Microsoft.Build.Locator 1.11.1

Prefix Reserved
.NET 8.0 This package targets .NET 8.0. The package is compatible with this framework or higher. .NET Framework 4.6 This package targets .NET Framework 4.6. The package is compatible with this framework or higher. 
dotnet add package Microsoft.Build.Locator --version 1.11.1
                    


                    

                
NuGet\Install-Package Microsoft.Build.Locator -Version 1.11.1
This command is intended to be used within the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio, as it uses the NuGet module's version of Install-Package. 
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Locator" Version="1.11.1" />
For projects that support PackageReference, copy this XML node into the project file to reference the package. 
<PackageVersion Include="Microsoft.Build.Locator" Version="1.11.1" />
                    


                            Directory.Packages.props
                        

                    

                
<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Locator" />
                    


                            Project file
For projects that support Central Package Management (CPM), copy this XML node into the solution Directory.Packages.props file to version the package. 
paket add Microsoft.Build.Locator --version 1.11.1
                    


                    

                
#r "nuget: Microsoft.Build.Locator, 1.11.1"
#r directive can be used in F# Interactive and Polyglot Notebooks. Copy this into the interactive tool or source code of the script to reference the package. 
#:package Microsoft.Build.Locator@1.11.1
#:package directive can be used in C# file-based apps starting in .NET 10 preview 4. Copy this into a .cs file before any lines of code to reference the package. 
#addin nuget:?package=Microsoft.Build.Locator&version=1.11.1
                    


                            Install as a Cake Addin
                        

                    

                
#tool nuget:?package=Microsoft.Build.Locator&version=1.11.1
                    


                            Install as a Cake Tool

Microsoft.Build.Locator

Microsoft.Build.Locator helps you locate and register MSBuild assemblies provided with Visual Studio or the .NET SDK. This is essential when you need to use MSBuild APIs in your application to evaluate or build projects.

Why do I need this?

When using MSBuild's .NET API to load and build projects, you need access to the SDKs and build logic distributed with Visual Studio or the .NET SDK, not just the MSBuild APIs. MSBuildLocator helps you find these installations and set up your application to use them, ensuring your code gets the same view of projects as MSBuild.exe, dotnet build, or Visual Studio.

Quick Start

Before using any MSBuild APIs, register MSBuild assemblies:

using Microsoft.Build.Locator;
using Microsoft.Build.Evaluation;

// Register defaults before using any MSBuild types
MSBuildLocator.RegisterDefaults();

// Now you can safely use MSBuild APIs.
// NOTE: due the the way that the CLR loads assemblies, you MUST
//       register MSBuild through Locator before any types from 
//       the MSBuild assemblies are used in your application.
//       The safest way to ensure this is to put any MSBuild API
//       access into a separate method.
LoadProject();

void LoadProject()
{
  var project = new Project("MyProject.csproj");
  ...
}

For more control over which MSBuild instance to use:

using Microsoft.Build.Locator;

// Query available MSBuild instances
var instances = MSBuildLocator.QueryVisualStudioInstances().ToArray();

// Register a specific instance
var instance = instances.OrderByDescending(i => i.Version).First();
MSBuildLocator.RegisterInstance(instance);

Documentation

For complete documentation, see Use Microsoft.Build.Locator on Microsoft Learn.

Samples

See the BuilderApp sample for a full exploration of the MSBuildLocator library and capabilities.

Product Compatible and additional computed target framework versions.
.NET net8.0 is compatible.  net8.0-android was computed.  net8.0-browser was computed.  net8.0-ios was computed.  net8.0-maccatalyst was computed.  net8.0-macos was computed.  net8.0-tvos was computed.  net8.0-windows was computed.  net9.0 was computed.  net9.0-android was computed.  net9.0-browser was computed.  net9.0-ios was computed.  net9.0-maccatalyst was computed.  net9.0-macos was computed.  net9.0-tvos was computed.  net9.0-windows was computed.  net10.0 was computed.  net10.0-android was computed.  net10.0-browser was computed.  net10.0-ios was computed.  net10.0-maccatalyst was computed.  net10.0-macos was computed.  net10.0-tvos was computed.  net10.0-windows was computed. 
.NET Framework net46 is compatible.  net461 was computed.  net462 was computed.  net463 was computed.  net47 was computed.  net471 was computed.  net472 was computed.  net48 was computed.  net481 was computed. 
Compatible target framework(s)
Included target framework(s) (in package)
Learn more about Target Frameworks and .NET Standard.

  • .NETFramework 4.6

    • No dependencies.

  • net8.0

    • No dependencies.

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Showing the top 5 NuGet packages that depend on Microsoft.Build.Locator:

Package Downloads
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Web.CodeGenerators.Mvc

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Showing the top 20 popular GitHub repositories that depend on Microsoft.Build.Locator:

Repository Stars
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Version Downloads Last Updated
1.11.1 956 11/18/2025
1.10.12 13,893 11/6/2025
1.10.2 61,550 10/4/2025
1.9.1 520,407 3/31/2025
1.8.1 4,844 3/31/2025
1.7.8 54,256,632 3/14/2024
1.7.1 237,980 2/6/2024
1.6.10 3,432,032 9/20/2023
1.6.1 96,475 8/30/2023
1.5.32-g4ed1bab6ff 597 8/25/2023
1.5.6 10,389 8/29/2023
1.5.5 3,472,654 9/6/2022
1.5.3 82,036 8/11/2022
1.4.10-g38d95f4814 1,227 8/8/2022
1.4.6-g7150a203a1 890 8/5/2022
1.4.1 35,692,400 1/21/2021
1.3.2 60,576 12/17/2020
1.2.15-ge4e3fc36c9 1,399 11/9/2020
1.2.6 2,114,939 8/14/2019
1.2.2 377,547 4/3/2019
1.1.2 149,886 12/7/2018
1.0.31 74,313 9/12/2018
1.0.18 60,958 5/29/2018
1.0.13 130,823 4/5/2018
1.0.7-preview-ge60d679b53 3,008 2/22/2018
1.0.5-preview-gc41880f6f8 1,750 2/15/2018