--- title: Hot Exit in Visual Studio | daily.dev description: Visual Studio 2026 (September update, Insiders channel) introduces Hot Exit, a feature borrowed from VS Code that preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Hot Exit in Visual Studio | daily.dev og:description: Visual Studio 2026 (September update, Insiders channel) introduces Hot Exit, a feature borrowed from VS Code that preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/tWZXmJOjb.png og:image:alt: Hot Exit in Visual Studio og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Hot Exit in Visual Studio **[The Art of Simplicity](https://daily.dev/sources/bartwullems)** · 2 min read · 54 upvotes · 11 comments ## Summary Visual Studio 2026 (September update, Insiders channel) introduces Hot Exit, a feature borrowed from VS Code that preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history, and window layout when you close the IDE. It's off by default and must be enabled under Tools → Options → Preview Features → Hot Exit, requiring a restart to take effect. The post walks through a simple demo: editing a file and creating a new unsaved file, closing Visual Studio, reopening it, and confirming both files return with full undo history intact. It's noted as a convenience feature, not a substitute for committing code. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I enable Hot Exit in Visual Studio 2026? Go to Tools → Options → Preview Features and enable Hot Exit, then restart Visual Studio for it to take effect. The feature shipped with the Visual Studio 2026 September update in the Insiders channel and is off by default. Once enabled, closing Visual Studio preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history, and your tab layout for the next session. _Track new Visual Studio preview features like this as they roll out on daily.dev._ ### What exactly does Hot Exit preserve when I close Visual Studio? Hot Exit preserves unsaved files, saved files with unsaved changes, undo history for saved files (so Ctrl+Z still works after restarting), and your tab and window layout. It restores your entire working session, not just the file contents, letting you undo your way back out of a bad edit even after closing and reopening the IDE. It is not a replacement for committing code. _Developers weighing IDE workflow changes can follow Visual Studio updates like this on daily.dev._ ## Community discussion Top comments from developers on daily.dev. **@ristotoldsep** · 2 upvotes > Love this. Ctrl+S is staying in my muscle memory though. **@georgeongoro** · 2 upvotes > This is a nice feature, it solves the problem most of us had, power goes off, you havent saved your work! **@agustinbarrientos** · 1 upvotes > What happens to the restored edits if I change branches while Visual Studio is closed? **@allinonetools** · 1 upvotes > Hot Exit is a small feature, but a really useful one. Losing unsaved work after closing an IDE is painful, so preserving edits and undo history could save a lot of frustration. **@kartiknvj** · 0 upvotes > Hot Exit is one of those features that seems small but changes how you work. I use it constantly now, and going back to an IDE without it feels broken. For agent workflows, the ability to preserve state means the agent can crash or be interrupted without losing context. How do you handle state preservation in your own agent pipelines? ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Visual Studio Code File and Cache Handling](https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-code-file-and-cache-handling-gi2pdaxxu) · Baeldung · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [VS Code's terminal isn't just convenient — it's the only editor that remembers your workflow](https://daily.dev/posts/vs-code-s-terminal-isn-t-just-convenient-it-s-the-only-editor-that-remembers-your-workflow-flrnwhek1) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#vscode](https://daily.dev/tags/vscode), [#visual-studio](https://daily.dev/tags/visual-studio) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Hot Exit in Visual Studio","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb"},"datePublished":"2026-09-23T05:02:04.451Z","dateModified":"2026-09-23T05:02:24.814Z","description":"Visual Studio 2026 (September update, Insiders channel) introduces Hot Exit, a feature borrowed from VS Code that preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history,...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/2d85f9c46d2c804a04b9b40b08fcd991?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/2d85f9c46d2c804a04b9b40b08fcd991?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Art of Simplicity","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Art of Simplicity","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/52b68c70636d44f0901ae7cd107c9438","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/bartwullems"},"commentCount":11,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":54},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":11}],"keywords":"devtools,vscode,visual-studio","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Art of Simplicity","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/bartwullems"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Hot Exit in Visual Studio"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","text":"Love this. Ctrl+S is staying in my muscle memory though.","datePublished":"2026-09-23T14:16:30.596Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tWZXmJOjb#c-kFzLi3Abs","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Risto Tõldsep","url":"https://daily.dev/ristotoldsep","image":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/ACg8ocLDWc6mZn0JwNmXXw6WY0L_HJ6pegzRttooC5VgtXESHSj3MNYx=s96-c"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"This is a nice feature, it solves the problem most of us had, power goes off, you havent saved your work!","datePublished":"2026-09-23T08:50:33.054Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tWZXmJOjb#c-2rGcxP4py","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"George Ongoro","url":"https://daily.dev/georgeongoro","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--jXl_MleY--/f_auto/v1779359556/avatars/avatar_JCfNZtLPNzTFifdLCBjRk?_a=BAMAMiWQ0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":2}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"What happens to the restored edits if I change branches while Visual Studio is closed?","datePublished":"2026-09-24T01:40:35.936Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tWZXmJOjb#c-ssMFVAsxY","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Agustin Barrientos","url":"https://daily.dev/agustinbarrientos","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--5ayxQnqn--/f_auto/v1788281802/avatars/avatar_wQYYVe5Tbj0NJ7C7qPoa8?_a=BAMAMicg0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Hot Exit is a small feature, but a really useful one. Losing unsaved work after closing an IDE is painful, so preserving edits and undo history could save a lot of frustration.","datePublished":"2026-09-24T02:59:52.156Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tWZXmJOjb#c-08PVEVAK8","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"AllInOneTools","url":"https://daily.dev/allinonetools","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--4ZT8QlF0--/f_auto/v1769790028/avatars/avatar_igzBsWloJeaegzm9bQltZ?_a=BAMAMiiu0"},"interactionStatistic":{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1}},{"@type":"Comment","text":"Hot Exit is one of those features that seems small but changes how you work. I use it constantly now, and going back to an IDE without it feels broken. For agent workflows, the ability to preserve state means the agent can crash or be interrupted without losing context. How do you handle state preservation in your own agent pipelines?","datePublished":"2026-09-23T20:27:14.831Z","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/tWZXmJOjb#c-lUf323NqX","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"kartik-nvjk","url":"https://daily.dev/kartiknvj","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--3gGgsVCw--/f_auto/v1781456774/avatars/avatar_TvTVeiMdkRCqWUDullFmy?_a=BAMAMiWQ0"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/hot-exit-in-visual-studio-twzxmjojb#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I enable Hot Exit in Visual Studio 2026?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Go to Tools → Options → Preview Features and enable Hot Exit, then restart Visual Studio for it to take effect. The feature shipped with the Visual Studio 2026 September update in the Insiders channel and is off by default. Once enabled, closing Visual Studio preserves unsaved files, edits, undo history, and your tab layout for the next session. Track new Visual Studio preview features like this as they roll out on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What exactly does Hot Exit preserve when I close Visual Studio?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Hot Exit preserves unsaved files, saved files with unsaved changes, undo history for saved files (so Ctrl+Z still works after restarting), and your tab and window layout. It restores your entire working session, not just the file contents, letting you undo your way back out of a bad edit even after closing and reopening the IDE. It is not a replacement for committing code. Developers weighing IDE workflow changes can follow Visual Studio updates like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```