How to Download and Install MSBuild 17.4.0
If you are a developer who works with Microsoft technologies, you may have heard of MSBuild, the Microsoft Build Engine. MSBuild is a platform for building applications that provides an XML schema for project files, compatibility with Visual Studio and .NET SDK, a 64-bit version for faster and larger builds, and customization and extensibility options. In this article, you will learn how to download and install MSBuild 17.4.0, the latest version of MSBuild, on your Windows system.
What is MSBuild and why do you need it?
MSBuild is a platform for building applications
MSBuild is an engine that processes and builds software using an XML schema for project files. You can use MSBuild to orchestrate and build products in environments where Visual Studio is not installed, by invoking msbuild.exe or dotnet build on your project or solution file. You can also use MSBuild to modify and customize the build system, such as preprocessing files, copying outputs, creating compressed files, or stamping assemblies.
download 17.4.0 of msbuild
MSBuild provides features and benefits such as:
XML schema for project files
MSBuild uses an XML schema to define how projects are built. The project files in Visual Studio (such as .csproj, .vbproj, .vcxproj, etc.) contain MSBuild XML code that executes when you build a project using the IDE or the command line. You can edit these project files using Visual Studio or any XML editor to change or extend the build process.
Compatibility with Visual Studio and .NET SDK
MSBuild is compatible with Visual Studio and .NET SDK, which means you can use it to build projects that target different frameworks and platforms. For example, you can use MSBuild to build projects that target .NET Framework, .NET Core, .NET 5 and later, Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, etc. You can also use MSBuild to load and build managed projects in Visual Studio.</p 64-bit version for faster and larger builds
MSBuild 17.4.0 is the first version of MSBuild that supports 64-bit mode, which means it can handle larger and more complex builds faster and more efficiently. You can enable 64-bit mode by setting the MSBUILDENABLEALLPROPERTYFUNCTIONS environment variable to 1, or by using the /p:EnableAllPropertyFunctions=true switch when invoking MSBuild.exe. You can also disable 64-bit mode by setting the MSBUILD64BITMODE environment variable to 0, or by using the /p:MSBuild64BitMode=false switch when invoking MSBuild.exe.
Customization and extensibility options
MSBuild allows you to customize and extend the build system by using various elements and attributes in the project files, such as properties, items, tasks, targets, conditions, functions, etc. You can also create your own custom tasks and targets using C#, VB.NET, or any .NET language, and reference them in your project files. You can also use MSBuild extensions, such as MSBuild Community Tasks, MSBuild Extras, or MSBuild SDK Extras, to add more functionality and features to the build system.
How to install MSBuild on Windows
Option 1: Install Visual Studio 2022
Download and run the installer from the official website
The easiest way to install MSBuild on Windows is to install Visual Studio 2022, the latest version of Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE). You can download the installer from the official website and run it on your system. You will need an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete the installation.
How to download MSBuild 17.4.0 for Visual Studio 2022
MSBuild 17.4.0 NuGet package installation and usage
What's new in MSBuild 17.4.0 - features and improvements
MSBuild 17.4.0 release notes and bug fixes
MSBuild 17.4.0 compatibility with .NET Framework and .NET 6
MSBuild 17.4.0 performance enhancements and benchmarks
MSBuild 17.4.0 breaking changes and migration guide
MSBuild 17.4.0 64-bit version vs 32-bit version
MSBuild 17.4.0 API reference and documentation
MSBuild 17.4.0 project evaluation and execution examples
How to create and deploy DAC packages with MSBuild 17.4.0
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with ASP.NET Core code generation
How to target different platforms with MSBuild 17.4.0
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with PowerShell scripts
How to troubleshoot MSBuild 17.4.0 errors and issues
How to update MSBuild from previous versions to 17.4.0
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Azure DevOps pipelines
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with GitHub Actions workflows
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Docker containers
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Blazor WebAssembly projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Xamarin.Forms projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with MAUI projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with WinUI projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with WPF projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with UWP projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Console projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Class Library projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Test projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Web API projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with MVC projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Razor Pages projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with gRPC projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with SignalR projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Entity Framework Core projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Dapper projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with SQL Server projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Cosmos DB projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4.0 with Azure Functions projects
How to use MSBuild 17.4
Select the workloads and components that include MSBuild
During the installation process, you will be asked to select the workloads and components that you want to install. A workload is a set of features and tools that support a specific type of development, such as .NET desktop development, ASP.NET and web development, C++ desktop development, etc. A component is a specific feature or tool that is part of a workload, such as .NET Framework SDK, C# compiler, NuGet package manager, etc.
To install MSBuild, you need to select at least one workload that includes it. For example, you can select the .NET desktop development workload, which includes MSBuild as well as other tools for developing desktop applications using .NET Framework or .NET Core. You can also select individual components that include MSBuild under the Individual components tab. For example, you can select the MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (v14.30) component, which includes MSBuild as well as other tools for building C++ applications using Visual Studio 2022.
Locate MSBuild.exe under the Visual Studio installation folder
After the installation is complete, you can find MSBuild.exe under the Visual Studio installation folder. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe. You can also use the Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022 to access MSBuild.exe from any location on your system.
Option 2: Install Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022
Download and run the installer from the official website
If you don't want to install Visual Studio 2022 but still want to use MSBuild on Windows, you can install Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022, which is a standalone package that contains only the essential tools for building applications using Visual Studio 2022. You can download the installer from the official website and run it on your system. You will need an internet connection to complete the installation.
Select the MSBuild component under Build Tools
During the installation process, you will be asked to select the components that you want to install. Unlike Visual Studio 2022, Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022 does not have workloads, but only individual components. To install MSBuild, you need to select the MSBuild component under Build Tools. This component includes MSBuild as well as other tools for building applications using Visual Studio 2022.
