Update the Quantum Development Kit (QDK) to the latest version

Article
11/03/2022
6 minutes to read

Learn how to update the Quantum Development Kit (QDK) to the latest version.

This article assumes that you already have the QDK installed. If you are installing for the first time, then please refer to the installation guide.

We recommend keeping up to date with the latest QDK release. Follow this update guide to upgrade to the most recent QDK version. The process consists of two parts:

Updating your existing Q# files and projects to align your code with any updated syntax.
Updating the QDK itself for your chosen development environment.

Update Q# projects

Regardless of whether you are using C# or Python to host Q# operations, follow these instructions to update your Q# projects.

First, check that you have the latest version of the .NET SDK 6.0. Run the following command in the command prompt:
```
dotnet --version
```
Verify the output is 6.0.100 or higher. If not, install the latest version and check again. Then follow the instructions below depending on your setup (Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, or directly from the command prompt).

Update Q# projects in Visual Studio

Update to the latest version of Visual Studio 2022, see here for instructions.
Open your solution in Visual Studio.
From the menu, select Build -> Clean Solution.
In each of your .csproj files, update the target framework to net6.0 (or netstandard2.1 if it is a library project). That is, edit lines of the form:
```
<TargetFramework>net6.0</TargetFramework>
```
You can find more details on specifying target frameworks here.
In each of the .csproj files, set the SDK to Microsoft.Quantum.Sdk, as indicated in the line below. Please notice that the version number should be the latest available, and you can determine it by reviewing the release notes.
```
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.Quantum.Sdk/0.24.201332">
```
Save and close all files in your solution.
Select Tools -> Command Line -> Developer Command Prompt. Alternatively, you can use the package management console in Visual Studio.
For each project in the solution, run the following command to remove this package:
```
dotnet remove [project_name].csproj package Microsoft.Quantum.Development.Kit
```
If your projects use any other Microsoft.Quantum or Microsoft.Azure.Quantum packages (for example, Microsoft.Quantum.Numerics), run the add command for these to update the version used.
```
dotnet add [project_name].csproj package [package_name]
```
Close the command prompt and select Build -> Build Solution (do not select Rebuild Solution).

You can now skip ahead to update your Visual Studio QDK extension.

Update Q# projects in Visual Studio Code

In Visual Studio Code, open the folder containing the project to update.
Select Terminal -> New Terminal.
Follow the instructions for updating using the command prompt (directly below).

Update Q# projects using the command prompt

Navigate to the folder containing your main project file.
Run the following command:
```
dotnet clean [project_name].csproj
```
Determine the current version of the QDK. To find it, you can review the release notes. The version will be in a format similar to 0.24.201332.
In each of your .csproj files, go through the following steps:
- Update the target framework to net6.0 (or netstandard2.1 if it is a library project). That is, edit lines of the form:
```
<TargetFramework>net6.0</TargetFramework>
```
  You can find more details on specifying target frameworks here.
- Replace the reference to the SDK in the project definition. Make sure that the version number corresponds to the value determined in step 3.
```
<Project Sdk="Microsoft.Quantum.Sdk/0.24.201332">
```
- Remove the reference to package Microsoft.Quantum.Development.Kit if present, which will be specified in the following entry:
```
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Quantum.Development.Kit" Version="0.24.201332" />
```
- Update the version of the all the Microsoft Quantum packages to the most recently released version of the QDK (determined in step 3). Those packages are named with the following patterns:
```
Microsoft.Quantum.*
Microsoft.Azure.Quantum.*
```
  References to packages have the following format:
```
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Quantum.Compiler" Version="0.24.201332" />
```
- Save the updated file.
- Restore the dependencies of the project, by doing the following:
```
dotnet restore [project_name].csproj
```
Note

For versions 0.24.201332 and above, the target framework was upgraded from netcoreapp3.1 to net6.0 (except for libraries). If using an older QDK, you should keep this value as is.
Navigate back to the folder containing your main project and run:
```
dotnet build [project_name].csproj
```

With your Q# projects now updated, follow the instructions below to update the QDK itself.

