Visual Studio 2026 is a major release focused on speed, developer productivity, AI integration, and a more modern, customizable interface. Here’s a concise summary of its key features:

• Performance Improvements:
  • Solution load times and startup are up to 30–50% faster compared to VS2022, thanks to underlying debugger and .NET runtime optimizations.
  • UI remains responsive during large solution/project loads, with much lower memory usage and fewer hangs.microsoft+2
  • Code file opening and CodeLens loading are much snappier.
• Modern Fluent UI:
  • Complete refresh with Microsoft’s Fluent UI design language: clearer typography, icons, layout, dark/light mode consistency.learn.microsoft+2
  • New “Editor Appearance” settings let you fully customize the look and feel of the coding environment.
• Deep Copilot AI Integration:
  • Context-aware Copilot throughout the IDE, including adaptive paste (auto-fix pasted code style/names/errors).
  • New Copilot-powered tools for performance insights, debugging, code actions, and test generation directly from context menus and editor panes.visualstudio.microsoft+2
  • Copilot can now visualize Mermaid charts (flowcharts, diagrams) in Markdown and chat, supporting both user-typed and AI-generated syntax.
• Enhanced Debugging:
  • Inline if-statement evaluation displays results inside your code for faster logic inspection.
  • Improved profiler dashboard, memory allocation optimization in CodeLens, and expanded CPU/event/file I/O analysis for CMake/C++ projects.
• Razor & Blazor Tooling:
  • Significant compiler and memory optimization, especially for large Blazor solutions, delivering faster builds and less overhead.learn.microsoft
  • Razor Hot Reload with auto-restart support for rude edits.
• Cloud & Container Development:
  • Expanded support for Docker, Kubernetes, and DevSecOps practices.
  • Easier cloud-native workflow integration (Azure, Aspire, MCP).
• Productivity Enhancements:
  • Fast scrolling, better markdown preview and zoom controls.
  • One-click file exclusion in search, improved keyboard shortcuts, and a modernized settings experience.
• Other Notables:
  • Full .NET 10 & C# 14 feature support.
  • Stable and Insiders Channel release model for rapid updates.
  • M365 Agents Toolkit updates for faster agent/app development.

1. https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/techwiese/news/net-conf-visual-studio-2026-ist-offiziell-verfuegbar.aspx
2. https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-2026-insiders-is-here/
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/dotnet/comments/1o31hqr/vs_2026_performance/
4. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2026/release-notes
5. https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/12/net_10_c_14_visual/
6. https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/a-first-look-at-the-all‑new-ux-in-visual-studio-2026/
7. https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/insiders/
8. https://ssojet.com/news/microsoft-launches-ai-enhanced-visual-studio-2026-with-net-10-lts
9. https://www.software-express.de/hersteller/microsoft/visual-studio-2026/
10. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2026/release-notes-insiders
11. https://www.youtube.com/@dotnet
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMqDi1uQCn8
13. https://dev.to/shiva_shanker_k/visual-studio-2026-insiders-is-here-and-its-actually-good-this-time-1fao
14. https://blog.jetbrains.com/dotnet/2025/10/02/resharper-and-visual-studio-2026/
15. https://www.drwindows.de/news/net-conf-2025-microsoft-veroeffentlicht-visual-studio-2026-und-net-10
16. https://oksala.net/2025/09/17/visual-studio-2026-build-perfomance/
17. https://abp.io/community/articles/visual-studio-2026-whats-new-and-why-im-excited-about-it-e4s5hed7
18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbW7qHMBM6A
19. https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-launches-visual-studio-2026-and-net-10-with-big-performance-improvements/
20. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/visual-studio-magazine_visualstudio2026-dotnetconf-developer-activity-7391127092303806464-ROHz
21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1WyzaWPnkA