Visual Studio 2026 – New Debugging Features (with Sample Code) 

Comprehensive Guide with Features, Screencasts, Steps, and Code Samples 

This document extends the Visual Studio 2026 debugging feature summary with practical, minimal code samples you can use to reproduce and explore each capability. 

1) AI‑Assisted Exception Analysis 

Trigger an exception that Copilot can summarize and suggest fixes for (e.g., JSON shape mismatch). 

 
// File: Program.cs 
using System; 
using System.Text.Json; 
 
class Product { public int Id { get; set; } public string Name { get; set; } } 
 
class Program 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        // Server returns an object { "products": [...] } but we try to deserialize a List<Product> 
        string json = "{"products": [{"Id":1,"Name":"Laptop"}]}"; 
        try 
        { 
            // This will throw or produce unexpected results 
            var products = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Product[]>(json); 
            Console.WriteLine(products.Length); 
        } 
        catch (Exception ex) 
        { 
            // Set a breakpoint here, open Exception Helper, and use Copilot to summarize root cause 
            Console.WriteLine(ex.Message); 
        } 
    } 
} 
 

2) Inline Condition Insights 

Step across a condition and use hover/Copilot to see which sub-expression failed. 

 
// File: Conditions.cs 
using System; 
 
class Conditions 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        int stock = 5; 
        int requested = 10; 
        DateTime today = DateTime.UtcNow; 
        DateTime promoEnd = today.AddDays(-1); // promo already ended 
 
        // Hover the condition in the debugger to see evaluations (expected: false) 
        if (stock >= requested && today <= promoEnd) 
        { 
            Console.WriteLine("Order accepted"); 
        } 
        else 
        { 
            Console.WriteLine("Order denied"); 
        } 
    } 
} 
 

3) Smarter Breakpoints & Troubleshooter 

Set a conditional breakpoint (e.g., break when Total < 0). Try binding troubleshooting if a breakpoint doesn’t hit. 

 
// File: Orders.cs 
using System; 
using System.Collections.Generic; 
 
class Order { public int Id { get; set; } public decimal Total { get; set; } } 
 
class Orders 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        var orders = new List<Order> 
        { 
            new Order{ Id = 1, Total = 100 }, 
            new Order{ Id = 2, Total = -25 }, // suspicious 
            new Order{ Id = 3, Total = 0 } 
        }; 
 
        foreach (var o in orders) 
        { 
            // Add a conditional breakpoint: o.Total < 0 
            Process(o); 
        } 
    } 
 
    static void Process(Order o) 
    { 
        // Tracepoint: log values without pausing 
        Console.WriteLine($"Processing order {o.Id} with total {o.Total}"); 
    } 
} 
 

4) IEnumerable Visualizer + LINQ Copilot 

Open the IEnumerable visualizer during a breakpoint and ask Copilot for a LINQ filter (e.g., ‘cars with negative price’). 

 
// File: Cars.cs 
using System; 
using System.Collections.Generic; 
using System.Linq; 
 
class Car { public string Model { get; set; } public decimal Price { get; set; } } 
 
class Cars 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        var cars = new List<Car> 
        { 
            new Car{ Model = "A", Price = 25000 }, 
            new Car{ Model = "B", Price = -1000 }, // bad data 
            new Car{ Model = "C", Price = 32000 } 
        }; 
 
        // Set a breakpoint here, open IEnumerable Visualizer, then use Copilot to generate LINQ 
        var premium = cars.Where(c => c.Price > 30000).ToList(); 
        Console.WriteLine(premium.Count); 
    } 
} 
 

5) Parallel Stacks with AI Summaries 

Run multiple tasks to see threads in Parallel Stacks; read AI summaries for each. 

 
// File: ParallelDemo.cs 
using System; 
using System.Linq; 
using System.Threading.Tasks; 
 
class ParallelDemo 
{ 
    static async Task Main() 
    { 
        var tasks = Enumerable.Range(0, 4) 
            .Select(i => Task.Run(() => Work(i))) 
            .ToArray(); 
 
        await Task.WhenAll(tasks); 
    } 
 
    static void Work(int id) 
    { 
        // Simulate CPU work 
        double sum = 0; 
        for (int i = 0; i < 10_000_00; i++) sum += Math.Sqrt(i + id); 
        Console.WriteLine($"Worker {id} done: {sum:0.00}"); 
    } 
} 
 

6) Inline Return Values 

Set a breakpoint on the closing brace of a return statement to see its value inline. 

