| title | Automatically apply product keys |
|---|---|
| description | Apply your product key programmatically during or after installation as part of a script to automate deployment of Visual Studio. |
| ms.date | 11/04/2025 |
| ms.topic | how-to |
| author | RoseHJM |
| ms.author | rosemalcolm |
| ms.subservice | installation |
You can apply your product key programmatically as part of a script that is used to automate the deployment of Visual Studio. You can set a product key on a device programmatically either during an installation of Visual Studio or after an installation completes.
:::moniker range="vs-2022"
You can activate an installed version of Visual Studio with a product key by using the StorePID.exe utility on the target machines, in silent mode. StorePID.exe is a utility program that installs with Visual Studio 2022 at the following default location:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\Common7\IDERun StorePID.exe with elevated privileges, either by using a System Center agent or an elevated command prompt. Follow it with the product key and the Microsoft Product Code (MPC).
Important
Make sure to include the dashes in the product key.
StorePID.exe [product key including the dashes] [MPC]::: moniker-end
::: moniker range="vs-2022"
The following example shows a command line for applying the license for Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise, which has an MPC of 09660, a product key of AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE, and assumes a default installation location:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\StorePID.exe" AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE 09660::: moniker-end
:::moniker range="visualstudio"
You can activate an installed version of Visual Studio with a product key by using the StorePID.exe utility on the target machines, in silent mode. StorePID.exe is a utility program that installs with Visual Studio at the following default location:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\18\Enterprise\Common7\IDERun StorePID.exe with elevated privileges, either by using a System Center agent or an elevated command prompt. Follow it with the product key and the Microsoft Product Code (MPC).
Important
Make sure to include the dashes in the product key.
StorePID.exe [product key including the dashes] [MPC]::: moniker-end
::: moniker range="visualstudio"
The following example shows a command line for applying the license for Visual Studio Enterprise, which has an MPC of 09660, a product key of AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE, and assumes a default installation location:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\18\Enterprise\Common7\IDE\StorePID.exe" AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE 09660::: moniker-end
::: moniker range="vs-2022"
| Visual Studio Edition | MPC |
|---|---|
| Visual Studio Enterprise 2022 | 09660 |
| Visual Studio Professional 2022 | 09662 |
::: moniker-end
::: moniker range="visualstudio"
| Visual Studio Edition | MPC |
|---|---|
| Visual Studio Enterprise 2026 | 09860 |
| Visual Studio Professional 2026 | 09862 |
::: moniker-end
::: moniker range=">=vs-2022"
If StorePID.exe successfully applies the product key, it returns an %ERRORLEVEL% of 0. If it encounters errors, it returns one of the following codes, depending on the error condition:
| Error | Code |
|---|---|
PID_ACTION_SUCCESS |
0 |
PID_ACTION_NOTINSTALLED |
1 |
PID_ACTION_INVALID |
2 |
PID_ACTION_EXPIRED |
3 |
PID_ACTION_INUSE |
4 |
PID_ACTION_FAILURE |
5 |
PID_ACTION_NOUPGRADE |
6 |
Note
When you run a virtual instance of Visual Studio, make sure that you also virtualize the local AppData folder and the registry. To troubleshoot virtual instances, run <Visual Studio installation directory>\Common7\IDE\DDConfigCA.exe.
::: moniker-end
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