[win10 22h2] Killed win visual studio 22 updater task and vs22 cannot start

a360circle 0 Reputation points
2026-10-20T18:21:46.6133333+00:00

Always

ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe error

With No other debug message

I uninstalled and reinstalled vs22 community and still cannot fix

You have a vs22 problem that even cannot be fixed by reinstalling

Developer technologies | Visual Studio | Setup
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  2. Brian Pham (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 735 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-21T04:20:36.5533333+00:00

    Hi a360circle,

    Thank you for providing the details. I understand that Visual Studio 2022 stopped launching after the updater process was terminated, and that a complete uninstall/reinstall of VS 2022 Community did not resolve the issue. The appearance of ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe suggests that some Visual Studio service or identity-related components may have been left in an inconsistent state after the interrupted update.

    Could you please try the following steps:

    1. Close all Visual Studio and Visual Studio Installer processes.
    2. Rename: %LOCALAPPDATA%.IdentityService to .IdentityService_backup
    3. Rename: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VSCommon\OnlineLicensing\VisualStudio\17.0 to 17.0_backup
    4. Launch Visual Studio again and check whether the issue persists.
    5. If Visual Studio still does not start, run a Repair from Visual Studio Installer.

    If the issue persists after clearing the Identity/OnlineLicensing caches and performing a Repair, please verify that the following files exist and are accessible:

    ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe.config

    Please locate ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe by searching within the Visual Studio installation directory. A common location is:

    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022<Edition>\Common7\ServiceHub\

    If either file is missing, or if you suspect the files may have been affected by the interrupted update process, you may try replacing them with copies from a known working Visual Studio 2022 installation running the same edition and version/build

    Before manually replacing any files, please ensure that:

    • The source machine is using the same Visual Studio 2022 version/build.
    • Visual Studio and all ServiceHub processes are closed.
    • A backup of the original files is created.

    If the issue continues after the above steps, please share:

    • Visual Studio setup logs
    • A screenshot of the error message

    To collect the setup logs:

    1. Open: %TEMP%
    2. Locate the most recently modified log files with names similar to:
      1. dd_setup_*.log
      2. dd_client_*.log
      3. dd_installer_*.log

    Additionally, if available, please provide the contents of: %TEMP%\servicehub\logs

    These logs may help identify whether any ServiceHub components were affected when the update process was interrupted.

    As the issue started immediately after the update process was terminated, it is possible that one of the ServiceHub or identity-related components was left in an inconsistent state. The additional logs will help determine whether further component repair or cache cleanup is required.

    If you found my response helpful or informative, I would greatly appreciate it if you could follow this guide for your confirmation. Thank you.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-10-20T18:22:57.14+00:00

    Generate a Visual Studio startup log first, then remove the per-user identity cache only if the log or dialog reports access denied under .IdentityService; a normal reinstall does not necessarily address that user-specific state.

    1. Capture the actual startup failure

    Open Command Prompt and run:

    cd /d "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\Common7\IDE"
devenv.exe /log "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\VS-ActivityLog.xml"

    The /Log switch records Visual Studio startup activity and supports a custom output path.^1^

    After Visual Studio fails:

    1. Open VS-ActivityLog.xml from the desktop.
    2. Search for:
      • ServiceHub.IdentityHost
      • .IdentityService
      • Access denied
      • Error
    3. Also open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application and check the matching ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe failure for the exception and faulting module.

    ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe is one of Visual Studio’s out-of-process components. If it terminates unexpectedly, Visual Studio functionality or stability can be affected.^2^

    2. If the error names .IdentityService and says access is denied

    Close Visual Studio and Visual Studio Installer. In File Explorer, enter:

    %LOCALAPPDATA%

    Before deleting anything:

    1. Right-click .IdentityService → Properties → Security.
    2. Record or screenshot the permissions in case the issue must be reported.
    3. Delete the particular file or the .IdentityService directory named by the error.
    4. Start Visual Studio again.

    Microsoft documents deleting the named identity file or directory specifically for first-launch errors such as:

    Access to the path 'C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\.IdentityService\...' is denied.

    ^3^

    Do not apply this deletion merely because ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe appears in the message; use it when the error identifies .IdentityService or its permissions.

    3. Repair the installation

    Since uninstalling and reinstalling did not help, use the Installer’s repair operation rather than repeating the same reinstall:

    1. Open Start → Visual Studio Installer.
    2. Locate Visual Studio Community 2022 under Installed.
    3. Select More → Repair.
    4. Restart Windows after repair, then test Visual Studio.

    Repair reacquires required installation files, but it resets Visual Studio settings and some per-user customizations.^4^

    4. If killing the updater left the Installer itself damaged

    For an update-related Installer failure:

    1. Close Visual Studio Installer.
    2. Delete:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer
    1. Run a newly downloaded Visual Studio 2022 Community bootstrapper.
    2. Let it reinstall the Installer metadata, then run Repair or reinstall Community.

    Microsoft documents this Installer-folder reset for update failures.^5^

    5. Last resort: clean version 17 installation state

    Only use this after repair and the Installer reset fail. It removes Visual Studio installation records and files and can affect other Visual Studio installations.

    Close the Installer, open Command Prompt as administrator, and run:

    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\Installer\InstallCleanup.exe" -i 17

    Then reinstall Visual Studio 2022 Community. The -i 17 option removes version 17 product information while retaining the intended path of reinstalling that Visual Studio version.^6^

    If the failure remains, collect setup and ServiceHub logs before reporting it:

    • Setup collection output: %TEMP%\vslogs.zip
    • ServiceHub logs: %TEMP%\servicehub\logs
    • Visual Studio Installer → Report a problem

    For a reproducible out-of-process failure, Microsoft recommends collecting ServiceHub logs and attaching vslogs.zip to the report.^7^

    References

    1. /Log (devenv.exe)
    2. Visual Studio unrecoverable process error
    3. Sign in to Visual Studio with accounts that require multifactor authentication (MFA)
    4. Repair your Visual Studio installation | Microsoft Learn
    5. Troubleshoot Visual Studio installation and upgrade issues
    6. Uninstall or remove Visual Studio
    7. Increase the chances of a performance issue being fixed
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