Microsoft Expression is Microsoft's product line for web design and web development. It first started as part of Office 2007, and was later distributed as a separate product line. Expression Studio 4 is the latest and final release. The installation files were available from Digital River, however, the downloads have been removed by now.
Important Note February 2015
Microsoft has taken down all previous and current download servers (msft-dnl.digitalrivercontent.net, msft.digitalrivercontent.net, digitalrivercontent.net and drcdn.blob.core.windows.net)! At this point it is unlikely that the downloads will ever come back.
If you need installation media for and old Expression Studio edition, and have proof of purchase, you can try to order a replacement disk for a small processing fee.
Expression Web 4 is Freeware
Microsoft no longer distributes Expression Studio as a product line. Any future versions will be integrated into Visual Studio. They have, however, released a couple of components as freeware. In the Microsoft Download centre you'll find free versions of Expression Web, Expression Web Super Preview, Expression Encoder and Expression Design.
Free Upgrade from Expression 3 to Expression 4
Microsoft Expression Design by Microsoft Corporation is an application that allows you to create graphical elements for apps and web projects. It's an all-in-one image editor that has the capability of exporting content to a wide number of image formats (vector included).
Expression Studio 4 can be installed on top of Expression Studio 3 without needing to provide a new activation key. This upgrade works from Expression Studio 3 to Expression Studio 4 Ultimate, as well as from Expression Web 3 to Expression Studio 4 Web Professional.
Purchase an Expression Studio Activation Key
Although Microsoft no longer officially offers Expression Studio for purchase, many packages are still available through Amazon or eBay. The following links point to some products I was still able to make out on Amazon for each edition. Pricing is not always logical, and newer or better edition might indeed be cheaper:
Purchase Expression Studio 1
Microsoft Expression Studio Free
- Expression Web 1 (single component)
- Expression Blend 1 (single component)
- Expression Media 1 (single component)
Purchase Expression Studio 2
- Expression Web 2 (single component)
- Expression Blend 2 (single component)
- Expression Encoder 2 (single component)
- Expression Media 2 (single component)
Purchase Expression Studio 3
Purchase Expression Studio 4
Former direct download links, only for reference
The following table is provided for reference only, so that you know which file name is which Expression version, in case you find some of the files from an alternative download source. The downloads in this table are no longer working.
Expression Studio 1
| Language | Expression Studio 1 | Expression Web 1 | Expression Blend 1 | Expression Media 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese, traditional (Taiwan) | X13-83794.exe | X13-09220.exe | X13-83601.exe | X13-83737.exe |
| English (USA) | X13-80453.exe | X13-09221.exe | X13-74270.exe | X13-80454.exe |
| French (France) | X13-83785.exe | X13-09222.exe | X13-83594.exe | X13-83730.exe |
| German (Germany) | X13-83790.exe | X13-09223.exe | X13-83597.exe | X13-83733.exe |
| Italian (Italy) | X13-83789.exe | X13-09224.exe | X13-83596.exe | X13-83732.exe |
| Korean (Republic of Korea) | X13-83792.exe | X13-09226.exe | X13-83599.exe | X13-83735.exe |
| Spanish (Spain) | X13-83786.exe | X13-09227.exe | X13-83595.exe | X13-83731.exe |
Expression Studio 1 Tutorials (English only)
| Product | Link |
|---|---|
| Total Training Expression Web 1 | X13-72004.exe (old) X13-82416.exe (new) |
| Total Training Expression Blend 1 | X13-73715.exe (old) X13-84372.exe (new) |
| Total Training Expression Media 1 | X13-74272.exe (old) X13-84327.exe (new) |
| Total Training Expression Design 1 | X13-81759.exe |
Expression Studio 2
| Language | Expression Studio 2 | Expression Web 2 | Expression Blend 2 | Expression Encoder 2 | Expression Media 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese, traditional (Taiwan) | X14-89890.exe | X14-89926.exe | X14-89910.exe | X14-89918.exe | X14-89895.exe |
| English (USA) | X14-89884.exe | X14-89927.exe | X14-89911.exe | X14-89919.exe | X14-89896.exe |
| French (France) | X14-89885.exe | X14-89928.exe | X14-89912.exe | X14-89920.exe | X14-89897.exe |
