Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-03

How to Fix: No EditorOptionDefinition Export Found Error

Error in Visual Studio 2013 when opening C# files due to missing EditorOptionDefinition export.

Quick Answer: Try resetting the Visual Studio settings to their default values or reinstalling Visual Studio.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. 🎯 Final Words

The 'No EditorOptionDefinition export found' error in Visual Studio 2013 is an unexpected issue that affects users who are working with C# files. This error occurs when the user tries to open a C# project and receives an error message indicating that no EditorOptionDefinition export was found for a specific option name.

This error can be frustrating, especially when it happens unexpectedly and without any changes to Visual Studio settings. The good news is that this issue can often be resolved by following the steps outlined below.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary cause of this error is likely related to a corrupted or missing EditorOptionDefinition export file. This file contains settings for various editor options, such as tab behavior and indentation.
  • Another possible reason for this issue could be due to a conflict with other Visual Studio extensions or add-ins that may be interfering with the EditorOptionDefinition export.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Resetting the EditorOptionDefinition Export

  1. Step 1: Close all instances of Visual Studio and restart your computer.
  2. Step 2: Open Visual Studio again and go to File > Options > Environment > Advanced.
  3. Step 3: In the 'Editor Options' section, click on the 'Reset All Settings' button.
  4. Step 4: This will reset the EditorOptionDefinition export file to its default settings. Save any changes you may have made to the editor options before resetting them.
  5. Step 5: Restart Visual Studio and try opening a C# project again.

Manually Editing the EditorOptionDefinition Export

  1. Step 1: Open the registry editor on your computer (regedit.exe). Navigate to the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0\Text Editor\CSharp\Advanced.
  2. Step 2: If the 'EditorOptionDefinition' subkey does not exist, create a new one by right-clicking on the current key and selecting New > Key, then name it 'EditorOptionDefinition'.
  3. Step 3: In the 'EditorOptionDefinition' subkey, look for the setting that corresponds to the tab behavior you want to change (e.g. 'Tabs/ConvertTabsToSpaces').
  4. Step 4: If the setting does not exist, create a new one by right-clicking on the current key and selecting New > String Value, then name it after the desired option.
  5. Step 5: Edit the value of the newly created string value to set the desired option (e.g. 'True' for ConvertTabsToSpaces).
  6. Step 6: Restart Visual Studio and try opening a C# project again.

🎯 Final Words

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'No EditorOptionDefinition export found' error in Visual Studio 2013. If you are still experiencing issues after trying both methods, it may be worth reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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