Get started with .NET Framework

.NET Framework is a run-time execution environment that manages apps that target .NET Framework. It consists of the common language runtime, which provides memory management and other system services, and an extensive class library, which enables programmers to take advantage of robust, reliable code for all major areas of app development.

.NET Framework is serviced independently from Windows updates with security and reliability bug fixes. In general, security updates are released quarterly. .NET Framework will continue to be included with Windows, with no plans to remove it. You don't need to migrate your .NET Framework apps, but for new development, use .NET 8 or later.

What is .NET Framework?

.NET Framework is a managed execution environment for Windows that provides a variety of services to its running apps. It consists of two major components: the common language runtime (CLR), which is the execution engine that handles running apps, and the .NET Framework Class Library, which provides a library of tested, reusable code that developers can call from their own apps. The services that .NET Framework provides to running apps include the following:

.NET Framework for users

If you don't develop .NET Framework apps, but you use them, you aren't required to have specific knowledge about .NET Framework or its operation. For the most part, the framework is completely transparent to users.

If you're using the Windows operating system, .NET Framework may already be installed on your computer. In addition, if you install an app that requires .NET Framework, the app's setup program might install a specific version of the framework on your computer. In some cases, you may see a dialog box that asks you to install .NET Framework. If you've just tried to run an app when this dialog box appears and if your computer has internet access, you can go to a webpage that lets you install the missing version of .NET Framework. For more information, see the Installation guide.

In general, you shouldn't uninstall versions of .NET Framework that are installed on your computer. There are two reasons for this:

On Windows versions before Windows 8, if you do choose to remove .NET Framework, always use Programs and Features from Control Panel to uninstall it. Never remove a version of .NET Framework manually. On Windows 8 and above, .NET Framework is an operating system component and cannot be independently uninstalled.

Multiple versions of .NET Framework can coexist on a single computer at the same time. This means that you don't have to uninstall previous versions in order to install a later version.

.NET Framework for developers

If you're a developer, choose any programming language that supports .NET Framework to create your apps. Because .NET Framework provides language independence and interoperability, you interact with other .NET Framework apps and components regardless of the language with which they were developed.

To develop .NET Framework apps or components, do the following:

  1. If it's not preinstalled on your operating system, install the version of .NET Framework that your app will target. The current versions are .NET Framework 4.8 and .NET Framework 4.8.1. .NET Framework 4.8.1 is available for download on the latest versions of Windows and Windows Server. .NET Framework 4.8 is preinstalled on Windows 10 May 2019 Update, Windows 10 November 2019 Update, Windows 10 May 2020 Update, and Windows 10 October 2020 Update, and it's available for download on earlier versions of the Windows operating system. For .NET Framework system requirements, see System Requirements. For information on installing other versions of .NET Framework, see Installation Guide. Additional .NET Framework packages are released out of band, which means that they're released on a rolling basis outside of any regular or scheduled release cycle. For information about these packages, see .NET Framework and Out-of-Band Releases.
  2. Select the language or languages supported by the .NET Framework version that you intend to use to develop your apps. A number of languages are available, including Visual Basic, C#, F#, and C++/CLI from Microsoft. (A programming language that allows you to develop apps for .NET Framework adheres to the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) specification.)
  3. Select and install the development environment to use to create your apps and that supports your selected programming language or languages. The Microsoft integrated development environment (IDE) for .NET Framework apps is Visual Studio. It's available in a number of editions.

For more information on developing apps that target .NET Framework, see the Development Guide.

Related articles

Title Description
Overview Provides detailed information for developers who build apps that target .NET Framework.
Installation guide Provides information about installing .NET Framework.
.NET Framework and Out-of-Band Releases Describes the .NET Framework out-of-band releases and how to use them in your app.
System Requirements Lists the hardware and software requirements for running .NET Framework.
.NET Core documentation Provides the conceptual and API reference documentation for .NET Core.
.NET Standard Discusses .NET Standard, a versioned specification that individual .NET implementations support to guarantee that a consistent set of APIs is available on multiple platforms.

See also