Help Content Manager Overrides
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2015. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
You can modify the registry to change the default behavior of the Help Viewer and Help-related features in the Visual Studio IDE.
| Task | Registry Key | Value and Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Define unique service endpoint | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VSWinExpress\14.0\Help | NewContentAndUpdateService--HTTPValueForTheServiceEndpoint. |
| Define online/offline default | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\VSWinExpress\14.0\help | UseOnlineHelp--Enter 0 to specify local Help, and enter 1 to specify online Help. |
| Define unique F1 endpoint | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VSWinExpress\14.0\Help | OnlineBaseUrl--HTTPValueForTheServiceEndpoint |
| Override BITS job priority | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node (on a 64-bit machine)\Microsoft\Help\v2.2 | BITSPriority--Use one of the following values: foreground, high, normal, or low. |
| Disable Online (and IDE Online option) | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node (on a 64-bit machine)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\Help | OnlineHelpPreferenceDisabled--Set to 1 to disable access of online Help content. |
| Disable Manage Content | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node (on a 64-bit machine)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\Help | ContentManagementDisabled--Set to 1 to disable the Manage Content tab in Help Viewer. |
| Point to local content store on network share | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Help\v2.2\Catalogs\VisualStudio11 | LocationPath=”ContentStoreNetworkShare” |
| Disable installation of content at first launch of Visual Studio feature. | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node (on a 64-bit machine)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\Help | DisableFirstRunHelpSelection--Set to 1 to disable help features that are configured the first time that Visual Studio starts. |