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At a Glance: Minimum, Recommended, and Optimal
Microsoft’s minimum requirements are technically accurate but somewhat optimistic about what you can get done on them. The recommended column is what they suggest for day-to-day professional work; optimal is the configuration Microsoft quotes as best-in-class for the IDE — their words, not marketing copy.
Microsoft is clear that VS 2026 runs best on Windows 11 with 64 GB RAM and a 16-core CPU or better, and that it outperforms VS 2022 on equivalent hardware. Worth knowing before you start: typical installations sit between 20 and 50 GB, but the total can reach 210 GB if you install every available workload.
Supported Operating Systems
VS 2026 is 64-bit only — there’s no 32-bit installer and ARM32 isn’t supported. It runs on Windows 10 as well as Windows 11, which surprises some people, and three generations of Windows Server are also in scope.
| Operating System | Supported Editions | ARM64 |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 | Home, Pro, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, Enterprise, Education | ✓ Yes |
| Windows 10 | Home, Professional, Education, Enterprise (supported versions only) | ✕ No |
| Windows Server 2025 | Standard, Datacenter | — |
| Windows Server 2022 | Standard, Datacenter | — |
| Windows Server 2019 | Standard, Datacenter | — |
Windows 10 ARM64 is not supported. Windows 10 on x64 is supported, but Windows 10 on ARM hardware is not. Windows 11 ARM64 is fully supported. If you’re running Windows 10 on an ARM device, upgrading to Windows 11 is required before installing VS 2026.
Configurations that won’t work
A few setups trip people up, particularly in corporate or managed environments. These aren’t obscure edge cases:
| Configuration | Notes |
|---|---|
| Windows in S mode | Cannot install unsigned applications; VS 2026 will not install |
| Windows Enterprise LTSC | Not supported for running VS 2026 (can still target LTSC in builds) |
| Windows IoT Core / Enterprise IoT | Not supported as a host OS |
| Non-persistent virtual machines | VMs without a persistent full Windows OS are not supported |
| App-V / MSIX virtualization | Application virtualization wrappers are not supported |
| Shared VDI / pooled hosts | Multiple simultaneous users on the same machine are not supported |
| FSLogix roaming profiles | Not supported |
| Administrator protection mode | Some development scenarios require running VS as administrator — incompatible with this mode |
Hardware Requirements in Detail
Processor
AMD64/x64 and ARM64 are both supported; ARM32 is not. Microsoft recommends quad-core as a minimum you’d actually want to use day-to-day, and cites 16 cores or more as where performance really opens up. That’s not surprising — when you’ve got a build running, analysers firing, and Copilot doing its thing simultaneously, core count matters more than clock speed.
RAM
The technical minimum is 4 GB. Microsoft’s recommended figure for typical professional solutions is 16 GB, and their optimal spec is 64 GB. Those aren’t arbitrary numbers — the IDE earns it.
8 GB is workable if you’re running a single workload on a modest codebase and you’re selective about which Copilot features you keep active. Once you’re juggling .NET web and desktop workloads together, or running VS alongside Docker, browser dev tools, and a database, 8 GB starts to show. 16 GB is the comfortable baseline for most professional .NET development. Beyond that, the returns are real but more incremental — you’d notice the jump from 8 to 16 more than from 16 to 32.
Windows 365 requirements: If you’re running VS 2026 in a Windows 365 cloud PC, Microsoft requires a minimum of 2 vCPU and 8 GB RAM, with 4 vCPU and 16 GB recommended.
Storage
The 2.5 GB minimum only applies to the most stripped-down installation possible — not something you’d actually develop on. A realistic single-workload install sits around 20–50 GB. Stack up web, desktop, C++, mobile, and data workloads and you can push 210 GB. That’s not a gotcha, just worth knowing before you install on a machine with a small system drive. SSD is strongly recommended by Microsoft, and if you’ve ever waited for a large solution to load on a spinning disk, you’ll understand why.
Display
Minimum is 1366 × 768 at 100% Windows scaling. If you’re on a HiDPI display with scaling set higher than 100%, the physical resolution needs to be proportionally larger to meet that logical threshold. VS 2026 is genuinely better at 1920 × 1080 or above — there’s a lot of UI to work with, and cramming it into a small viewport makes everything harder than it needs to be.
ARM64: What’s Supported and What Isn’t
VS 2026 runs natively on ARM64, but only on Windows 11 — Windows 10 ARM64 isn’t supported. If you’re on a Surface Pro X or an ARM-based dev machine, the native build is solid for .NET, C#, and standard C++ work. Where it gets complicated is workloads. A fairly significant list isn’t available in the ARM64 build:
The XAML designer also runs in an x86 process on ARM64 rather than natively. None of this is a dealbreaker if your work sits squarely in .NET or C++ — but if Python, Azure, or Office development features in your day-to-day, an x64 machine is still the right call.
Additional Requirements
A few prerequisites are worth knowing before you start the install, particularly in managed or corporate environments:
Administrator rights are required to install and update VS 2026 — standard user accounts won’t get through setup. The installer needs .NET Framework 4.7.2 or above to run, and VS 2026 itself requires .NET Framework 4.8; if 4.8 isn’t present, setup handles it automatically.