Update the QDK

The process to update the QDK varies depending on your development language and environment. Select your development environment below.

Python: update the qsharp package
Jupyter Notebooks: update the IQ# kernel
Visual Studio: update the QDK extension
VS Code: update the QDK extension
Command line and C#: update project templates
Python: Update the azure-quantum Python package

Update the `qsharp` Python package

The update procedure depends on whether you originally installed using conda or using the .NET CLI and pip.

Update using conda (recommended)
Update using .NET CLI and pip (advanced)

Activate the conda environment where you installed the qsharp package, and then run this command to update it:
```
conda update -c microsoft qsharp
```
Run the following command from the location of your .qs files:
```
python -c "import qsharp; qsharp.reload()"
```

Update the iqsharp kernel

dotnet tool update -g Microsoft.Quantum.IQSharp
dotnet iqsharp install

Verify the iqsharp version
```
dotnet iqsharp --version
```
You should see the following output:
```
iqsharp: 0.24.201332
Jupyter Core: 1.5.0.0
```
Don't worry if your iqsharp version is higher. It should match the latest release.
Update the qsharp package:
```
pip install --upgrade qsharp
```

Verify the qsharp version:

pip show qsharp

You should see the following output:

Name: qsharp
Version: 0.24.201332
Summary: Python client for Q#, a domain-specific quantum programming language
...

Run the following command from the location of your .qs files:
```
python -c "import qsharp; qsharp.reload()"
```

You can now use the updated qsharp Python package to run your existing Python quantum programs.

Update the IQ# Jupyter kernel

The update procedure depends on whether you originally installed using conda or using the .NET CLI and pip.

Update using conda (recommended)
Update using .NET CLI and pip (advanced)

Activate the conda environment where you installed the qsharp package, and then run this command to update it:
```
conda update -c microsoft qsharp
```
Run the following command from a cell in each of your existing Q# Jupyter Notebooks:
```
%workspace reload
```

Update the Microsoft.Quantum.IQSharp package:

dotnet tool update -g Microsoft.Quantum.IQSharp
dotnet iqsharp install

Verify the iqsharp version:
```
dotnet iqsharp --version
```
Your output should be similar to the following:
```
iqsharp: 0.24.201332
Jupyter Core: 1.5.0.0
```
Don't worry if your iqsharp version is higher. It should match the latest release.
Run the following command from a cell in each of your existing Q# Jupyter Notebooks:
```
%workspace reload
```

You can now use the updated IQ# kernel to run your existing Q# Jupyter Notebooks.

Update the QDK for Visual Studio extension

Update the QDK for Visual Studio extension
- Visual Studio prompts you to accept updates to the QDK for Visual Studio extension
- Accept the update
Note

The project templates are updated with the extension. The updated templates apply to newly created projects only. The code for your existing projects is not updated when the extension is updated.

Update the QDK for VS Code extension

Update the QDK for VS Code extension
- Restart VS Code
- Navigate to the Extensions tab
- Select the Microsoft Quantum Development Kit for Visual Studio Code extension
- Reload the extension

C# using the `dotnet` command-line tool

Update the QDK project templates for .NET

From the command prompt:
```
dotnet new -i Microsoft.Quantum.ProjectTemplates
```
Alternatively, if you intend to use the command-line templates, and already have the QDK extension for VS Code installed, you can update the project templates from the extension itself:
- Update the QDK for VS Code extension
- In VS Code, go to View -> Command Palette
- Select Q#: Install command line project templates
- After a few seconds you should get a popup confirming "project templates installed successfully"

Update the azure-quantum Python package

Update to the latest azure-quantum Python package by using the package installer for Python (pip)
```
pip install --upgrade azure-quantum
```
If you encounter any issues please ensure that Python and pip are up to date. For information on the latest version requirements, Install the azure-quantum Python package