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Set the work items experience

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Azure DevOps Services | Azure DevOps Server 2022 - Azure DevOps Server 2019

Visual Studio 2019 | Visual Studio 2022

Visual Studio 2019 allows you to switch between the default and legacy views of the Team Explorer Work Items page. The default view is designed to align with the web portal's Boards > Work Items page, offering a modern and consistent interface for managing work items. The legacy view retains the familiar layout from previous versions of Visual Studio, supporting users who prefer the traditional Work Items page experience.

Prerequisites

Before switching between work item views in Visual Studio 2019, ensure you meet the following requirements:

  • Permissions:

    • To view, follow, and edit work items, have View work items in this node and Edit work items in this node permissions set to Allow. By default, the Contributors group has these permissions. For more information, see Set work tracking permissions.

  • To add tags to work items, have the project-level Create new tag definition permission set to Allow. By default, the Contributors group has this permission.

  • Access levels:

    • Be a project member.
    • To add new tags to work items or to view or follow pull requests, have at least Basic access.
    • To view or follow work items, have at least Stakeholder access. For more information, see About access levels.
    • All project members, including those in the Readers group, can send emails containing work items.

    Note

    • Provide Stakeholder access to members who want to contribute to the discussion and review progress. These are typically members who don't contribute to code, but want to view work items, backlogs, boards, and dashboards.
    • By default, all Contributors and Stakeholders in public projects can add new and existing tags. In private projects, Stakeholders can only add existing tags. To control the ability to create new tags, set the Create tag definition permission at the project level. For more information, see Change project-level permissions.
  • Tools: Have Visual Studio 2019 installed with the latest updates.
  • Extensions: Verify that the Team Explorer extension is installed and enabled in Visual Studio 2019.

Work item views

Visual Studio 2019 provides flexibility in how you interact with work items by offering the following two distinct views:

Default view

  • Consistency with web portal: Mirrors the Boards > Work Items page in the Azure DevOps web portal.
  • Modern interface: Features a streamlined and updated design for enhanced usability.
  • Integrated features: Applies the latest updates and integrations available in Azure DevOps.

Legacy view

  • Familiar layout: Maintains the traditional Work Items page layout from earlier Visual Studio versions.
  • Compatibility: Ensures continuity for users transitioning from previous versions of Visual Studio.
  • Customizations: Supports existing customizations and workflows established in older environments.

Switch work item views

To switch between the default and legacy views of the Work Items page in Visual Studio 2019, do the following steps:

  1. Select View > Team Explorer in the Visual Studio menu.

  2. In Team Explorer, select Work Items to open the Work Items page.

  3. Look for a toggle or option labeled Switch to Legacy View or Use Default View and move the toggle to switch between the default and legacy views based on your preference.

More resources

For more information on managing work items and customizing your experience, see the following resources:

New Git tool experience

Visual Studio 2019 now includes a new Git tool that provides an improved experience when connecting to a Git repository. When you enable this tool, the Team Explorer tool is effectively disabled when connected to a Git repository. You can acquire the new tool by downloading Visual Studio 2019 version 16.6. To enable and use the new tool, see Git experience in Visual Studio.