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Install and manage NuGet packages with the dotnet CLI

You can use the dotnet command-line interface (CLI) tool on Windows, macOS, or Linux to easily install, uninstall, and update NuGet packages in .NET projects and solutions. This article describes the most common dotnet CLI commands for managing NuGet packages.

The dotnet CLI runs on .NET, .NET Core, .NET Standard SDK-style projects, and any other SDK-style projects, for example, those that target .NET Framework. For more information, see .NET project SDKs.

For most commands, the CLI tool looks for a project file in the current directory, unless a different project file is specified as an optional switch in the command. For a complete list of commands and their arguments, see dotnet CLI commands.

Prerequisites

The .NET SDK, which provides the dotnet CLI. In Visual Studio, the dotnet CLI automatically installs with all .NET-related workloads.

Install or update a package

The dotnet package add command adds a package reference to the project file, and then runs dotnet restore to install the package.

  1. Open a command-line window and go to the directory that contains your project file.

  2. Use the following command to install a NuGet package:

    dotnet package add <package-name>

    For example, to install the Newtonsoft.Json package, use the following command:

    dotnet package add Newtonsoft.Json

    If you're using .NET 9 or earlier, use the verb-first form of the command instead:

    dotnet add package <package-name>

  3. After the command finishes, open the project file to check for the package reference.

    For example, open the .csproj file and check for the added Newtonsoft.Json package reference:

    <ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="13.0.4" />
</ItemGroup>

Install a specific version of a package

The dotnet package add command installs the latest version of the package unless you specify a different version.

To install a specific version of a NuGet package, use the optional -v or --version switch:

dotnet package add <package-name> -v <version>

For example, to add version 13.0.1 of the Newtonsoft.Json package, use this command:

dotnet package add Newtonsoft.Json --version 13.0.1

List package references

You can use the dotnet package list command to list the package references and versions for your project. From the directory that contains your project file, run the following command:

dotnet package list

If you're using .NET 9 or earlier, use the verb-first form instead:

dotnet list package

Remove a package

You can use the dotnet package remove command to remove a package reference from the project file. From the directory that contains your project file, run the following command:

dotnet package remove <package-name>

For example, to remove the Newtonsoft.Json package, use the following command:

dotnet package remove Newtonsoft.Json

If you're using .NET 9 or earlier, use the verb-first form instead:

dotnet remove package <package-name>

Restore packages

The dotnet restore command restores packages that are listed in <PackageReference> elements in the project file. For more information, see PackageReference in project files.

Starting with .NET Core 2.0 and continuing through .NET, the dotnet build and dotnet run commands restore packages automatically, as do many other dotnet CLI commands. As of NuGet 4.0, dotnet restore runs the same code as the nuget restore NuGet CLI command.

To restore packages by using dotnet restore:

  1. Open a command-line window and go to the directory that contains your project file.
  2. Run dotnet restore.

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