Here’s a helpful write-up on (often abbreviated as MSVC 2019), covering what it is, why it matters, key features, and practical usage tips. Microsoft Visual C++ 2019: A Practical Overview What Is Microsoft Visual C++ 2019? Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 is a compiler, library, and development toolset for C++ applications on Windows. It is part of Visual Studio 2019 (the IDE), but the runtime components are often distributed separately as Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2019 .