Locate MSBuild.exe under the installation folder
After the installation is complete, you can find MSBuild.exe under the installation folder. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe. You can also use the Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022 to access MSBuild.exe from any location on your system.
Option 3: Install .NET SDK
Download and run the installer from the official website
If you want to use MSBuild on Windows to build applications that target .NET 5 and later, you can install .NET SDK, which is a set of tools and libraries for developing and running .NET applications. You can download the installer from the official website and run it on your system. You will need an internet connection to complete the installation.
Select the .NET SDK version that includes MSBuild 17.4.0
During the installation process, you will be asked to select the .NET SDK version that you want to install. To install MSBuild 17.4.0, you need to select the .NET SDK 6.0.100 version, which is the latest stable release of .NET SDK as of December 2021. This version includes MSBuild 17.4.0 as well as other tools and libraries for developing and running .NET applications.
Locate MSBuild.exe under the .NET SDK installation folder
After the installation is complete, you can find MSBuild.exe under the .NET SDK installation folder. The default location is C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\6.0.100\MSBuild.dll. You can also use the dotnet build command to invoke MSBuild.exe from any location on your system.
How to use MSBuild from the command line
Syntax and switches for MSBuild.exe
Provide the project or solution file as an argument
To use MSBuild from the command line, you need to provide the project or solution file that you want to build as an argument to MSBuild.exe. For example, if you have a project file named MyProject.csproj in your current directory, you can use the following command to build it:
MSBuild.exe MyProject.csproj
If you have a solution file named MySolution.sln in your current directory, you can use the following command to build it:
MSBuild.exe MySolution.sln
Use switches to specify various aspects of the build process
You can also use switches to specify various aspects of the build process, such as properties, targets, verbosity, logging, etc. A switch is a command-line option that starts with a slash (/) and has a name and an optional value. For example, /p:Configuration=Release is a switch that sets the Configuration property to Release.
You can use multiple switches in a single command by separating them with spaces. For example, you can use the following command to build a project file named MyProject.csproj with Release configuration and Debug symbols:
MSBuild.exe MyProject.csproj /p:Configuration=Release /p:DebugSymbols=true
Use quotes to separate lists of arguments for a switch
If you want to provide a list of arguments for a switch, such as multiple properties or targets, you need to use quotes to separate them. For example, if you want to build a project file named MyProject.csproj with two properties (Configuration and Platform) and two targets (Clean and Build), you can use the following command:
MSBuild.exe MyProject.csproj /p:"Configuration=Release;Platform=x64" /t:"Clean;Build"
Examples of common MSBuild commands
Build a project or solution file with default settings
To build a project or solution file with default settings, you can simply provide the file name as an argument to MSBuild.exe without any switches. For example, if you have a solution file named MySolution.sln in your current directory, you can use the following command to build it:
MSBuild.exe MySolution.sln
This command will build all the projects in the solution using their default properties and targets.
Build a project or solution file with specific properties and targets
To build a project or solution file with specific properties and targets, you can use the /p and /t switches respectively. For example, if you have a project file named MyProject.csproj in your current directory, and you want to build it with Release configuration and Deploy target, you can use the following command:
MSBuild.exe MyProject.csproj /p:Configuration=Release /t :t:Deploy
This command will build the project using the Release configuration and execute the Deploy target.
Build a project or solution file with detailed summary and binary log output
To build a project or solution file with detailed summary and binary log output, you can use the /v and /bl switches respectively. For example, if you have a solution file named MySolution.sln in your current directory, and you want to see a detailed summary of the build process and generate a binary log file named MySolution.binlog, you can use the following command:
MSBuild.exe MySolution.sln /v:d /bl:MySolution.binlog
This command will build the solution using the default settings and display a detailed summary of the build results, such as the number of projects built, the number of errors and warnings, the build time, etc. It will also create a binary log file named MySolution.binlog in the current directory, which contains all the information about the build process, such as the properties, items, tasks, targets, messages, etc. You can use MSBuild Structured Log Viewer to view and analyze the binary log file.
Conclusion and FAQs
Summary of the main points of the article
In this article, you learned how to download and install MSBuild 17.4.0, the latest version of the Microsoft Build Engine, on your Windows system. You also learned what MSBuild is and why you need it, how to install it using different options, and how to use it from the command line. MSBuild is a powerful and flexible platform for building applications that supports various frameworks and platforms, provides an XML schema for project files, offers a 64-bit version for faster and larger builds, and allows customization and extensibility options.
FAQs about MSBuild 17.4.0
Here are some frequently asked questions about MSBuild 17.4.0:
Question
Answer
What are the system requirements for MSBuild 17.4.0?
MSBuild 17.4.0 requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows Server 2019 or later. It also requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later.
How can I update MSBuild to the latest version?
You can update MSBuild to the latest version by updating Visual Studio 2022, Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022, or .NET SDK to the latest version. You can also download and install MSBuild as a standalone package from GitHub.
How can I check the version of MSBuild installed on my system?
You can check the version of MSBuild installed on your system by running MSBuild.exe with the /version switch. For example, you can use the following command to see the version of MSBuild.exe under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MSBuild.exe /version
How can I learn more about MSBuild?
You can learn more about MSBuild by reading the official documentation on Microsoft Docs. You can also find tutorials, samples, blogs, videos, podcasts, books, and other resources on MSBuild on various websites.
How can I get help or support for MSBuild?
You can get help or support for MSBuild by posting your questions or issues on Stack Overflow with the msbuild tag. You can also report bugs or suggest features on GitHub with the msbuild label.
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