Where is the Visual Studio HTML Designer?

html

visual-studio

web-forms

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byAlex Kataev·Aug 17, 2024

To access the visual designer or design view, you'll typically use the Web Forms Editor. This is applicable in Visual Studio 2019. Unfortunately, this version function is lacking in Visual Studio 2022, which only has a Source view. For drag & drop features, you might want to eye tools like Expression Web or Dreamweaver.

<!-- How to ride a bicycle in VS <=2019 style: -->
<!-- 1. Open HTML (your bicycle) -->
<!-- 2. Spot "Design" at the bottom (Hop on!) -->
<!-- In VS 2022, sharpen your HTML empathy for the Source view -->

Bear in mind that frameworks like Blazor, Angular, React, and Vue lean more towards direct code edits, with Visual Studio amping up the code-focused design experience.

Design view: Accessing it in VS 2019 and Earlier versions

Spring cleaning in your code: with Visual Studio 2019 or any earlier vision, you can set Web Forms Editor as your default for HTML files:

Right-click on your HTML file. (Think: Rock, paper, scissors!)
Pick "Open With..." (Choose your destiny!)
From the list, choose the "Web Forms Editor".
Click "Set as Default" to make it your go-to option.
Next time you deal with an HTML file, check out the "Design" and "Split" view buttons at the bottom of the editor.

Think of them as night and day buttons that control how your HTML looks.

The Magic Button: 'Web Forms Designer' in Current Settings

For the Web Forms Designer to magically appear in supported Visual Studio versions, ensure that it's enabled:

Get on the Tools > Options highway.
Switch between lanes to Text Editor > HTML > General.
At the junction, make sure "Enable HTML Designer" is lit up.

If this setting is dim, our sneak-peek design view options may hide, even if you've set Web Forms Editor as default.

The Plot Twist: Lack of Visual Design in Visual Studio 2022

It's a shame that Visual Studio 2022 traded the visual design option for a bar of gold. Fear not, you can always:

Give Blend for Visual Studio a try for a more dynamic experience.
Explore extensions that bring back the classic design view.
Or perhaps use Visual Studio Code with a live preview.

How Modern Frameworks Roll

The big guns like Angular, React, and Vue are code purists. With their help, Visual Studio aims to give a code-centric design experience:

Visual Studio's Live Server: gives you real-time perception of your page.
Hot Reload: desperate for immediate results? Step right in!
JSX/TSX: access support in most modern editors for React and similar frameworks.

These power-ups let you work up the aesthetics of your app or web to your liking without a traditional visual designer.