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What's new in MSBuild 16.0

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This article describes updated features and properties in MSBuild 16.0. For the detailed release notes, see MSBuild 16.0.

Changed path

MSBuild is installed in the \Current folder under each version of Visual Studio, and the executables are in the \Bin subfolder. For example, the path to MSBuild.exe installed with Visual Studio 2019 Community is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe You can also use the following PowerShell module to locate MSBuild: vssetup.powershell.

Changed properties

The following MSBuild properties have been updated due to the new version number.

  • MSBuildToolsVersion for this version of the tools is "Current". The assembly version is the same as in Visual Studio 2017, which is 15.1.0.0.

  • VisualStudioVersion for this version of the tools is "16.0"

Change waves

Starting with MSBuild 16.8, you can selectively choose whether to opt out of certain potentially disruptive changes in MSBuild. See Change waves.

Updates

MSBuild (and Visual Studio) now targets .NET Framework 4.7.2. If you wish to use new MSBuild API features, your assembly must also upgrade, but existing code will continue to work.

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