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Visual Studio Extensions

Install extensions via Extensions → Manage Extensions or from the Visual Studio Marketplace.

Productivity

Section titled “Productivity”

ReSharper (JetBrains)
The most comprehensive refactoring and code analysis tool for .NET. Adds hundreds of inspections, quick-fixes, code generation, and navigation features beyond what Visual Studio provides out of the box. Paid, with a free 30-day trial.

CodeRush (DevExpress)
Alternative to ReSharper with refactoring, code analysis, and test runner. Lighter-weight with a free tier.

Visual Assist (Whole Tomato)
Deep IntelliSense improvements, navigation, and refactoring — especially strong for C++ projects.

Code Quality

Section titled “Code Quality”

SonarLint
Real-time detection of bugs, code smells, and security vulnerabilities as you type. Integrates with SonarQube/SonarCloud for team-wide quality gates. Free.

CodeMaid
Cleans, formats, and organizes code — removes unused using statements, sorts members, cleans whitespace. Free and open source.

Roslynator
Large set of Roslyn analyzers and code fixes for C#. Flags common issues and offers quick-fix refactorings. Free.

Git and Source Control

Section titled “Git and Source Control”

GitLens (available in VS via VSIX)
Note: GitLens is primarily a VS Code extension. For Visual Studio, the built-in Git tools are strong.

Git Diff Margin
Shows a colored margin in the editor indicating added, modified, and deleted lines relative to the last commit. Free.

GitHub Extension for Visual Studio
Clone repositories, create pull requests, and view GitHub issues directly inside Visual Studio. Free, from Microsoft.

Testing

Section titled “Testing”

NCrunch
Runs tests continuously in the background as you type. Shows inline pass/fail indicators in the editor margin. Paid.

Fine Code Coverage
Displays code coverage results inline in the editor using free coverage tools (OpenCover, Coverlet). Free.

SpecFlow
BDD framework extension — creates step definitions and runs Gherkin feature files from Visual Studio. Free tier available.

Spell Checking and Documentation

Section titled “Spell Checking and Documentation”

Visual Studio Spell Checker
Spell-checks strings, comments, and XML documentation comments. Configurable exclusions per project. Free.

GhostDoc
Generates XML documentation comments from method signatures using natural language. Free community edition available.

Database

Section titled “Database”

EF Core Power Tools
Reverse engineers databases to create DbContext and entity classes, visualizes the EF Core model, and handles migrations. Free.

SQL Server Object Explorer
Built into Visual Studio — connect to SQL Server, run queries, and manage databases without leaving the IDE. No extension needed; enable via View → SQL Server Object Explorer.

Redgate SQL Search
Search across SQL Server databases for any text in stored procedures, views, functions, and tables. Free.

XAML and UI

Section titled “XAML and UI”

XAML Styler
Formats XAML files with consistent attribute ordering and indentation. Highly configurable. Free.

Mads Kristensen’s Extensions
A suite of small productivity extensions: Web Essentials, Image Optimizer, Markdown Editor, and many more. All free.

.NET and Azure

Section titled “.NET and Azure”

Azure Toolkit for Visual Studio
Deploy and manage Azure resources (App Service, Functions, Containers, Storage) from within Visual Studio. Free, from Microsoft.

Web Compiler
Compile LESS, Sass, and CoffeeScript on save within Visual Studio. Free.

Managing Extensions

Section titled “Managing Extensions”
Extensions → Manage Extensions → Installed
  • Disable extensions you don’t use — they slow startup even if not actively running
  • Auto-update: Extensions → Manage Extensions → Updates (or enable auto-update in options)
  • Extensions install on IDE restart — you’ll be prompted after downloading

Command line install (VSIX):

Terminal window
& "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\VSIXInstaller.exe" MyExtension.vsix

Visual Studio 2022 Built-in Features Worth Knowing

Section titled “Visual Studio 2022 Built-in Features Worth Knowing”

Several features that previously required extensions are now built in:

  • Hot Reload — modify code while debugging without restarting
  • Copilot — AI code completion (requires GitHub Copilot subscription)
  • Search (Ctrl+T) — Go to All, replaces most navigation extensions
  • Sticky Scroll — keeps the current class/method signature visible while scrolling
  • Multi-caret editing — Alt+Click to place multiple cursors
  • Horizontal scroll on Solution Explorer
  • Git window — stage, commit, push, and view history without extensions