"Blessed be the Insiders, for they shall inherit the kingdom of betas."
TL;DR (Resume)
- Integrated AI: no longer a plugin, it’s the Holy Spirit of code.
- Performance: compiling no longer requires a Way of the Cross.
- New design: heavenly look, Fluent UI included.
- Insiders Channel: the new temple of the chosen ones.
- Copilot Free: free manna for all.
Dear brothers, in this humble manger of Redmond we can witness the second coming of the IDE that many idolized and of which we already doubted if it would ever return renewed to our lives.
Just as it once happened, we encounter the Holy Trinity of our IDE: Community, Professional, and Enterprise.
Although it has not yet gone out to preach to the world since it is in an advanced beta stage, now more than ever we can try it in a fairly stable version and with significant changes compared to previous versions that had been announced.
As a humble apostle accompanying this IDE, I will try to write my gospel while I wait for its ascension to heaven as a final version.
AI is no longer a prophet: it is part of the Trinity
Visual Studio 2026 brings AI integrated by default, as if it had always been there:
- You open a huge solution and AI guides you like Moses in the desert.
- You copy a snippet and it turns it into the promised code, without sins of style.
- It suggests tests as if they were commandments carved in stone.
- Before opening a PR, it confesses the sins of performance and security.
The best part: it doesn’t preach. It’s there, discreetly working for your dev salvation.
The worst part: if before using Copilot was optional and you could ignore it, now it’s impossible. It is omnipresent.
Performance: from “go get a coffee” to “express miracle”
The first testers sum it up with faith:
- “It’s as if my PC had been resurrected.”
The eternal waits are over:
- Changing branch is no longer an exile in the desert.
- Compiling is no longer an excuse to pilgrimage to the coffee machine.
- Pressing F5 is instant, almost like a Eucharistic miracle.
In short: less penance, more creation.
New design: the IDE went on a spiritual retreat
Visual Studio 2026 arrives with a look so pure it seems fresh from baptism:
- Fluent UI that shines brighter than a stained-glass window in the sun.
- Iconography worthy of an illuminated manuscript.
- 11 themes: from the infernal dark mode to colors that seem divine glory.
- Extensions easy to manage, like modern indulgences.
The result: less visual sin, more focus on the code.
Although, as much as faith is blind, the changes are actually few and subtle. The structure and layout of the IDE is the same as in version 2022 and except for some icons that have been adjusted and font sizes that have slightly increased, everything reminds us quite a lot of its predecessor.
Renewed UI in Visual Studio 2026
New themes apart from the classic dark we all love
New channel: welcome, chosen ones
The old Preview Channel has died and resurrected as Insiders Channel.
Same spirit, but with a more exclusive air: the true disciples of beta.
Copilot Free: the bread and fish of the 21st century
Microsoft distributes Copilot Free as if they were multiplied loaves:
everyone receives their portion of AI without paying tithe.
Choose your favorite agent (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google,...) for your chat with Visual Studio and let the miracle happen.
Platform and supported languages: the new-new testament
Visual Studio 2026 comes with support for .NET 10 and C# 14, allowing you to spread the good news of the latest available framework.
For those who pray to Saint Blazor, it includes improved Hot Reload; and C++ 20 as the new default version.
And even for those who still adored Visual Basic, it will remain among us in this new version.
Pros and Cons of Visual Studio 2026 (Insiders Edition)
Pros ✅
- AI as part of the sacred liturgy of code.
- Miraculous performance in large solutions.
- New design that invites contemplation.
- Optimized for x64 and Arm64, amen.
- Copilot Free included, as universal grace.
- Side-by-side installation: no need to renounce your VS 2022.
Cons ⚠️
- You may fall into temptation with bugs, it’s an Insiders version.
- Adapting to AI requires faith.
- Still a “heavy” IDE compared to more ascetic editors.
- The channel change may confuse the less devout.
- Less time for coffee and chats with the excuse of “I’m compiling.”
Conclusion
Visual Studio 2026 is not just an update: it is the Second Coming of the IDE.
It comes with miracles of speed, prophecies of AI and adjustments in its look that should make our daily lives easier.
Perfect? Not yet, but even in Insiders mode the sign is clear:
less time in the purgatory of builds, more time creating heavenly code.
If you want to get it:
Visual Studio 2026 Insiders
for more information:
Release notes
or to actively participate in new features and improvements:
Developer Community
May the blessing of the almighty IDE: Copilot, Debugging, and Testing descend upon you. You may code in peace.
