In this article, you'll learn how to install .NET on macOS. .NET is made up of the runtime and the SDK. The runtime is used to run a .NET app and may or may not be included with the app. The SDK is used to create .NET apps and libraries. The .NET runtime is always installed with the SDK.
Visual Studio Code is compatible with Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.10 and later, and Linux. Is there a better alternative? There are plenty of other free source code editors; however, keep this one on the top of your list. If you’re looking for others, Codeblocks, Brackets, and Notepad are alternatives. One of my dev machines is still running Mac OS X 10.9.5 and needs to remain on that OS. I've had Visual Studio Code running on it for some time and recently the software auto-updated to a version that requires 10.10. Needless to say, the software now longer runs on the machine. Visual studio code download Is thus expected to kill the Crowfather, but the Latest shatters and turns itself in his work, knocking him out and consultation him into a portal set by the Crowfather's death. One of the app yahoo source media centers around make now is the Kodi Pirate Center. MacOS Modern is a set of Visual Studio Code themes styled to match native macOS as closely as possible. Updated to include dark + light versions and a few minimal icon themes. Reapply both (icon and color) themes if you have problems. I HIGHLY recommend using the settings below for best results.
The latest version of .NET is 5.0.
Supported releases
Visual Studio Code
The following table is a list of currently supported .NET releases and the versions of macOS they're supported on. These versions remain supported either the version of .NET reaches end-of-support.
- A ✔️ indicates that the version of .NET Core is still supported.
- A ❌ indicates that the version of .NET Core isn't supported.
Operating System | .NET Core 2.1 | .NET Core 3.1 | .NET 5.0 |
---|---|---|---|
macOS 11.0 'Big Sur' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 (Release notes) |
macOS 10.15 'Catalina' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 (Release notes) |
macOS 10.14 'Mojave' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 (Release notes) |
macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 (Release notes) |
macOS 10.12 'Sierra' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ❌ 3.1 (Release notes) | ❌ 5.0 (Release notes) |
Unsupported releases
The following versions of .NET are ❌ no longer supported. The downloads for these still remain published:
- 3.0 (Release notes)
- 2.2 (Release notes)
- 2.0 (Release notes)
Runtime information
The runtime is used to run apps created with .NET. When an app author publishes an app, they can include the runtime with their app. If they don't include the runtime, it's up to the user to install the runtime.
Download Visual Studio Code Macos Catalina
There are two different runtimes you can install on macOS:
ASP.NET Core runtime
Runs ASP.NET Core apps. Includes the .NET runtime..NET runtime
This runtime is the simplest runtime and doesn't include any other runtime. It's highly recommended that you install ASP.NET Core runtime for the best compatibility with .NET apps.
SDK information
The SDK is used to build and publish .NET apps and libraries. Installing the SDK includes both runtimes: ASP.NET Core and .NET.
Dependencies
.NET is supported on the following macOS releases:
.NET Core Version | macOS | Architectures | More information |
---|---|---|---|
5.0 | High Sierra (10.13+) | x64 | More information |
3.1 | High Sierra (10.13+) | x64 | More information |
3.0 | High Sierra (10.13+) | x64 | More information |
2.2 | Sierra (10.12+) | x64 | More information |
2.1 | Sierra (10.12+) | x64 | More information |
Beginning with macOS Catalina (version 10.15), all software built after June 1, 2019 that is distributed with Developer ID, must be notarized. This requirement applies to the .NET runtime, .NET SDK, and software created with .NET.
The runtime and SDK installers for .NET 5.0 and .NET Core 3.1, 3.0, and 2.1, have been notarized since February 18, 2020. Prior released versions aren't notarized. If you run a non-notarized app, you'll see an error similar to the following image:
For more information about how enforced-notarization affects .NET (and your .NET apps), see Working with macOS Catalina Notarization.
libgdiplus
.NET applications that use the System.Drawing.Common assembly require libgdiplus to be installed.
An easy way to obtain libgdiplus is by using the Homebrew ('brew') package manager for macOS. After installing brew, install libgdiplus by executing the following commands at a Terminal (command) prompt:
Install with an installer
macOS has standalone installers that can be used to install the .NET 5.0 SDK:
Download and manually install
As an alternative to the macOS installers for .NET, you can download and manually install the SDK and runtime. Manual install is usually performed as part of continuous integration testing. For a developer or user, it's generally better to use an installer.
If you install .NET SDK, you don't need to install the corresponding runtime. First, download a binary release for either the SDK or the runtime from one of the following sites:
- ✔️ .NET 5.0 downloads
- ✔️ .NET Core 3.1 downloads
- ✔️ .NET Core 2.1 downloads
Next, extract the downloaded file and use the export
command to set variables used by .NET and then ensure .NET is in PATH.
To extract the runtime and make the .NET CLI commands available at the terminal, first download a .NET binary release. Then, open a terminal and run the following commands from the directory where the file was saved. The archive file name may be different depending on what you downloaded.
Use the following commands to extract the runtime or SDK that you downloaded. Remember to change the DOTNET_FILE
value to your file name:
Tip
The preceding export
commands only make the .NET CLI commands available for the terminal session in which it was run.
