My 30+ Tweaks to Visual Studio 2022 - Make VS Work For You

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through over 30 tweaks for Visual Studio 2022 that can enhance your development experience. These adjustments focus on themes, extensions, and various settings that improve usability and efficiency. By following this guide, you can customize your IDE to better fit your workflow.

Step 1: Install Useful Extensions

Extensions can significantly enhance Visual Studio's functionality. Here are some recommended ones:

• ReSharper: Improves code quality with powerful refactoring tools.
• Visual Studio IntelliCode: Provides AI-assisted recommendations for code completion.
• GitHub Copilot: Assists with code suggestions and can help speed up development.

To install extensions:

1. Go to Extensions in the menu.
2. Select Manage Extensions.
3. Browse or search for the extensions you want and click Download.

Step 2: Configure General Environment Settings

Setting up your environment can drastically improve your development experience.

1. Open Tools from the menu.
2. Select Options.
3. Under Environment:
   • Adjust your theme (Light, Dark, or Blue) to reduce eye strain.
   • Enable or disable the setting for automatic updates based on your preference.

Step 3: Enable Preview Features

Visual Studio offers preview features that may enhance your experience.

1. In the Options window, navigate to Environment and then Preview Features.
2. Check the options you want to enable for testing new functionalities.

Step 4: Customize Tabs and Windows

Organizing your workspace can make it easier to navigate your projects.

1. Go to Tools and then Options.
2. Under Environment, select Tabs and Windows.
3. Choose your preferred tab behaviors, such as:
   • Show close button on tabs.
   • Enable tab well for grouping.

Step 5: Set Project and Solution Preferences

Configuring how your projects and solutions behave can streamline your workflow.

1. Navigate to Projects and Solutions in the Options window.
2. Set your preferred settings for:
   • Default project location
   • Project load behavior (e.g., load all projects or only the startup project).

Step 6: Text Editor General Settings

Customizing the text editor can help in readability and coding efficiency.

1. Go to Text Editor in the Options.
2. Under General, adjust the following:
   • Font size for better visibility.
   • Enable word wrap for easier reading.

Step 7: Code Cleanup Configuration

Set up code cleanup rules to maintain code quality automatically.

1. In the Options, go to Text Editor, then Code Cleanup.
2. Configure your desired cleanup profiles to format code on save or manually.

Step 8: C# Text Editor Settings

Tailor your C# development environment for optimal performance.

1. Navigate to Text Editor, then C#.
2. Adjust settings for:
   • Scroll bars (e.g., use a more compact option).
   • Tab behavior (set tab size and spaces).
   • Advanced settings for code formatting.

Step 9: IntelliSense Configuration

Enhance your coding speed with customized IntelliSense settings.

1. Under the Text Editor section, select C# and then IntelliSense.
2. Enable or disable features like parameter information and completion lists based on your preference.

Step 10: Debugging Enhancements

Improve your debugging experience with hot reload features.

1. In the Options, go to Debugging.
2. Enable .NET / C++ Hot Reload and XAML Hot Reload for faster iterations during development.

Conclusion

By implementing these 30+ tweaks in Visual Studio 2022, you can significantly improve your development workflow. Experiment with various settings and extensions to find what works best for you. Continue to explore Visual Studio’s capabilities to ensure your development environment meets your evolving needs.