If you’re running VS on a Windows 11 machine, turn Smart App Control off. Microsoft explicitly flags it as something that can degrade IDE performance, and it’s worth checking before you install rather than troubleshooting slowness after.
WebView2 in managed environments: the installer requires the WebView2 runtime and will attempt to install it if it’s missing. If Group Policy on your domain restricts WebView2 installation or updates, setup will fail entirely. Worth confirming with your IT team before rolling out to managed machines.
One other change from VS 2022 worth flagging: TFS Office Integration now requires Office 2021 or later. VS 2022 accepted Office 2016; that’s no longer the case.
Side-by-Side Installation with Visual Studio 2022
VS 2026 doesn’t replace VS 2022 — they install and run independently. During setup you’ll be offered the option to import your VS 2022 settings: theme, keyboard shortcuts, window layout, the lot. It’s a good idea to take it; the IDE feels familiar from the first launch rather than needing a week of reconfiguration.
Workloads are managed per installation, so any VS 2022 setup you rely on for legacy projects is unaffected. One useful addition in VS 2026: MSVC build tool versions 14.30–14.43 from VS 2022 are included as optional installer components, which means you can compile older C++ projects from VS 2026 without having to keep a full VS 2022 installation around just for the toolchain.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2026 Professional
Not sure which edition fits your situation? VS 2026 is available in Community (free with restrictions), Professional, and Enterprise. Our Visual Studio 2026 editions guide covers the licence differences and when Community is and isn’t sufficient for commercial work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Visual Studio 2026 run on Windows 10? ▼
Yes. Visual Studio 2026 supports Windows 10 Home, Professional, Education, and Enterprise on x64 hardware. You must be running a currently supported version of Windows 10. Note that Windows 10 ARM64 is not supported — only x64. For the best performance and full ARM64 compatibility, Windows 11 is recommended.
What are the minimum RAM requirements for Visual Studio 2026? ▼
The minimum is 4 GB, though Microsoft recommends 16 GB for typical professional development and cites 64 GB as optimal. For small single-workload projects 8 GB is fine. Once you’re running larger solutions, combining workloads, or keeping Docker and a browser open alongside VS, 16 GB is where things stop feeling cramped.
Can I run Visual Studio 2026 on 8 GB RAM? ▼
Yes, it’ll run. For a single lightweight workload on a modest codebase it’s perfectly usable. Where 8 GB struggles is larger solutions, multiple combined workloads, or if you’re running anything else memory-hungry alongside the IDE. Microsoft’s recommended figure is 16 GB for professional use, and the difference is noticeable rather than marginal.
How much disk space does Visual Studio 2026 require? ▼
The minimum installer footprint is 2.5 GB, but this applies only to a bare-minimum installation. Typical installations with a standard workload selection land at 20–50 GB. If you install multiple workloads — web, desktop, C++, mobile, data — the total can reach up to 210 GB. Microsoft recommends installing Visual Studio on an SSD to improve build and load performance.
Does Visual Studio 2026 support ARM processors? ▼
Visual Studio 2026 supports ARM64 on Windows 11 ARM64. ARM32 processors are not supported. Windows 10 ARM64 is also not supported — ARM64 support is Windows 11 only. Developers on ARM64 hardware should be aware that several workloads are unavailable in the ARM64 build, including Azure development, Python, data science, mobile development with C++, and Office/SharePoint development.
Can I install Visual Studio 2026 alongside Visual Studio 2022? ▼
Yes. Visual Studio 2026 and Visual Studio 2022 install independently and run side by side without conflict. During VS 2026 installation you can import settings, themes, and keyboard shortcuts from VS 2022. Workloads are configured separately per installation, so your existing VS 2022 setup is unaffected. VS 2026 also includes VS 2022 MSVC build tool versions as optional installer components, so older C++ projects do not require keeping a full VS 2022 installation.
What processor does Visual Studio 2026 require? ▼
AMD64/x64 or ARM64 — ARM32 isn’t supported. There’s no minimum clock speed in the spec, but Microsoft recommends quad-core as a sensible floor and notes that 16 cores or more is where the IDE really performs. When you’ve got a build running, Roslyn analysers active, and Copilot processing in parallel, that core count earns its keep.
Does Visual Studio 2026 run on Windows 11 only? ▼
No. Visual Studio 2026 supports both Windows 10 and Windows 11 on x64 hardware, along with Windows Server 2019, 2022, and 2025. Windows 11 is recommended for the best performance and is the only OS that supports the ARM64 build of VS 2026. Some Windows configurations are explicitly not supported regardless of version, including Windows in S mode, Enterprise LTSC editions, and Windows IoT variants.
Does Visual Studio 2026 require an internet connection? ▼
The web installer needs internet access to download components. If you need to install on machines without connectivity — common in corporate environments with restricted dev boxes — you can create a layout by running the installer with a --layout flag, which downloads everything to a local folder you can then use offline. Copilot features need a live connection regardless of how VS was installed.
Gary Walsh is the Head of Tech Support at Software Supplies, with more than 20 years in the IT industry. Fully Microsoft-certified and experienced across the full business software stack — from Windows and Office to cloud infrastructure and device management — Gary delivers practical, no-nonsense advice that helps users and businesses get the most from their technology.
