Tips for avoiding lines at Versailles

I believe the museum pass gets you past the lines

The museum pass gets you past the ticket buying line, but not the security line - everyone has to go through that (except tour groups-they have their own line) and it's the longest and slowest line. For tips on how to lessen or avoid the lines do a search and read some of the other threads here on that subject.

Here's a couple of examples:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rick-s-advice-about-skip-the-line-at-versailles-is-not-quite-the-whole-story
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/versailles-for-the-first-time

Prepurchase ticket online.
or
Use a Museum Pass
or
Book the Kings Apartment Tours online

Have ticket in hand when you arrive.

Arrive at least 30 minutes before it opens( so yes..you will wait 30 minutes)
Line up for security.
When it opens you will go right in.

Booking the Kings Apartment tour does get you in a separate entrance and security.

Tour the Gardens first, entering by the Queens' Gate and do the Palace in the afternoon.
Around 3 or 4 the line is normally nonexistent for the Palace.

We went via RER C from Paris, timing our arrival to coincide with the 0800 opening of the gates to the grounds. We were able to get all the photos of the palace exterior we wanted with the morning sun just right. We had museum passes and lined up at the entry gate as the crowds began to arrive around 0830 or so, when the actual palace opened at 0900. By 0900 the lines stretched from the palace back a block beyond the gates, over 200 meters and barely moving. We were first in and went directly to the Hall of Mirrors and had it to ourselves and one other couple. We each took plenty of photos of one another before anyone else arrived. We then backtracked to those areas bypassed. We were finished in the palace by 1100 and by then the lines were horrendous, over two blocks back from the gates and over an hour or more wait. Go early.