Since Microsoft has released several newer versions (2017, 2019, and 2022), finding the 2015 installer requires navigating to the older downloads section of the official website. Visit the Visual Studio Older Downloads page.

Released alongside Windows 10, the 2015 version introduced several revolutionary features that are still relevant for legacy project maintenance:

Update 3 Requirement: Always ensure you are downloading "Update 3," as it contains the most stable patches and security updates for the 2015 lifecycle.

Visual Studio Community 2015 remains a landmark release in the history of Microsoft’s integrated development environment (IDE). It was the first full-featured, free version of Visual Studio designed to give students, open-source contributors, and small teams the same power as the professional editions.