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-->In this article, you'll learn how to install .NET Core on macOS. .NET Core is made up of the runtime and the SDK. The runtime is used to run a .NET Core app and may or may not be included with the app. The SDK is used to create .NET Core apps and libraries. The .NET Core runtime is always installed with the SDK.
The latest version of .NET Core is 3.1.
Supported releases
The following table is a list of currently supported .NET Core releases and the versions of macOS they're supported on. These versions remain supported either the version of .NET Core 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 Preview |
---|---|---|---|
macOS 10.15 'Catalina' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 Preview (Release notes) |
macOS 10.14 'Mojave' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 Preview (Release notes) |
macOS 10.13 'High Sierra' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 3.1 (Release notes) | ✔️ 5.0 Preview (Release notes) |
macOS 10.12 'Sierra' | ✔️ 2.1 (Release notes) | ❌ 3.1 (Release notes) | ❌ 5.0 Preview (Release notes) |
Unsupported releases
The following versions of .NET Core are ❌ no longer supported. The downloads for these still remain published:
- 3.0 (Release notes)
- 2.2 (Release notes)
- 2.0 (Release notes)
![Visual Visual](https://img.sofree.cc/MicrosoftVisualBasic2008ExpressEdition_12CB2/Visual_basic_express_6.png)
Runtime information
The runtime is used to run apps created with .NET Core. 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.
There are three different runtimes you can install on macOS:
![Visual studio for mac os x 10.10.5 Visual studio for mac os x 10.10.5](/uploads/1/1/7/7/117769679/257794029.png)
ASP.NET Core runtime
Runs ASP.NET Core apps. Includes the .NET Core runtime.
Runs ASP.NET Core apps. Includes the .NET Core runtime.
.NET Core 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 Core apps.
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 Core apps.
SDK information
The SDK is used to build and publish .NET Core apps and libraries. Installing the SDK includes both runtimes: ASP.NET Core and .NET Core.
Dependencies
.NET Core is supported on the following macOS releases:
.NET Core Version | macOS | Architectures | |
---|---|---|---|
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 Core runtime, .NET Core SDK, and software created with .NET Core.
The installers for .NET Core (both runtime and SDK) versions 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 Core (and your .NET Core apps), see Working with macOS Catalina Notarization.
libgdiplus
.NET Core 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 Core 3.1 SDK:
Download and manually install
As an alternative to the macOS installers for .NET Core, 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 Core 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 preview 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 Core and then ensure .NET Core is in PATH.To extract the runtime and make the .NET Core CLI commands available at the terminal, first download a .NET Core 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 command to extract the runtime:
Use the following command to extract the SDK:
Tip
The preceding
export
commands only make the .NET Core 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 Core SDK when the .NET Core workload is selected. To get started with .NET Core development on macOS, see Install Visual Studio 2019 for Mac. For the latest release, .NET Core 3.1, you must use the Visual Studio for Mac 8.4.
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 Core installer like Visual Studio does, adding .NET Core support is simple.
- Download and install Visual Studio Code.
- Download and install the .NET Core 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 command above installs the ASP.NET Core runtime for maximum compatability. The ASP.NET Core runtime also includes the standard .NET Core 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 Core can run in a Docker container. Official .NET Core 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.
You can use this guide to uninstall each component in Visual Studio for Mac individually by navigating to the relevant section, or you can use the scripts provided in the Uninstall Script section to uninstall everything.
Note
This information will only remove Visual Studio 2019 or 2017 for Mac from your machine. to uninstall Visual Studio Code, see this issue for details.
Uninstall Script
There are two scripts that can be used to uninstall Visual Studio for Mac and all components for your machine:
The following sections provide information on downloading and using the scripts.
Visual Studio for Mac and Xamarin script
You can uninstall Visual Studio and Xamarin components in one go by using the uninstall script.
This uninstall script contains most of the commands that you will find in the article. There are three main omissions from the script and are not included due to possible external dependencies. To remove this, jump to the relevant section below and remove them manually:
To run the script, do the following steps:
- Right-click on the script and select Save As to save the file on your Mac.
- Open Terminal and change the working directory to where the script was downloaded:
- Make the script executable and the run it with sudo:
- Finally, delete the uninstall script and remove Visual Studio for Mac from the dock (if it's there).
