Can Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable package support the applications that use VC2015?

Question

If i install just Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable on my machine, can it support applications that was written for 2015

in other words, if I uninstall Visual C++ 2015 Redistributable and install Visual C++ 2017 Redistributable, will all the applications work without any errors?

Answer 1

No they won't work

The redistributable package is a .exe, which installs the required DLLs

msvcrtXXXX.dll

Where XXXX changes per build (VS2017, VS2015,...)

It is also not reference counted, which means no matter how many people install it, one uninstall rips out the files.

UPDATE

The Visual Studio 2017 does not change the version number

VS2017  msvcr140.dll
VS2015  msvcr140.dll

VS2013  msvcr120.dll
VS2012  msvcr110.dll
VS2010  msvcr100.dll
VS2008  msvcr90.dll

Thus Microsoft believe that the VS 2015 and VS 2017 redistributable packages are compatible.

Unfortunately, looking for downloads of VS2015 and VS2017, they are both available, so there may be subtle differences.

If the 2015 does not install, it will be because it thinks it is less good than the already installed 2017. However I have failed to find strong documentation that this is what Microsoft expects.