The free “Express” editions (e.g., VS2012 Express for Windows Desktop) were once available. By 2021, Microsoft had removed those links. You may find them on (e.g., Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine or official MSDN ISO archives mirrored by third parties). ⚠️ Extreme caution: Only download from sources that provide SHA-1 checksums matching original Microsoft ISOs (e.g., en_visual_studio_2012_ultimate_x86_dvd_920947.iso ). Many third-party sites bundle malware.
Microsoft provides access to older versions primarily through subscription-based portals: visual studio 2012 download microsoft 2021