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Appropriate roles: Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner admin
This article describes:
- The changes to Visual Studio and more about Visual Studio Enterprise IDE (New).
- The Visual Studio and GitHub benefits available to partners on the Benefits page on Partner Center.
- The steps to activate Visual Studio and GitHub benefits.
- The steps to assign users to Visual Studio Enterprise IDE on the new benefits preview in Partner Center.
All Visual Studio subscriptions:
- Must be licensed per user.
- Must be assigned to be valid.
- Must include the specific benefits associated with a partner's program entitlements.
- Must be paid Visual Studio subscriptions and those subscriptions obtained through volume licensing agreements, and they must provide extra benefits.
Partner Program developer benefits updates (Benefits Refresh 2026)
Important
As of February 13, 2026, developer benefits provided through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program were updated as part of the Benefits Refresh 2026. These updates apply only to Partner Program benefits and don't affect paid Visual Studio subscriptions, licensing, or versions purchased through retail, volume licensing, or enterprise agreements. The updated benefits take effect when your organization renews its original membership offer at its next anniversary date. The benefits also take effect if you enroll in or purchase a new membership offer on or after February 13, 2026.
This article explains the transition from legacy Partner Program developer benefits to the updated offerings of the new Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program benefit for Visual Studio Enterprise IDE. It outlines what changed, what remains the same, and why these updates were made so that partners can plan and manage their benefits with confidence.
What's new
As part of the updated Partner Program developer benefits, partners now have access to more learning and support resources designed to help teams build, modernize, and deliver solutions more effectively. The resources include:
- Developer training resources focused on modern application development.
- Azure Community Forums for peer discussion, best practices, and community-driven guidance.
- Concierge Chat to help partners understand, access, and maximize their benefits.
These additions are intended to strengthen onboarding, continuous learning, and day-to-day developer productivity for partner teams.
What changed
As part of the Benefits Refresh 2026, certain legacy delivery models within Partner Program developer benefits were updated to improve clarity, security, and alignment with modern development practices:
- Azure credits are now delivered through the Partner Program benefit packages at the organization level. They aren't bundled with individual IDE licenses. This pooled model enables partners to plan, share, and apply Azure credits across teams and projects more effectively. The new model reduces unused credits and improves overall use.
- Legacy on-premises software downloads and transferable product keys (such as Windows, Office, and server products) are no longer included with Partner Program developer benefits. These products remain available through appropriate Microsoft licensing channels.
- Legacy developer tools that are no longer aligned with modern, cloud-first development workflows were retired in favor of current tools, services, and learning resources.
These updates help clarify entitlement boundaries and ensure that Partner Program benefits are delivered through the most appropriate, secure, and scalable access models.
How to access these benefits
- Azure credits and developer tools continue to be included as part of the Partner Program benefits package associated with your organization. Partners manage benefit assignment centrally in Partner Center. Individual developers access their entitled tools and resources through the appropriate Microsoft portals.
- Partner Program admins in Partner Center assign Visual Studio Enterprise IDE licenses to users. After the licenses are assigned, users activate and sign in to the IDE by using their work email.
- Assigned users access their Partner Program-entitled developer tools through the Visual Studio portal, based on their organization's Partner Program benefits.
- The Visual Studio subscriptions portal serves as the access portal for Visual Studio-related Partner Program benefits. The benefits are defined by Partner Program eligibility rather than Visual Studio subscription tiers. These benefits don't include individual Azure credits, Pluralsight, QA, or MSDN-style software downloads or QA learning.
- Azure credits are accessed through Partner Program benefit packages or your organization's existing Azure subscriptions, based on how your organization manages Azure use and billing.
- Software and licensing for development and testing are accessed through the appropriate Microsoft licensing or partner entitlement programs associated with your purchase.
This model ensures that benefits are delivered through the correct portals, scoped appropriately by entitlement, and aligned with how partner teams build, test, and deploy solutions today.
What remains the same
The following core developer benefits continue to be available to partners with eligible benefit packages:
- Visual Studio Enterprise IDE license.
- Azure DevOps Basic and Test Plans.
- C# Dev Kit for Visual Studio Code.
- Microsoft developer communities and Visual Studio Live! benefits.
Quick help
I no longer see monthly Azure credits with my Partner Program developer benefits. What changed?
Azure credits are now provided at the Partner Program organization level, rather than being assigned per individual IDE license. This pooled model allows partners to plan and share Azure credits across teams and projects, improving utilization and reducing unused or expired credits.
What should I do if my previous monthly Azure credits are expiring?
If you previously used monthly Azure credits tied to individual subscriptions, take action before the associated subscription is retired to avoid disruption to running resources. You have the following options:
Option 1: Redeploy resources by using partner benefits package Azure credits.
- Use your partner benefits package bulk Azure credits to redeploy resources in an eligible Azure subscription.
- For more information on your Azure bulk credits, see Get started with Cost Management reporting.
Option 2: Keep resources running under pay-as-you-go.
- If you prefer to keep existing resources in the current subscription, you can remove the spending limit and continue running them under a pay-as-you-go billing model.
Option 3: Move resources to another subscription or resource group.
- You can migrate existing resources to another Azure subscription or resource group that better aligns with your organization's Azure credit use.
- For step-by-step guidance, see Move Azure resources to a new resource group or subscription.
Important
Finish any required resource moves before the current subscription is disabled to avoid losing access.
Why were Partner Program developer benefits updated?
