--- title: Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support description: Visual Studio 18.9 adds native Git submodule support, addressing a long-standing gap where submodules appeared as plain folders with no state indication and... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support | daily.dev og:description: Visual Studio 18.9 adds native Git submodule support, addressing a long-standing gap where submodules appeared as plain folders with no state indication and... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/m3uBdgIxP.png og:image:alt: Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support 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. # Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support **[The Art of Simplicity](https://daily.dev/sources/bartwullems)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Visual Studio 18.9 adds native Git submodule support, addressing a long-standing gap where submodules appeared as plain folders with no state indication and required command-line operations. A new Submodules section in the Git Repository window lets developers add, update, and remove submodules directly, submodule changes now appear properly in Git Changes, and the branch/repository picker distinguishes parent-child relationships. Submodules are read-only by default (toggleable via Tools > Options) to prevent accidental commits into dependencies. Microsoft describes this as the first milestone rather than a complete feature. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Does Visual Studio 18.9 support Git submodules natively? Yes, Visual Studio 18.9 adds first-class Git submodule support. A new Submodules section appears in the Git Repository window where you can add, update, or remove submodules directly, submodule changes show up properly in Git Changes instead of being invisible or lumped in, and the branch/repository picker distinguishes the parent repository from submodules. _daily.dev helps developers stay current on IDE tooling changes like Git submodule workflows in Visual Studio._ ### Are Git submodules editable by default in the new Visual Studio submodule support? No, submodules are read-only by default in Visual Studio's new submodule support, since most usage involves consuming a submodule rather than editing it. To make a submodule editable, go to Tools > Options > Source Control > Git > Automatically activate multiple repositories, and select 'Yes, include submodules'. _Developers configuring submodule permissions can track IDE workflow changes like this on daily.dev._ ### How do I add a Git submodule in Visual Studio's Git Repository window? Go to Git > Manage Branches window, hit the + icon in the Submodules section, then specify a Name, Repository URL, and Path. This is now handled entirely within the IDE, removing the previous need to use the terminal command git submodule update --init --recursive. _daily.dev keeps developers current on IDE features that streamline Git submodule management._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Azure DevOps Server – Git submodule support](https://daily.dev/posts/azure-devops-server-git-submodule-support-szve2f2az) · The Art of Simplicity · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Streamlining your Git workflow with Visual Studio 2026](https://daily.dev/posts/streamlining-your-git-workflow-with-visual-studio-2026-hlb61tr8a) · Visual Studio Blog · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Working with Git Submodules: Managing Dependencies Across Repositories](https://daily.dev/posts/working-with-git-submodules-managing-dependencies-across-repositories-vkm0ryl5k) · DevBlogs · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#git](https://daily.dev/tags/git), [#visual-studio](https://daily.dev/tags/visual-studio), [#version-control](https://daily.dev/tags/version-control) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp) ```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":"Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp"},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T05:49:56.835Z","dateModified":"2026-08-17T05:50:50.278Z","description":"Visual Studio 18.9 adds native Git submodule support, addressing a long-standing gap where submodules appeared as plain folders with no state indication and...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5e1392ff70bbdb14e53a833c0f86ae65?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/5e1392ff70bbdb14e53a833c0f86ae65?_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":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"git,visual-studio,version-control","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@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":"Visual Studio finally gets proper Git submodule support"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/visual-studio-finally-gets-proper-git-submodule-support-m3ubdgixp#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Does Visual Studio 18.9 support Git submodules natively?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, Visual Studio 18.9 adds first-class Git submodule support. A new Submodules section appears in the Git Repository window where you can add, update, or remove submodules directly, submodule changes show up properly in Git Changes instead of being invisible or lumped in, and the branch/repository picker distinguishes the parent repository from submodules. daily.dev helps developers stay current on IDE tooling changes like Git submodule workflows in Visual Studio."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are Git submodules editable by default in the new Visual Studio submodule support?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, submodules are read-only by default in Visual Studio's new submodule support, since most usage involves consuming a submodule rather than editing it. To make a submodule editable, go to Tools > Options > Source Control > Git > Automatically activate multiple repositories, and select 'Yes, include submodules'. 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