.NET Core script
The uninstall script for .NET Core is located in the dotnet cli repo
To run the script, do the following steps:
- Right-click on the script and select Save As to save the file on your Mac.
- Open Terminal and change the working directory to where the script was downloaded:
- Make the script executable and the run it with sudo:
- Finally, delete the .NET Core uninstall script.
Uninstall Visual Studio for Mac
The first step in uninstalling Visual Studio from a Mac is to locate Visual Studio.app in the /Applications directory and drag it to the Trash Can. Alternatively, right-click and select Move to Trash as illustrated in the following image:
Deleting this app bundle removes Visual Studio for Mac, even though there may be other files related to Xamarin still on the file system.
To remove all traces of Visual Studio for Mac, run the following commands in Terminal:
You may also want to remove the following directory containing various Xamarin files and folders. However, before you do you should be aware that this directory contains the Android signing keys. For more information refer to the section Uninstalling Android SDK and Java SDK:
Uninstall Mono SDK (MDK)
Mono is an open-source implementation of Microsoft's .NET Framework and is used by all Xamarin Products—Xamarin.iOS, Xamarin.Android, and Xamarin.Mac to allow development of these platforms in C#.
Warning
There are other applications outside of Visual Studio for Mac that also use Mono, such as Unity.Be sure that there are no other dependencies on Mono before uninstalling it.
To remove the Mono Framework from a machine, run the following commands in Terminal:
Uninstall Xamarin.Android
There are a number of items required for the installation and use of Xamarin.Android, such as the Android SDK and Java SDK.
Use the following commands to remove Xamarin.Android:
Uninstall Android SDK and Java SDK
The Android SDK is required for development of Android applications. To completely remove all parts of the Android SDK, locate the file at ~/Library/Developer/Xamarin/ and move it to Trash.
Warning
You should be aware that Android signing keys that are generated by Visual Studio for Mac are located in
~/Library/Developer/Xamarin/Keystore
. Make sure to back these up appropriately, or avoid removing this directory if you wish to keep your keystore.The Java SDK (JDK) does not need to be uninstalled, as it is already pre-packaged as part of Mac OS X / macOS.
Uninstall Android AVD
Warning
There are other applications outside of Visual Studio for Mac that also use Android AVD and these additional android components, such as Android Studio.Removing this directory may cause projects to break in Android Studio.
To remove any Android AVDs and additional Android components use the following command:
To remove only the Android AVDs use the following command:
Uninstall Xamarin.iOS
Xamarin.iOS allows iOS application development using C# or F# with Visual Studio for Mac.
Use the following commands in Terminal to remove all Xamarin.iOS files from a file system:
Uninstall Xamarin.Mac
Xamarin.Mac can be removed from your machine using the following two commands to eradicate the product and license from your Mac respectively:
Uninstall Workbooks and Inspector
Starting with 1.2.2, Xamarin Workbooks & Inspector can be uninstalled from a terminal by running:
For older versions, you need to manually remove the following artifacts:
- Delete the Workbooks app at
'/Applications/Xamarin Workbooks.app'
- Delete the Inspector app at
'Applications/Xamarin Inspector.app'
- Delete the add-ins:
'~/Library/Application Support/XamarinStudio-6.0/LocalInstall/Addins/Xamarin.Interactive'
and'~/Library/Application Support/XamarinStudio-6.0/LocalInstall/Addins/Xamarin.Inspector'
- Delete Inspector and supporting files here:
/Library/Frameworks/Xamarin.Interactive.framework
and/Library/Frameworks/Xamarin.Inspector.framework
Uninstall the Xamarin Profiler
Uninstall the Visual Studio Installer
Use the following commands to remove all traces of the Xamarin Universal Installer:
Uninstall Visual Studio 2019 for Mac Preview
Visual Studio 2019 for Mac Preview was launched as a separate preview, allowing you to continue to work with your Visual Studio 2017 for Mac install side-by-side.
Now that Visual Studio 2019 for Mac has been released, you can now safely remove the Visual Studio 2019 for Mac Preview application.
To uninstall the preview application bundle, select Visual Studio (Preview) from your Applications folder and click Move to Trash, as depicted in the following image:
You can also remove the Preview plist file with the following command: