To start, you need a small executable file called a bootstrapper. Go to the Visual Studio Downloads page and download the version you need: Professional Enterprise 2. Create the Offline Layout
vs_enterprise.exe update --noWeb --installPath "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise" --quiet
| Aspect | Detail | |--------|--------| | | 30–50 GB download to create the ISO (or from Microsoft). Slower than web installer for single machine. | | Requires storage space | ISO needs local storage + another ~30 GB for installation itself. | | Outdated quickly | The ISO is frozen in time. Patches, security fixes, and new features require re-creating or updating the layout. | | Not officially provided for Community | You must manually create an offline layout for VS Community using command line. | | Complex to create | Beginners may struggle with vs_community.exe --layout commands and workload IDs. | | No incremental download | To update, you re-download changed components (can be many GBs). |
A: Visual Studio Code is a separate, lighter product. For VS Code offline, download the .zip or .tar.gz version, not the user installer.
vs_setup.exe --certificatepath C:\certificates
Press Win + X → "Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)".
Once created, you can burn the ISO to a USB drive or DVD, or simply mount it on the target offline machine.
This occurs if the installer is still trying to reach the internet. It may be due to a network configuration issue (proxy/firewall) or an incomplete/invalid layout. Solution: Rebuild your offline layout using the --noweb parameter to ensure it downloads a version that will install with the local files only. Use the feature to capture the correct exact components needed.