Hello, What type of license needs to be bought to commercially redistribute the VC runtime without any restrictions? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170 Is it free if we own a Visual Studio 2022 license? Any restrictions in that case? Thanks, Anwar

Hi @Services@MC , Welcome to Microsoft Q&A! For Visual C++ runtime, it is licensed, not sold. But there are some limitations for the software. For more information, please visit: Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 2015-2022 Software . Update: You can call (1-800-426-9400), Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PST to speak directly to Microsoft licensing specialist. Sincerely, Anna If the answer is the right solution, please click " Accept Answer " and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Note: Please follow the steps in our <a href="https://nam06.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fanswers%2Farticles%2F67444%2Femail-notifications.html&data=05%7C01%7Cv-anxiu%40microsoft.com%7Cfbafa63a6d244bc7b02308dab02dffeb%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C638016009146709048%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fQwgaRxLofINtfGCjYbP6ygI0lVyksSFgHo7VnshDEY%3D&reserved=0" rel="ugc nofollow">documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

VC runtime redistributable

Accepted answer

Anna Xiu-MSFT 29,926 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2023-10-18T06:52:36.7666667+00:00

Hi @Services@MC ,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

For Visual C++ runtime, it is licensed, not sold. But there are some limitations for the software.

For more information, please visit: Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 2015-2022 Software.

Update:

You can call (1-800-426-9400), Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM PST to speak directly to Microsoft licensing specialist.

Sincerely,

Anna

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Services@MC 45 Reputation points

2023-10-18T13:06:50.6333333+00:00

Hello,

Thanks Anna. I did visit that link before, and it is precisely this link that made me wonder whether another license is available for the VC runtime. That is because the license mentioned explictly that it's not possible to share the runtime. Unless I misunderstood, how would it be possible to build software and sell it without sharing the runtime ("You may not....share, publish or rent...").

If you build an installation, part of the installation is to share that runtime and we've seen software getting installed on our own PC without asking us to install the runtime. So someone must have been sharing it. What is the license arrangement to do like them?

I am not sure I understand Anna when you say: "You can apply the VS2022 license to it". Do you mean that the license, in that case, would mutate to become the same as VS2022 license?

Anwar

RLWA32 45,706 Reputation points

2023-10-18T14:22:56.43+00:00

The VC++ redistributable packages include their own EULA that must be accepted by the user before installation can continue.

Presumably if you are deploying individual DLLs that would be governed by https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2022/redistribution#-distributable-code-files-for-visual-studio-2022.

But the usual route is to suggest that the Questioner contact a Microsoft Licensing Specialist to get an authoritative answer. :)

Services@MC 45 Reputation points

2023-10-19T11:19:16.9833333+00:00

If only they had a similar question/answer site, I don't think they do.

Steven Jeuris 0 Reputation points

2024-11-20T15:07:54.42+00:00

I had the same question; I was extremely surprised reading this in the license.

I'm not certain how from that license we should derive that elsewhere it is documented that we are allowed to redistribute this ... redistributable (sounds only logical if you put it that way).

But, indeed, on the Visual Studio 2022 distributable code page it is stated:

Subject to the License Terms for the software, you may copy and distribute with your program any of the files within the following folder and its subfolders except as noted below. You may not modify these files.

[VisualStudioFolder]\VC\redist
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