I can't install microsoft.winappsdk nuget package...

Question

Hello,

I just installed VS 2026 community edition and tried to install microsoft.winappsdk nuget package on my wpf project.

The problem started from here.

installing process stuck at certain point and I couldn't do anything. so I tried this using CLI, but it didn't work.

If anyone give a good advice to fix the problem, I'd be very appreciated.

Best regards,

c00012

Answer 1

Hi @c00012 ,

Most “stuck” installs of Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK in a WPF project come from one of these root causes:

1. Target framework mismatch WinAppSDK does not support classic .NET Framework (e.g. v4.8). You can confirm this via Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK nuget page
2. Legacy (non–SDK-style) project If your .csproj has <TargetFrameworkVersion>v4.x and uses packages.config, migrate to an SDK-style project first.
3. NuGet source / cache issues
   • Make sure nuget.org is enabled.
   • Clear caches: dotnet nuget locals all --clear
   • Retry via CLI for clearer output: dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK --verbosity detailed
4. Missing VS workloads / components In Visual Studio Installer ensure:
   • .NET desktop development
   • Windows SDK (10.0.19041 or newer)
   • (Optional) MSIX packaging tools if you’ll package the app.
5. Environmental blockers Corporate proxy / credential provider / antivirus scanning %UserProfile%\.nuget\packages can stall restores.

If instead you're having trouble referencing the package, try including WindowsAppSdkIncludeVersionInfo in csproj:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>

    <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>

    <TargetFramework>your-framework</TargetFramework>

    <UseWPF>true</UseWPF>

    <WindowsAppSdkIncludeVersionInfo>true</WindowsAppSdkIncludeVersionInfo>

  </PropertyGroup>

  <ItemGroup>

    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK" Version="1.8.251106002" />

  </ItemGroup>

</Project>

If a brand‑new test project like that installs the package, the issue is with the original project (migration / config). If it still hangs, we need diagnostics.

Please share snippets of the following:

• Your .csproj contents
• Output of dotnet --info
• Windows version (winver)
• Last ~30 lines from: dotnet add package Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK --verbosity diagnostic

With that info we can pinpoint the failure instead of guessing. Happy to help further once you post those details.