Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment used to develop programs for Windows and web applications. It supports multiple programming languages including Visual Basic, C#, C++, and ASP.NET. In Visual Studio, programmers can create solutions containing projects with code files. The interface provides tools like a toolbox, properties window, and solution explorer to assist with visual programming and organizing code. New projects are created by selecting File > New Project or clicking the New Project button to select a project type and language.