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Need help showing Output window

Bryan Kelly 521 Reputation points
2025-12-15T02:23:37.67+00:00

Windows 11, Visual Studio 2022, Version 17.13.3

First, I seem to be in the wrong place.  None of the options for Select Tag, Select a child tag, and Select a child item tag, are appropriate for Visual Studio.  But I know not where else to post.  I posted this on another Microsoft forum, but it seems to also be the wrong place.  Please provide a link to the appropriate forum where this should be posted.

A few weeks ago when I started a debug session, in the main window, actually just below it, was a not very high window with the title Output.  It showed several of the most recently changed variables.  This was important because this project does really long arithmetic.  That window allowed me to click on a variable, see it in the “output” window, then copy the value to paste in somewhere else where it could be manipulated and compared with other results.

The image is a small section near the bottom of the debug environment showing the top left corner of the Output window.

When I start a different project, that window is below the code window, across the full bottom of the VS main dialog, and the title is: Output.  At the top of that panel is:  Show output from:  and the default option is Debug.  Additional options include:  Build, Build order, Debug, and two more.

I have searched in every place found, but cannot get this window to display again.  Is this sufficient information that someone can determine what is needed?  If so, what steps will display that window? Moved from <Windows for home | Windows 11 | Settings>

Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Debugging

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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-12-15T02:23:47.7133333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To display the Output window in Visual Studio 2022, you can follow these steps:

    1. Open the Output Window: Go to the menu bar and select View > Output or press Ctrl + Alt + O. This will open the Output window.
    2. Select Output Source: In the Output window, you will see a dropdown labeled Show output from:. You can select different options such as Build, Debug, and others to view the relevant output.
    3. Debugging Session: If you want to see variable values during a debugging session, make sure you are in debug mode. When you start debugging (by pressing F5), the Output window should automatically display relevant messages.
    4. Docking the Output Window: If the Output window is not docked where you want it, you can click and drag the title bar of the Output window to reposition it within the Visual Studio interface.

    If you still cannot see the Output window after following these steps, it might be minimized or hidden behind other windows. You can also reset your window layout by going to Window > Reset Window Layout in the menu bar.

    These steps should help you restore the Output window to your Visual Studio environment.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  2. RLWA32 51,536 Reputation points
    2025-12-15T21:10:28.71+00:00

    @Bryan Kelly, It sounds to me like you are seeking to use the Autos or Locals windows when debugging.

    From the documentation at Inspect data using debugger windows in Visual Studio you can refer to the following for the related keyboard shortcuts to open those debugger windows. I have also highlighted the shortcut to open the watch window in the event you are interested in that one.

    Debugger Windows

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