| German (Germany) | X14-89886.exe | X14-89929.exe | X14-89913.exe | X14-89921.exe | X14-89898.exe |
| Italian (Italy) | X14-89887.exe | X14-89930.exe | X14-89914.exe | X14-89922.exe | X14-89899.exe |
| Korean (Republic of Korea) | X14-89889.exe | X14-89931.exe | X14-89915.exe | X14-89923.exe | X14-89900.exe |
| Spanish (Spain) | X14-89888.exe | X14-89932.exe | X14-89916.exe | X14-89924.exe | X14-91003.exe |
Expression Studio 3
| Language | Expression Web 3 | Expression Studio 3 |
|---|---|---|
| English (USA) | X15-66092.exe | X15-66091.exe |
| French (France) | X15-67872.exe | X15-67876.exe |
| German (Germany) | X15-67874.exe | X15-67878.exe |
| Korean (Republic of Korea) | X15-67885.exe | X15-67881.exe |
Expression Studio 4
| Language | Expression Studio 4 Web Professional | Expression Studio 4 Ultimate | Expression Encoder 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| English (USA) | X16-88712.exe | X16-88716.exe | X16-88717.exe |
| French (France) | X16-93414.exe | X16-93402.exe | X16-93408.exe |
| German (Germany) | X16-93412.exe | X16-93418.exe | X16-93406.exe |
| Italian (Italy) | X16-93416.exe | X16-93404.exe | X16-93410.exe |
| Japanese (Japan) | X16-93411.exe | X16-93417.exe | X16-93405.exe |
| Korean (Republic of Korea) | X16-93413.exe | X16-93419.exe | X16-93407.exe |
| Spanish (Spain) | X16-93415.exe | X16-93403.exe | X16-93409.exe |
Microsoft Expression for Mac
| Language | Expression Media 1 | Expression Media 2 |
|---|---|---|
| English (USA) | X13-74322.dmg | X14-89903.dmg |
| French (France) | X13-83739.dmg | X15-01126.dmg |
| German (Germany) | X13-83742.dmg | X15-01132.dmg |
| Italian (Italy) | X13-83741.dmg | X15-01127.dmg |
| Spanish (Spain) | X13-83740.dmg | X15-01133.dmg |
Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity is a free Visual Studio extension that turns Visual Studio for Mac into a powerful tool for developing cross-platform games and apps with the Unity platform.
Unity integration is included out of the box in Visual Studio for Mac, and starting from Unity 2018.1, Visual Studio for Mac is the default C# IDE for Unity projects.
Note
This information is for Visual Studio for Mac IDE. For Visual Studio Code, see this guide for more information.
Overview
Here are some of the key features of Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity:
Compatible with Visual Studio for Mac Community Edition
Visual Studio for Mac Community Edition is available for free, and bundled with Unity installs starting with Unity 2018.1. See the Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity setup documentation for more information.
IntelliSense for Unity messages
IntelliSense makes it fast and easy to implement Unity messages like OnCollisionEnter, including their parameters.
Superior debugging
Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity supports all the debugging features that you expect from Visual Studio:
- Set breakpoints, including conditional breakpoints.
- Evaluate complex expressions in the Watch window.
- Inspect and modify the value of variables and arguments.
- Drill down into complex objects and data structures.
Powerful refactoring and context actions
Microsoft Expression Studio Tutorial
Write more usable code with quick menus and keyboard shortcuts for renaming, refactoring, and context actions.
Roslyn diagnostics and quick-fixes for Unity
Write better code that captures the best practices with Visual Studio for Mac's deep understanding of Unity projects.
Browse and add new files
Browse Unity projects and add folders, scripts, or shaders, all within the Visual Studio for Mac IDE.
Use familiar key bindings
Boost productivity by using the key bindings that you know. Visual Studio for Mac provides familiar key bindings for many popular IDEs, such as Visual Studio on Windows, ReSharper, Visual Studio Code, and Xcode.
Customize the Visual theme
Give your eyes a rest with the included dark theme.
Microsoft Expression Studio Web
Tips for Unity developers getting started with Visual Studio for Mac
These links explain useful features for Unity developers just starting with Visual Studio for Mac:
Microsoft Expression Studio Trial
- Customizing the IDE – Learn how to change the visual theme or switch to a more familiar key binding scheme.
- Source Editor – Learn how Visual Studio for Mac can make writing better code faster and easier, including common keyboard shortcuts.