Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 Express RC for Windows 8 is your tool to build Metro style apps. It includes the Windows 8 SDK, Blend for Visual Studio, and project templates. You must first install Windows 8 Release Preview.
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Download now(392 MB, English)
You can download the Windows 8 Release Preview using Windows Setup which includes an optimized download and built-in tools for creating an ISO or bootable flash drive. Alternatively, you can directly download an ISO image.
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Design assets
Download design assets (48 MB)
These .psd assets include templates, common controls, and common components such as contracts, notifications, and tiles. Learn more about designing Metro style apps.
Download sample app pack (300 MB)
This package contains over 200 samples from Microsoft to help jumpstart your project quickly. You can also browse individual samples, copy code inline, and leave comments in the samples gallery.
Live SDK
The Live SDK provides a set of controls and APIs that enable applications to integrate Single Sign On (SSO) with your Microsoft account and access information from SkyDrive, Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger. Learn more about the Live SDK.
These standalone tools allow you to easily install, test, and profile the performance of a Metro style app on a PC running Windows 8 Release Preview without Visual Studio 2012 RC installed.
Download Multilingual App Toolkit (3.0 MB, English)
This extension for Visual Studio 2012 RC helps you localize your Metro style app with translation support, translation file management, and editor tools. Get details and additional languages.
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