Configure Edit and Continue (C#, VB, C++)

You can disable or enable Hot Reload, previously called Edit and Continue, from the Visual Studio Tools > Options menu at design time. Hot Reload works only in debug builds. For more information, see Hot Reload.

For native C++, Hot Reload requires using the /INCREMENTAL option. For more information about feature requirements in C++, see this blog post and Edit and Continue (C++).

Edit and Continue is a time-saving feature that enables you to make changes to your source code while your program is in break mode. When you resume execution of the program by choosing an execution command like Continue or Step, Edit and Continue automatically applies the code changes with some limitations. This allows you to make changes to your code during a debugging session, instead of having to stop, recompile your entire program, and restart the debugging session.

You can disable or enable Edit and Continue in the Visual Studio Options dialog box at design time. Edit and Continue works only in debug builds. For more information, see Edit and Continue.

For native C++, Edit and Continue requires using the /INCREMENTAL option. For more information about feature requirements in C++, see this blog post and Edit and Continue (C++).

Enable and configure Hot Reload

You can configure Hot Reload by selecting Settings from the Hot Reload dropdown button.

Or, open the Tools > Options pane and adjust the options in the All Settings > Debugging > .NET/C++ Hot Reload section. The following options are available:

• Enable Hot Reload: Use the Hot Reload feature with .NET and C++ code when your app is running with the debugger attached (F5).

• Automatically apply changes on continue (Native only): Visual Studio automatically compiles and applies any outstanding code changes you made when continuing the process from a break state. If not selected, you can choose to apply changes by using the Apply Code Changes item under the Debug menu.

• Warn about stale code (Native only): Get warnings about stale code.

• Enable when not debugging: Enables Hot Reload when your app runs without the debugger attached (Ctrl + F5).

• Apply on file save: Applies changes when the file is saved.

• Logging verbosity: Set the level of logging when Hot Reload is enabled: Minimal, Detailed, or Diagnostic.

Or, open the Tools > Options dialog and adjust the options in the Debugging > .NET/C++ Hot Reload section. The following options are available:

• Enable Hot Reload: Enables Hot Reload when starting with the debugger attached (F5).

• Enable Hot Reload when starting without debugging: Enables Hot Reload when starting without the debugger attached (Ctrl+F5).

• Apply Hot Reload on File Save: Applies code changes when you save the file.

• Logging Verbosity: Filters amount of information displayed in the Hot Reload Output window.

For C++, you can set extra options by opening Tools > Options > Debugging > General. Make sure Enable Hot Reload is selected, and set the other options:

• Apply changes on continue (Native only): Visual Studio automatically compiles and applies any outstanding code changes you made when continuing the process from a break state. If not selected, you can choose to apply changes by using the Apply Code Changes item under the Debug menu.

• Warn about stale code (Native only): Get warnings about stale code.

For .NET Hot Reload, you also can control whether Hot Reload is available at the project level by modifying your .NET 6+ project's launchSetting.json file and setting hotReloadEnabled to false.

Example:

{
  "profiles": {
    "Console": {
      "commandName": "Project",
      "hotReloadEnabled": false
    }
  }
}

Enable or disable Edit and Continue

1. If you're in a debugging session, stop debugging (Debug > Stop Debugging or Shift+F5).

2. In Tools > Options > (or Debug > Options) > Debugging > General, select Edit and Continue in the right pane.

   Note

   If IntelliTrace is enabled and you collect both IntelliTrace events and call information, Edit and Continue is disabled. For more information, see IntelliTrace.

3. For C++ code, make sure Enable Native Edit and Continue is selected, and set the other options:

   • Apply changes on continue (Native only): Visual Studio automatically compiles and applies any outstanding code changes you made when continuing the process from a break state. If not selected, you can choose to apply changes by using the Apply Code Changes item under the Debug menu.

   • Warn about stale code (Native only): Get warnings about stale code.

4. Select OK.

Configure Auto-restart

Hot Reload can automatically restart the app's process when an unsupported change (also called a rude edit) is made, instead of ending the entire debug session. To enable this, edit your project file to add the following property declaration.

<PropertyGroup>
  <HotReloadAutoRestart>true</HotReloadAutoRestart>
</PropertyGroup>

You can also set this property in a Directory.Build.props file. Auto-restart works for project types where a quick process restart is feasible (for example, some Aspire or web projects), so you can continue debugging with minimal interruption.

This is a process-based restart. For example, if you're debugging several projects, only the changed projects, and any dependent projects, are rebuilt and restarted.

Configure Hot Reload for Razor

By cohosting the Razor compiler inside the Roslyn process, editing a .razor file during Hot Reload is faster and more efficient. Cohosting also improves the overall reliability when using Hot Reload.

To enable cohosting, select Tools > Options, and then search for cohost. Select or deselect the setting Use Roslyn Cohost server for Razor (requires restart). If you enable this option, restart Visual Studio. Cohosting is enabled by default.

While Hot Reload is in the process of applying code changes, you can stop the operation.

While Edit and Continue is in the process of applying code changes, you can stop the operation.