Upgrade Visual Studio 2013 v4 to Visual Studio 2015

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Modify Visual Studio Version in the Solution File
• Change Visual Studio Compare and Merge to WinMerge
• Install Visual Studio Extensions
• Conclusion

Introduction

This post covers the steps needed to upgrade from Visual Studio 2013 to Visual Studio 2015, including updating the solution file, configuring WinMerge for compare and merge, and installing useful extensions.

Modify Visual Studio Version in the Solution File

Before:

# Visual Studio 2013
VisualStudioVersion = 12.0.30723.0

After:

# Visual Studio 14
VisualStudioVersion = 14.0.23107.0

Change Visual Studio Compare and Merge to WinMerge

If you don't like Visual Studio's default compare and merge tool and prefer WinMerge, here's how to set it up. Click Visual Studio Tools, open the Source Control tab, click Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, then click Configure User Tools.

Add Compare to Use WinMerge

Add Merge to Use WinMerge

Install Visual Studio Extensions

You can install the following Visual Studio extensions for web development:

• Web Essentials 2015.1
• Web Essentials - Web Compiler
• Web Essentials - Bundler & Minifier
• Web Essentials - Image Optimizer
• Web Essentials - Web Analyzer
• CodeMaid

Conclusion

Upgrading from Visual Studio 2013 to 2015 involves updating the solution file version, optionally configuring WinMerge for a better compare and merge experience, and installing useful web development extensions. These steps ensure a smooth transition to the newer IDE.