Visual Studio 2022 WinForm app, controls are greyed out.

Question

Hi all..
I wanted to create a quick little windows form app, but all the controls are greyed out. I've tried using different versions of .net framework but nothing seems to enable the controls. I don't really think I need any specific version of .NET. But was hoping to use whatever is the latest. I just want some of the basic controls like button, list box, a couple of the dialog box controls. Etc...

I chose C# Windows form app when I created the app.

Thanks for any help here.

Answer 1

Hello @Rick Blacker ,

Please kindly let us know if you have checked Reza’s answer and have tried to double-click the for example, Form1.cs file(listed in Solution Explorer) to open it in designer view in VS(or right-click the Form1.cs file => click View Designer). If you have done this, the Toolbox window should appear automatically on the left(or you can click View => Toolbox), and the controls should be available to use/drag.

If you have done above but the controls are still greyed out, please try following troubleshooting suggestions and let us know if any of them works:

1. If you created a project based on .NET, please right-click your project => Unload Project => right-click it again => Edit Project File(the .csproj file should be opened) => make sure that there’s one line configured like <UseWindowsForms>true</UseWindowsForms> instead of <UseWindowsForms>false</UseWindowsForms>. If this line doesn’t exist, please add this line between <PropertyGroup> tag and </PropertyGroup> tag.
2. In Toolbox window, right-click the white space => click Reset Toolbox to reset the Toolbox. After that restart VS and check the controls again.
3. Right-click the white space in Toolbox window => click Choose Items… => wait for the .NET Framework Components to load completely and confirm that the related controls are checked like Button, ComboBox, TextBox and so on.
4. Open Visual Studio Installer and click More => Repair to repair VS then check again.
5. Update VS 2022(from VS Installer => Update).
6. Please make sure that there’s no limits on your machines(extensions/antivirus/rules/group policy => disable them temporarily to test if possible).
7. Try to download and install .NET 7 from here separately and see if it can be installed.
8. In case you created the wrong project, please check following screenshot and make sure that you select the corresponding Windows Forms Application project template(s).

9. Try to change to target .NET 7 or .NET Framework 4.8(right-click the project => Propeties => Target Framework) and check if the Toolbox window shows the controls.
10. If all of the above suggestions don’t work, please try to reinstall VS(uninstall VS from VS Installer => install VS again).

Feel free to let us know the result.

Sincerely,

Tianyu

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Answer 2

Here is another fix that worked for me (and others) on a Win10 install of VS2022:

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/73402437/empty-toolbox-in-visual-studio-2022-for-net-6-0-winforms-and-control-library-pr

I haven't tried the "reset toolbox" procedure because I could not get that option to pop up when right clicking on the toolbox window. (I later discovered that it's critical to right click in the WHITE SPACE of that window!) So I don't know if the two methods are functionally identical.

Warning: If you try the method I linked, first grab the current 4 toolbox*.* files and save them in a separate directory so you have the option of reverting.

Answer 3

Make sure you open the Form1 in design mode (double click on Form1.cs). The toolbox controls will be enabled only after you open a form in design mode. They are not enabled when you are viewing a code file.

And if you are not sure if you are have enabled desktop app development or if you are using the right template, follow the next steps.

You first need to make sure you have enabled Desktop development, so open Visual Studio Installer, and in the workloads tab, make sure the following is checked:

• .NET desktop development

If it's already installed, or if you install it, then you can use the main two templates for a WinForms app are:

• Windows Forms App
• Windows Forms App (.NET Framework)

Then after you create an app, you can open the Form1 in design mode (double click on Form1.cs). The toolbox controls will be enabled only after you open a form in design mode.

Answer 4

Hello, I have exactly the same problem with Visual Studio 2022. Now I opened one solution, which I (successfully) created in VS2019, and tried to edit i.e. added some tools, the ToolBox remains gray:

This seems to be a serious bug in the VS2022 version making it useless!

Answer 5

Do you already have an instance of VS running and, if so, is it debugging?

I also had a greyed out tool box and I realised I had left an instance of VS running in the background and it was also debugging a small app.

Once I closed that running instance, my toolbox items were available again in the second instance.