diff --git a/build/toolchain/win/setup_toolchain.py b/build/toolchain/win/setup_toolchain.py
index 53fac69229a272..fa31688f36a221 100644
--- a/build/toolchain/win/setup_toolchain.py
+++ b/build/toolchain/win/setup_toolchain.py
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def _ExtractImportantEnvironment(output_of_set):
 
 
 def _DetectVisualStudioPath():
-  """Return path to the GYP_MSVS_VERSION of Visual Studio.
+  """Return path to the installed Visual Studio.
   """
 
   # Use the code in build/vs_toolchain.py to avoid duplicating code.
diff --git a/build/vs_toolchain.py b/build/vs_toolchain.py
index b9505ec624d6d3..9db0ea456f8758 100755
--- a/build/vs_toolchain.py
+++ b/build/vs_toolchain.py
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ def SetEnvironmentAndGetRuntimeDllDirs():
       vs_runtime_dll_dirs.append('Arm64Unused')
 
     os.environ['GYP_MSVS_OVERRIDE_PATH'] = toolchain
-    os.environ['GYP_MSVS_VERSION'] = version
 
     os.environ['WINDOWSSDKDIR'] = win_sdk
     os.environ['WDK_DIR'] = wdk
@@ -92,8 +91,6 @@ def SetEnvironmentAndGetRuntimeDllDirs():
   elif sys.platform == 'win32' and not depot_tools_win_toolchain:
     if not 'GYP_MSVS_OVERRIDE_PATH' in os.environ:
       os.environ['GYP_MSVS_OVERRIDE_PATH'] = DetectVisualStudioPath()
-    if not 'GYP_MSVS_VERSION' in os.environ:
-      os.environ['GYP_MSVS_VERSION'] = GetVisualStudioVersion()
 
     # When using an installed toolchain these files aren't needed in the output
     # directory in order to run binaries locally, but they are needed in order
@@ -143,11 +140,6 @@ def _RegistryGetValue(key, value):
 def GetVisualStudioVersion():
   """Return best available version of Visual Studio.
   """
-
-  env_version = os.environ.get('GYP_MSVS_VERSION')
-  if env_version:
-    return env_version
-
   supported_versions = MSVS_VERSIONS.keys()
 
   # VS installed in depot_tools for Googlers
@@ -175,7 +167,7 @@ def GetVisualStudioVersion():
 
 
 def DetectVisualStudioPath():
-  """Return path to the GYP_MSVS_VERSION of Visual Studio.
+  """Return path to the installed Visual Studio.
   """
 
   # Note that this code is used from
@@ -203,8 +195,7 @@ def DetectVisualStudioPath():
     if path and os.path.exists(path):
       return path
 
-  raise Exception('Visual Studio Version %s (from GYP_MSVS_VERSION)'
-                  ' not found.' % version_as_year)
+  raise Exception('Visual Studio Version %s not found.' % version_as_year)
 
 
 def _CopyRuntimeImpl(target, source, verbose=True):
@@ -500,9 +491,6 @@ def Update(force=False, no_download=False):
       subprocess.check_call([
           ciopfs, '-o', 'use_ino', toolchain_dir + '.ciopfs', toolchain_dir])
 
-    # Necessary so that get_toolchain_if_necessary.py will put the VS toolkit
-    # in the correct directory.
-    os.environ['GYP_MSVS_VERSION'] = GetVisualStudioVersion()
     get_toolchain_args = [
         sys.executable,
         os.path.join(depot_tools_path,
diff --git a/docs/windows_build_instructions.md b/docs/windows_build_instructions.md
index e496e715d95a9f..8845f8484cce73 100644
--- a/docs/windows_build_instructions.md
+++ b/docs/windows_build_instructions.md
@@ -88,9 +88,7 @@ if your system PATH has a Python in it, you will be out of luck.
 
 Also, add a DEPOT_TOOLS_WIN_TOOLCHAIN system variable in the same way, and set
 it to 0. This tells depot_tools to use your locally installed version of Visual
-Studio (by default, depot_tools will try to use a google-internal version). If
-you want to build with Visual Studio 2017 instead of Visual Studio 2019 (the
-default) then set the GYP_MSVS_VERSION environment variable to 2017.
+Studio (by default, depot_tools will try to use a google-internal version).
 
 From a cmd.exe shell, run the command gclient (without arguments). On first
 run, gclient will install all the Windows-specific bits needed to work with
@@ -168,7 +166,8 @@ $ gn gen out/Default
   update the build files as needed.
 * You can replace `Default` with another name, but
   it should be a subdirectory of `out`.
-* For other build arguments, including release settings, see [GN build
+* For other build arguments, including release settings or using an alternate
+  version of Visual Studio, see [GN build
   configuration](https://www.chromium.org/developers/gn-build-configuration).
   The default will be a debug component build matching the current host
   operating system and CPU.
diff --git a/tools/win/setenv.bat b/tools/win/setenv.bat
index f85480b77d45f6..ce0cc41cc9102e 100755
--- a/tools/win/setenv.bat
+++ b/tools/win/setenv.bat
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ REM Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
 REM found in the LICENSE file.
 
 REM Run this script to add the current toolchain, as determined by
-REM GYP_MSVS_VERSION, DEPOT_TOOLS_WIN_TOOLCHAIN and the hash in vs_toolchain.py,
+REM DEPOT_TOOLS_WIN_TOOLCHAIN and the hash in vs_toolchain.py,
 REM to the path. Be aware of running this multiple times as too-long paths will
 REM break things.
 REM To get the toolchain for x64 targets pass /x64 to this batch file.