You can edit your shell profile to permanently add the commands. There are a number of different shells available for Linux and each has a different profile. For example:
- Bash Shell: ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc
- Korn Shell: ~/.kshrc or .profile
- Z Shell: ~/.zshrc or .zprofile
Edit the appropriate source file for your shell and add :$HOME/dotnet
to the end of the existing PATH
statement. If no PATH
statement is included, add a new line with export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/dotnet
.
Also, add export DOTNET_ROOT=$HOME/dotnet
to the end of the file.
This approach lets you install different versions into separate locations and choose explicitly which one to use by which application.
Install with Visual Studio for Mac
Visual Studio for Mac installs the .NET SDK when the .NET workload is selected. To get started with .NET development on macOS, see Install Visual Studio 2019 for Mac.
.NET SDK version | Visual Studio version |
---|---|
5.0 | Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.8 or higher. |
3.1 | Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.4 or higher. |
2.1 | Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.0 or higher. |
Install alongside Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a powerful and lightweight source code editor that runs on your desktop. Visual Studio Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
While Visual Studio Code doesn't come with an automated .NET installer like Visual Studio does, adding .NET support is simple.
- Download and install Visual Studio Code.
- Download and install the .NET SDK.
- Install the C# extension from the Visual Studio Code marketplace.
Install with bash automation
The dotnet-install scripts are used for automation and non-admin installs of the runtime. You can download the script from the dotnet-install script reference page.
The script defaults to installing the latest long term support (LTS) version, which is .NET Core 3.1. You can choose a specific release by specifying the current
switch. Include the runtime
switch to install a runtime. Otherwise, the script installs the SDK.
Note
The previous command installs the ASP.NET Core runtime for maximum compatability. The ASP.NET Core runtime also includes the standard .NET runtime.
Docker
Containers provide a lightweight way to isolate your application from the rest of the host system. Containers on the same machine share just the kernel and use resources given to your application.
.NET can run in a Docker container. Official .NET Docker images are published to the Microsoft Container Registry (MCR) and are discoverable at the Microsoft .NET Core Docker Hub repository. Each repository contains images for different combinations of the .NET (SDK or Runtime) and OS that you can use.
Microsoft provides images that are tailored for specific scenarios. For example, the ASP.NET Core repository provides images that are built for running ASP.NET Core apps in production.
For more information about using .NET Core in a Docker container, see Introduction to .NET and Docker and Samples.
Next steps
- How to check if .NET Core is already installed.
- Working with macOS Catalina notarization.
- Tutorial: Get started on macOS.
- Tutorial: Create a new app with Visual Studio Code.
- Tutorial: Containerize a .NET Core app.
To start developing native, cross-platform .NET apps on macOS, install Visual Studio 2019 for Mac following the steps below.
Requirements
- A Mac with macOS High Sierra 10.13 or above.
To build Xamarin apps for iOS or macOS, you'll also need:
- A Mac that is compatible with the latest version of Xcode. See Apple's minimum requirements documentation
- The latest version of Xcode. It may be possible to use an older version of Xcode if your Mac is not compatible with the latest version.
- An Apple ID. If you don't have an Apple ID already you can create a new one at https://appleid.apple.com. It's necessary to have an Apple ID for installing and signing into Xcode.
Installation instructions
Download the installer from the Visual Studio for Mac download page.
Once the download is complete, click the VisualStudioforMacInstaller.dmg to mount the installer, then run it by double-clicking the arrow logo:
You may be presented with a warning about the application being downloaded from the Internet. Click Open.
Wait while the installer checks your system:
An alert will appear asking you to acknowledge the privacy and license terms. Follow the links to read them, then press Continue if you agree:
The list of available workloads is displayed. Select the components you wish to use:
If you do not wish to install all platforms, use the guide below to help you decide which platforms to install:
Type of App Target Selection Notes Apps Using Xamarin Xamarin.Forms Select Android and iOS platforms You will need to install Xcode iOS only Select iOS platform You will need to install Xcode Android only Select Android platform Note that you should also select the relevant dependencies Mac only Select macOS (Cocoa) platform You will need to install Xcode .NET Core applications Select .NET Core platform. ASP.NET Core Web Applications Select .NET Core platform. Azure Functions Select .NET Core platform. Cross-platform Unity Game Development No additional platforms need to be installed beyond Visual Studio for Mac. Refer to the Unity setup guide for more information on installing the Unity extension. After you have made your selections, press the Install button.
The installer will display progress as it downloads and installs Visual Studio for Mac and the selected workloads. You will be prompted to enter your password to grant the privileges necessary for installation.:
Once installed, Visual Studio for Mac will prompt you to personalize your installation by signing in and selecting the key bindings that you'd like to use:
If you have network trouble while installing in a corporate environment, review the installing behind a firewall or proxy instructions.
Learn more about the changes in the release notes.
Note
If you chose not to install a platform or tool during the original installation (by unselecting it in step #6), you must run the installer again if you wish to add the components later.
Install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall or proxy server
To install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall, certain endpoints must be made accessible in order to allow downloads of the required tools and updates for your software.
Configure your network to allow access to the following locations:
Next steps
Installing Visual Studio for Mac allows you to start writing code for your apps. The following guides are provided to guide you through the next steps of writing and deploying your projects.
iOS
- Device Provisioning(To run your application on device).
Android
Xamarin.Forms
Build native cross-platform applications with Xamarin.Forms:
.NET Core apps, ASP.NET Core web apps, Unity game development
For other Workloads, refer to the Workloads page.