Install .NET MAUI

This guide will walk you through the steps to install .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) on your development machine. .NET MAUI allows you to create native applications for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows from a single shared codebase.

Prerequisites: Ensure you have the latest stable version of Visual Studio installed. .NET MAUI is integrated into Visual Studio and can be installed via the Visual Studio Installer. For specific version requirements, please refer to the Prerequisites section.

Installation Steps

Open Visual Studio Installer: Search for "Visual Studio Installer" in your Windows Start menu and open it.
Modify Your Installation: Find your installed Visual Studio version (e.g., Visual Studio 2022) and click the "Modify" button.
Select .NET MAUI Workload: In the "Workloads" tab, scroll down to ".NET MAUI development" and check the box next to it. This will automatically select necessary components like the .NET MAUI SDK and platform-specific development tools.
Ensure that the following components are selected within the workload:
- .NET MAUI (it should be selected automatically)
- For Android development: Android SDK and ARM 64 v8a, Android SDK API 31 or higher
- For iOS development (macOS required): Apple Certificate, Xcode
- For Windows development: Windows 10 SDK
- For Mac Catalyst development (macOS required): Mac Catalyst SDK
Install or Modify: Click the "Install" button on the right-hand side of the Visual Studio Installer. The installer will download and install the selected components. This process may take some time depending on your internet connection and system specifications.
Restart Visual Studio: Once the installation is complete, restart Visual Studio. You should now have .NET MAUI capabilities.

Platform-Specific Considerations

Windows Installation

On Windows, .NET MAUI development requires Visual Studio 2022 version 17.3 or later. The Visual Studio Installer handles the installation of necessary SDKs and tools.

> dotnet workload install maui

Alternatively, you can use the .NET CLI to install the MAUI workload if you prefer a command-line approach or are not using Visual Studio:

macOS Installation

For macOS development (targeting iOS, Mac Catalyst, and macOS), you will need to install Visual Studio for Mac or use the .NET CLI along with Xcode.

Using Visual Studio for Mac:

Download and install Visual Studio for Mac.
Open Visual Studio for Mac, go to Visual Studio > Downloads > Components.
Select the ".NET MAUI" component and install it.

Using .NET CLI:

> sudo dotnet workload install maui ios maccatalyst

Ensure you have Xcode installed from the Mac App Store.

Verify Installation

To verify your installation, you can create a new .NET MAUI project in Visual Studio or use the .NET CLI.

> dotnet new maui -n MyMauiApp
> cd MyMauiApp
> dotnet build

If the build completes without errors, your .NET MAUI installation is successful.

For more advanced scenarios, troubleshooting, or specific platform SDK configurations, please consult the detailed documentation on our Troubleshooting and Prerequisites pages.