New release cadence and support lifecycle for Microsoft C++ Build Tools - C++ Team Blog (original) (raw)

Starting with Visual Studio 2026, we are introducing a new support lifecycle for the Microsoft C++ (MSVC) Build Tools. We are also updating the MSVC release cadence.

As Visual Studio moves to a Modern Lifecycle with monthly feature updates and an annual new version, decoupling the compiler from the IDE offers you the best of both worlds – rapid iteration in the IDE and predictable, long-term stability for the build tools. This approach brings you the latest C++ advancements across both IDE and build tools while helping you maintain secure and compliant build environments, with enterprise-grade support, and flexible upgrades at your own pace.

In this post, we outline the key changes, what stays the same, and how we will help your organization with this transition.

Summary of the MSVC release and support lifecycle changes

Visual Studio 2026 version 18.0 released November 11 with MSVC version 14.50. This version of MSVC will be a long-term support release (LTS).

What’s changing?

• Starting with this release, we are separating the lifecycle of MSVC from Visual Studio and adopting the Modern Lifecycle Policy.
  • These changes are specific to the Microsoft C++ Build Tools, which is the collection of Windows C++ compiler tools (e.g., cl.exe, link.exe), C and C++ libraries (STL, ATL/MFC, OpenMP, etc.), and VC Runtime redistributable files. These components are usually installed under [VS Folder]\VC\Tools\MSVC\14.NN.NNNNN\.
• Cadence: MSVC will ship a new release every six months (in May and November), as part of the Visual Studio monthly feature update released on the Stable channel, with 9 months of support.
• Long-Term Support (LTS): Every two years, we will designate the November release as an MSVC LTS release, receiving 3 years of support with bug fixes, security updates, and compatibility improvements.
• Availability: All releases, including MSVC previews, will be available on the Stable Channel and the Insiders Channel for users to opt-in.

The following diagram depicts what our MSVC release schedule may look like for the upcoming years.

Image: MSVC release cadence and support lifecycle (Illustrative timeline only: actual release dates are subject to change and will be officially announced through our regular channels)

What stays the same?

• MSVC acquisition in Visual Studio: Visual Studio will continue to be the primary way to install MSVC using both the full Visual Studio IDE install or the Visual Studio Build Tools install.
• Access to multiple versions of MSVC: Visual Studio continues to offer multiple MSVC versions, including unsupported ones for a limited time, allowing you to update your IDE while independently installing the build tools versions your project require.
• C++ binary compatibility: MSVC 14.50 will continue to be ABI compatible with MSVC versions dating back to Visual Studio 2015, allowing your team to more easily migrate between MSVC versions, independently of your other C++ dependencies.
• C++ Redistributable (VCRedist) follows the lifecycle of the MSVC Build Tools they ship with and continues to be a binary-compatible in-place upgrade (meaning that newer versions of VCRedist will replace older ones without breaking existing applications that were originally built with older versions).
• Support for earlier MSVC releases: The MSVC versions that shipped with Visual Studio 2022 and earlier will continue to be supported according to the lifecycle of Visual Studio in which they first shipped. The new modern support lifecycle applies only to MSVC version 14.50 and up.
• Support for other VS components: No other components installed by Visual Studio e.g., other toolsets, libraries, SDKs, or frameworks are impacted by this change.

Drivers for change

Previously, MSVC followed Visual Studio’s support policy and release schedule. With Visual Studio 2026, MSVC’s lifecycle will prioritize stability, compliance, and modernization to better serve your needs. This shift allows us to deliver more predictable long-term support, help teams stay compliant with evolving regulations, and simplify upgrades with new tooling, all while reducing fragmentation and investing in secure, modern C++ practices:

• New Visual Studio 2026 release cadence: Visual Studio will now be released monthly rather than quarterly, introducing new productivity features and AI workflows more frequently. As the IDE moves faster, we recognize that most customers won’t benefit from MSVC releases on the same new cadence as the IDE. To reflect this preference for stability, MSVC build tools will have a decoupled, less frequent release schedule. And for anyone that wants to move faster between MSVC versions, you can take advantage of our MSVC Preview releases that will be available in Visual Studio on both Insiders and Stable channels.
• Align with .NET long-term support: .NET is already following a modern lifecycle policy. .NET 10 shipped this November, and it is an LTS release for .NET customers. For simplicity and convenience, we are aligning the MSVC build tools LTS schedule to the .NET LTS schedule by designating our November release (MSVC 14.50) as an LTS release.
• Getting current and compliant: Regulations like CyberEO (US) and CRA (EU) require up-to-date tools to secure the software supply chains. Meeting standards, such as NIST and CISA, means depending on outdated compilers is no longer acceptable. These standards are continually evolving to address new security challenges, making regular tool updates essential to maintain compliance. Updating to the latest tools also enables access to more secure and modern coding practices to tackle current threats.
• More value with less fragmentation: Supporting 10-year-old compilers has become increasingly complex. Focusing on fewer MSVC versions lets us maintain the service and security updates you’ve come to expect while investing more towards improving C++ standards conformance, code safety, and performance.

With these reasons in mind, our goal is to modernize the MSVC lifecycle in a way that encourages agility and innovation while providing the best possible support for your enterprise needs.

Helping your team upgrade

To keep your development environment up-to-date and secure, we recommend adopting a regular toolset upgrade rhythm aligned with our MSVC release cadence. We understand that upgrading can present challenges and comes with costs, especially for teams that haven’t prioritized frequent updates before. Based on your feedback, we’re investing in tools and workflows to make moving to the latest version easier, faster, and more predictable:

• Improved Upgrade Workflow in Visual Studio: Visual Studio 2026 introduces a more flexible upgrade experience called Setup Assistant that decouples toolset upgrades from the initial toolset acquisition experience, streamlining side-by-side installations of missing toolsets.
• The overlap of support windows makes migrations easier, whether you upgrade with every release or stick with LTS. You get a one-year overlap for LTS versions and a three-month overlap for regular releases, giving you time to upgrade while staying supported.
• C++ Binary Compatibility for MSVC 14.50: It’s also easy to incrementally upgrade your solutions, taking full advantage of our ABI compatibility guarantee for MSVC 14.50. You don’t need to rebuild all your projects and all your external dependencies at once. And for your third party open-source dependencies, you can count on the vcpkg package manager to rebuild them using the latest toolset.
• GitHub Copilot app modernization for C++: We’re also introducing a new AI-assisted toolset upgrade experience in Visual Studio as a Private Preview. This new functionality can, for example, adjust project settings, enable new recommended warnings or security flags, and even modify source code to eliminate classes of errors introduced by stricter compliance in our compiler. If you are interested, you can sign up for the Private Preview of our GitHub Copilot app modernization for C++ today.

Looking ahead

Thank you for being a valued C++ customer. If you have any questions about how the new MSVC support lifecycle and release cadence may impact your team, you can reach out to us at vcupgrade@microsoft.com.

With the latest MSVC release alongside Visual Studio 2026, we’re excited to bring you significant performance enhancements, improved standards conformance and enhanced security features. Upgrade to MSVC Build Tools version 14.50 today, try these improvements, and share any suggestions via the Help > Send Feedback experience in Visual Studio.

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Working on the C++ experience for @visualstudio, @code, @visualc compiler & libs, #vcpkg