This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can trysigning in orchanging directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can trychanging directories.
The Visual Studio SDK helps you extend Visual Studio features or integrate new features into Visual Studio. You can distribute your extensions to other users, as well as to the Visual Studio Marketplace. The following are some of the ways in which you can extend Visual Studio:
Add commands, buttons, menus, and other UI elements to the IDE
Add tool windows for new functionality
Extend IntelliSense for a given language, or provide IntelliSense for new programming languages
Use light bulbs to provide hints and suggestions that help developers write better code
Enable support for a new language
Add a custom project type
Reach millions of developers via the Visual Studio Marketplace
If you've never written a Visual Studio extension before, you should find more information about these features and atStarting to develop Visual Studio extensions.
The Visual Studio SDK is an optional feature in Visual Studio setup. You can also install the VSSDK later on. For more information, seeInstall the Visual Studio SDK.
The Visual Studio SDK has some new features such as the synchronously autoloaded extensions warning and VSIX v3 format as well as breaking changes, which may require you to update your extension. For more information, seeWhat's new in the Visual Studio 2019 SDK andWhat's new in the Visual Studio 2017 SDK.
Get great tips for designing the UI for your extension inVisual Studio user experience guidelines.
You can also learn how to make your extension look great on high DPI devices with theAddress DPI issues article.
Take advantage of theImage service and catalog for great image management and support for high DPI and theming.
You can find Visual Studio extensions in theExtensions and Updates dialog on theTools menu. For more information, seeFind and Use Visual Studio Extensions. You can also find extensions in theVisual Studio Marketplace
You can find the Visual Studio SDK API reference atVisual Studio SDK Reference.
You can find open source examples of VSSDK extensions on GitHub atVisual Studio Samples. This GitHub repo contains samples that illustrate various extensible features in Visual Studio.
If you have questions about the VSSDK or want to share your experiences developing extensions, you can use theVisual Studio Extensibility Forum or theExtendVS Gitter Chatroom.
You can find more information in theVSX Arcana blog and a number of blogs written by Microsoft MVPs: