with new features such as dependent breakpoints for more precise debugging, flame charts in the profiler for spotting repetitive sessions hot paths better, and integrated decompilation experiences. 

Wrapping it Up 

There are more improvements in Visual Studio 2022 that devs should look forward to. With the accessibility improvements and other refinements, it is clear that Microsoft is dedicated to working with developers to deliver a better code editor. 

Amanda Silver, corporate vice president of the developer product division in Microsoft confirmed that Visual Studio 2022 was largely shaped by several surveys and direct feedback to the company provided by the developer community. For more details on what’s new on Visual Studio 2022, check out the full announcement on Microsoft Devblog.