Error: The application which this project type is based on was not found (Windows Installer or ClickOnce)
Applies to: 
Visual Studio 
Visual Studio for Mac
Note
This article applies to Visual Studio 2017. If you're looking for the latest Visual Studio documentation, see Visual Studio documentation. We recommend upgrading to the latest version of Visual Studio. Download it here
When you try to load a ClickOnce or Windows Installer project, you may get this error: <path to project file>: The application which this project type is based on was not found. Please try this link for further information: <link>.
This message indicates that the project requires components that are not installed for your version of Visual Studio.
To correct this error
Make sure the required Visual Studio workload is installed for your project type. Select Tools > Get tools and features to open the Visual Studio Installer. For Windows Installer or ClickOnce, the workload is .NET desktop development or Desktop development with C++.
For Windows Installer projects, you may need to install the Visual Studio Installer Projects extension.
If the project was created using InstallShield from Flexera Software, you may need to repair the installation (this can happen after upgrading Visual Studio).
After you install required components, close and re-open Visual Studio, and then reload the project.