These updates are part of an ongoing evolution of the Partner Program to better support how partners build, test, and deliver solutions today. The changes are intended to:
- Improve clarity around partner entitlements and how benefits are accessed and managed.
- Encourage responsible use of partner benefits.
- Align Partner Program benefits with modern, cloud-first development workflows and current security standards.
Microsoft remains committed to supporting partner success and continues to invest in developer tools, Azure benefits, and learning resources that help partners grow and deliver for their customers. For a complete overview of available benefits, see the Partner Program Benefits Guide.
Is this update a downgrade from previous developer benefits?
No. This update isn't intended as a downgrade. It's a realignment of value designed to better reflect how partners build and deliver solutions today. As part of this update:
- Azure value shifts from per-user monthly credits to Partner Program benefit packages. This change enables pooled usage and improved utilization across teams.
- Low-usage, legacy entitlements are retired while modern learning, support, and community resources are added.
- Core developer tools, including the Visual Studio Enterprise IDE license, remain available and unchanged.
These changes are intended to provide more predictable Azure value, clearer benefit boundaries, and better alignment with modern development practices.
Do partners need to take any action during this transition?
In most cases, no immediate action is required. Partners are encouraged to:
- Review any existing Azure resources associated with expiring monthly credits.
- Take appropriate steps to migrate or retain resources, if needed.
- Continue managing benefits through Partner Center.
Existing benefits remain visible until your anniversary date. Upon renewal, the updated Partner Program benefits apply based on program eligibility.
Where can partners get help or more information?
Partners can get assistance through the following channels:
- Concierge Chat for benefit-related questions and guidance.
- Microsoft Q&A and Tech Community platforms or by opening a support ticket for personalized help.
What is the key takeaway for partners?
As part of the Benefits Refresh 2026, Microsoft enhanced Partner Program developer benefits by:
- Delivering Azure credits through Partner Program benefit packages to improve flexibility and utilization.
- Preserving access to core developer tools, including the Visual Studio Enterprise IDE license.
- Expanding community engagement and guided support through Azure forums and concierge assistance.
- Strengthening training resources to support continuous learning and modern development practices.
At the same time, legacy entitlements that are no longer aligned with current partner needs were retired.
Are licenses automatically assigned on renewal?
Yes. User license assignments are automatically carried forward on renewal if you remain in the same solution area. If you change solution areas or no longer qualify for a Solutions Partner designation, you must reassign licenses in Partner Center.
Activate Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Visual Studio benefits
Here are the steps to assign or remove users' access to the Visual Studio portal for the purposes of accessing their Partner Program entitled benefits for the process to assign or remove users from Visual Studio subscriptions purchased via retail or volume licensing. For more information, see Visual Studio subscriptions documentation.
Sign in to Partner Center and select Benefits.
On the Developer Tools tab, select Visual Studio subscriptions benefits.
To assign a user the Visual Studio benefit, select the Visual Studio benefit that you want to activate. On the wizard pane, on the Activate benefits tab, select a user to which you want to assign the subscription, and then select Assign user. If the user you want to assign isn't in the list, you can add new users in Account settings.
Repeat this process for each subscription that you want to assign. Users can manage their subscriptions in the Visual Studio portal:
- To view all assigned users to all the Visual Studio subscriptions, select the View and remove assigned users tab.
- To remove users assigned to any active Visual Studio subscription, select the View and remove assigned users tab. Select Remove next to the name of the user that you want to remove.
- To reassign a Visual Studio subscription from one user to another, select Reassign user. For this option to appear, 90 days must pass from the time that the subscription was activated. For more information, read the Microsoft Partner Programs Guide.
Manage GitHub subscriptions
Sign in to Partner Center and select Benefits.
On the Developer Tools tab, select GitHub Enterprise Cloud subscription.
Activate a GitHub subscription by selecting Activate. Follow the instructions to activate the subscription.
More questions
When we transition from a Legacy to a Solutions Partner designation, do Visual Studio subscriptions need to be reassigned?
Yes. When you transition from a Legacy to a Solutions Partner designation, partners need to reassign the Visual Studio subscriptions to users.
When we transition to the new designation, are new Visual Studio subscriptions created? How can I make sure that users from my organization can still access the subscriptions?
When you transition to the new designation, new Visual Studio subscriptions are created. Partners should reassign the subscriptions to users who still need them.
Is there a way we can provide a list of users that were previously assigned to Visual Studio subscriptions in Partner Center, with Legacy enrollments, before we transition to the Solutions Partner designation?
Partners that participate in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program are responsible for tracking use and consumption of licenses and services provided through the program. Partners are also accountable for developing their own method of tracking license and benefit usage.
Do partners also need to reassign other usage-based subscriptions, such as Azure credits?
If you renew by using the same solution area (for example, from Business Applications to Business Applications), you don't need to reassign licenses. If you change to a different solution area or no longer qualify for a Solutions Partner designation, you need to reassign the licenses.
Are we required to reassign licenses during each yearly renewal period?
If you renew by using the same solution area (for example, from Business Applications to Business Applications), you don't need to reassign licenses. If you change to a different solution area or no longer qualify for a Solutions Partner designation, you need to reassign the licenses.
If my Solutions Partner designation changes, am I required to reassign licenses again?
Yes. If you renew Solutions Partner designations by using a different solutions area (for example, from Business Applications to Modern Work), you must manually reassign the licenses. If you renew by using the same solution area (for example, from Business Applications to Business Applications), you don't need to reassign licenses.