 
// File: Returns.cs 
using System; 
 
class Returns 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        var v = Compute(7); 
        Console.WriteLine(v); 
    } 
 
    static int Compute(int x) 
    { 
        // Place breakpoint here and observe the inline return value 
        return x * x + 3; 
    } 
} 
 

7) Breakpoint Groups 

Create breakpoints across different flows and group them (Scenario A/B) to toggle quickly. 

 
// File: Flows.cs 
using System; 
 
class Flows 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        ScenarioA(); 
        ScenarioB(); 
    } 
 
    static void ScenarioA() 
    { 
        DoStepA1(); DoStepA2(); 
    } 
 
    static void ScenarioB() 
    { 
        DoStepB1(); DoStepB2(); 
    } 
 
    static void DoStepA1() { Console.WriteLine("A1"); } 
    static void DoStepA2() { Console.WriteLine("A2"); } 
    static void DoStepB1() { Console.WriteLine("B1"); } 
    static void DoStepB2() { Console.WriteLine("B2"); } 
} 
 

8) Async & Blazor Debugging 

Throw inside an async flow (and, optionally, in a Blazor component) to see async exception handling. 

 
// File: AsyncCrash.cs 
using System; 
using System.Threading.Tasks; 
 
class AsyncCrash 
{ 
    static async Task Main() 
    { 
        try 
        { 
            await DangerousAsync(); 
        } 
        catch (Exception ex) 
        { 
            // Debugger will break when Task throws back to framework code 
            Console.WriteLine(ex.Message); 
        } 
    } 
 
    static async Task DangerousAsync() 
    { 
        await Task.Delay(100); 
        throw new InvalidOperationException("Async crash across boundary"); 
    } 
} 
 

 
// File: MyComponent.razor (Blazor WebAssembly) 
@code { 
    protected override async Task OnInitializedAsync() 
    { 
        await Task.Run(() => throw new InvalidOperationException("Blazor async crash")); 
    } 
} 
 

9) Profiler & Debugger Agents 

Create a hotspot for the Profiler Agent to flag; compare naive vs. optimized. 

 
// File: Hotspot.cs 
using System; 
using System.Text; 
 
class Hotspot 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        // Naive: many allocations and concatenations 
        string s = ""; 
        for (int i = 0; i < 100_000; i++) s += i.ToString(); 
 
        // Optimized: use StringBuilder 
        var sb = new StringBuilder(); 
        for (int i = 0; i < 100_000; i++) sb.Append(i); 
        Console.WriteLine(sb.Length); 
    } 
} 
 

10) Performance Boost (F5/Start Debug) 

Use any console app or web app; VS 2026 improves cold start and UI responsiveness, so your inner loop feels faster. 

 
// File: Hello.cs 
using System; 
 
class Hello 
{ 
    static void Main() 
    { 
        Console.WriteLine("Hello VS 2026 – faster inner loop!"); 
    } 
} 
 

Screencasts & Demos 

Visual Studio Toolbox Live – VS 2026 Release Party: https://aka.ms/vs2026toolbox 

Fuel Your Fixes: Debugging with Copilot: https://aka.ms/vsdebugcopilot 

How to Try These Features 

1. Update to Visual Studio 2026 via Installer (enable Insiders channel for latest features). 

2. Use Exception Helper and Copilot for summaries and fixes. 

3. Try Copilot suggestions on breakpoints and LINQ visualizer. 

4. Explore Parallel Stacks for AI summaries and thread insights. 

References 

Visual Studio 2026 Overview: https://aka.ms/vs2026overview 

Debugging with Copilot Blog: https://aka.ms/vsdebugcopilotblog 

 

Sources 

Visual Studio 2026 GA overview and AI‑native debugging: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/visual-studio-2026-is-here-faster-smarter-and-a-hit-with-early-adopters/ 

InfoQ coverage of VS 2026 release and servicing: https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/12/vs2026-native-ai-ide/ 

Copilot‑powered debugging toolbox (breakpoint suggestions, troubleshooting, LINQ visualizer): https://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2025/09/04/microsoft-supercharges-visual-studio-debugging-profiling-with-ai-powered-copilot-features.aspx 

Prior VS 2022 (17.11/17.13) debugging improvements feeding VS 2026: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/new-debugging-and-diagnostic-features/ ; https://devblogs.microsoft.com/visualstudio/new-debugging-and-profiling-features-in-visual-studio-v17-13/