How to upgrade a c# desktop app to .NET 8.0

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How to upgrade a c# desktop app to .NET 8.0

Peter Deans 20

I have a C# desktop app currently using .NET 4.8 which is using C# version 7.3. My visual studio version is 17.10.5 and I have downloaded and installed the .NET 8.0 SDK and checked it's installed .

When I change the TargetFrameworkVersion setting in the csproj file to v8.0 VS won't load the project saying the targeted framework isn't installed and it reverts back to 4.8.

I need to use functionality in later versions of C# (version 8.0 as a minimum) so I need help getting VS and my app to recognise that .NET 8.0 is installedOne thing that looks different is that my csproj file has <TargetFrameworkVersion> rather than <TargetFramework> so I don't know if that's an issue.

If I change this setting to 8.0 VS says the version isn't installed. If I change it to net8.0 I get the following error...

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<TargetFrameworkVersion>

David Lowndes 2,590 Reputation points MVP

2024-08-12T08:01:08.51+00:00

You'll need to switch to a new project file using the newer format.
jehan 0 Reputation points

2024-08-13T15:01:42.76+00:00

It sounds like the issue might be related to the <TargetFrameworkVersion> tag. In .NET Core and later, the correct tag to use is <TargetFramework> instead of <TargetFrameworkVersion>. Try changing <TargetFrameworkVersion> to <TargetFramework> and set it to net8.0. If that doesn’t work, ensure that your Visual Studio is updated to the latest version, as older versions might not fully support .NET 8.0.

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David Lowndes 2,590 Reputation points MVP

2024-08-12T08:01:08.51+00:00

You'll need to switch to a new project file using the newer format.
jehan 0 Reputation points

2024-08-13T15:01:42.76+00:00

It sounds like the issue might be related to the <TargetFrameworkVersion> tag. In .NET Core and later, the correct tag to use is <TargetFramework> instead of <TargetFrameworkVersion>. Try changing <TargetFrameworkVersion> to <TargetFramework> and set it to net8.0. If that doesn’t work, ensure that your Visual Studio is updated to the latest version, as older versions might not fully support .NET 8.0.

Answer 1

Jiale Xue - MSFT 49,511 Microsoft External Staff

HI @PETER DEANS , Welcome to Microsoft Q&A,

We generally do not recommend modifying the csproj file directly, you can use the Upgrade Assistant.

Here are the relevant links:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/install/upgrade

Best Regards,

Jiale

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Peter Deans 20 Reputation points

2024-08-13T12:31:00.96+00:00

Thank you for your help

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How to upgrade a c# desktop app to .NET 8.0

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