Microsoft Office supports automation through Component Object Model (COM) add-ins. However, native COM development presents challenges regarding memory management and versioning. VSTO provides a managed code bridge, allowing developers to build add-ins using C# or VB.NET. The VSTO 2010 Runtime (full name: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime ) is the execution engine that loads, isolates, and manages these managed add-ins across Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.).

Microsoft recommends moving to (web-based) for Office 2016+ and Microsoft 365:

Active; the runtime receives updates to maintain compatibility with newer Office versions.

Vsto 2010 Runtime Jun 2026

Microsoft Office supports automation through Component Object Model (COM) add-ins. However, native COM development presents challenges regarding memory management and versioning. VSTO provides a managed code bridge, allowing developers to build add-ins using C# or VB.NET. The VSTO 2010 Runtime (full name: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Tools for Office Runtime ) is the execution engine that loads, isolates, and manages these managed add-ins across Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.).

Microsoft recommends moving to (web-based) for Office 2016+ and Microsoft 365: vsto 2010 runtime

Active; the runtime receives updates to maintain compatibility with newer Office versions. vsto 2010 runtime