MAUI Prerequisites

Before you can start developing cross-platform applications with .NET MAUI, you need to ensure your development environment is properly set up. This guide outlines the essential prerequisites.

1. .NET SDK

.NET MAUI requires a specific version of the .NET SDK to be installed on your machine.

• Required Version: .NET 6.0 or later. It is highly recommended to use the latest stable release of .NET.
• Installation: Download the latest .NET SDK from the official dotnet.microsoft.com website. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
• Verification: After installation, open your terminal or command prompt and run the following command to verify the installation:

  dotnet --version

  This should output the version of the .NET SDK you have installed.

2. Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

You'll need an IDE that supports .NET MAUI development.

• Visual Studio (Windows)

  • Version: Visual Studio 2022 version 17.3 or later.
  • Workload: During installation, ensure you select the ".NET Multi-platform App UI development" workload.
  • Installation: Download Visual Studio 2022 from the official Visual Studio website.

• Visual Studio for Mac (macOS)

  • Version: Visual Studio 2022 for Mac version 17.3 or later.
  • Component: Ensure the ".NET MAUI" component is installed via the Visual Studio Installer.
  • Installation: Download Visual Studio 2022 for Mac from the official Visual Studio for Mac website.

• Visual Studio Code (Cross-Platform)

  • Extensions: You will need to install the "C# Dev Kit" and the ".NET MAUI" extensions from the VS Code Marketplace.
  • Installation: Download Visual Studio Code from code.visualstudio.com and then install the required extensions within VS Code.

3. Platform-Specific Development Tools

Depending on the platforms you intend to target, you may need additional tools.

• Windows Development

  • Windows SDK: Typically installed with Visual Studio.
  • .NET MAUI SDK: Installed via the Visual Studio workload or the .NET SDK.

• Android Development

  • Android SDK: Required for building Android apps. Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac installations will typically prompt you to install this.
  • Android Emulators: You can use Android emulators provided by Android Studio or the ones integrated into Visual Studio.

• iOS Development (macOS Only)

  • Xcode: Required for building iOS apps. Download the latest version from the Mac App Store.
  • Apple Developer Account: May be required for deploying to physical devices or for certain App Store features.

• macOS Development (macOS Only)

  • Xcode: Required for building macOS apps.

• Tizen Development (Optional)

  • Tizen Studio: Install Tizen Studio and the .NET MAUI extension for Tizen.

4. Project Templates

The .NET MAUI project templates are crucial for creating new MAUI projects. These are usually installed as part of the IDE setup or can be installed manually.

To check and install MAUI project templates, open your terminal or command prompt and run:

dotnet new --list maui

If the templates are not listed, you can install them using:

dotnet new install Microsoft.Maui.Templates

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• SDK Not Found: Ensure the .NET SDK's `bin` directory is in your system's PATH environment variable.
• IDE Not Recognizing MAUI: Verify that you have selected the correct workload in Visual Studio or installed the necessary extensions in VS Code.
• Platform SDK Errors: Double-check that you have installed the correct SDKs for your target platforms (Android SDK, Xcode, etc.) and that they are accessible by your IDE.

With these prerequisites in place, you're ready to begin your journey with .NET MAUI!