Intro

Download and install

To build your first .NET application, you'll need to install the .NET SDK, Visual Studio Code, and C# Dev Kit.

What are the .NET SDK, Visual Studio Code, and C# Dev Kit?

• The .NET SDK (Software Development Kit) is a free and open-source collection of tools and libraries you will need to build and run applications using C#. C# is the modern object-oriented programming language you will be using for this tutorial.

• Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the world's most popular lightweight, free, and open-source code editor. This is where you will write your C# code.

• C# Dev Kit is a powerful set of VS Code extensions that makes C# development easier. It helps you write, test, and debug your code as you build apps.

The .NET WinGet Configuration file will install the .NET 10 SDK, VS Code, and C# Dev Kit for you. If you already have something installed, WinGet will skip that installation step.

To build your first .NET application with Visual Studio Code, set up your environment:

1. Download and install the .NET SDK:

   Install .NET 10 SDK instructions

   Download .NET 10 SDK x64 (Intel)
   Download .NET 10 SDK Arm64 (Apple Silicon)

   If you're on a Mac with an Apple M1 or M2 chip, you need to install the Arm64 version of the SDK.

2. Download and install VS Code:

   Download VS Code

3. Open VS Code and select the Extensions button in VS Code's Activity Bar to the left. Type C# in the search bar, select C# Dev Kit, and then select the Install button on the C# Dev Kit extension page.

Check everything installed correctly

Now that your environment is set up, go to the Search in your Windows Taskbar, and type Visual Studio Code. Click the application to open VS Code.

Once you've set up your environment, open a new VS Code terminal. In the toolbar, select Terminal, then New Terminal.

In your terminal, run the following command to check your installation.

dotnet

If the installation succeeded, you should see an output similar to the following:

Usage: dotnet [path-to-application]
Usage: dotnet [commands]

path-to-application:
The path to an application .dll file to execute.

commands:
-h|--help                         Display help.
--info                            Display .NET information.
--list-runtimes [--arch ]         Display the installed runtimes matching the host or specified architecture. Example architectures: arm64, x64, x86.
--list-sdks [--arch ]             Display the installed SDKs matching the host or specified architecture. Example architectures: arm64, x64, x86.

If everything looks good, select the Continue button below to go to the next step.

Got an error?

If you receive a 'dotnet' is not recognized as an internal or external command error, make sure you opened a new VS Code terminal. If restarting VS Code or restarting your machine doesn't resolve the issue, use the I ran into an issue button to get help fixing the problem.

Create your app

1. Open the command palette in VS Code by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+P.
2. Open the command palette in VS Code by pressing CMD+SHIFT+P.
3. Type .NET: to see the commands you can run with C# Dev Kit!
4. Find and select .NET: New Project to create a new .NET project.
5. Scroll down and select Console App.
6. Choose the folder location you'd like to save your project.
7. Name the project MyConsoleApp in the command palette when prompted.

If asked, enable Workspace Trust by checking the box and selecting Yes, I trust the authors.

Note: While sign in isn't required or enforced by the extension, you might need to sign in using your Visual Studio account to comply with the EULA requirements for the C# Dev Kit extension.

In the VS Code Side Bar, make sure the Explorer is open. Click on the MyConsoleApp folder to make sure it is expanded.

The main file in the MyConsoleApp folder is called Program.cs. By default, it already contains the necessary code to write Hello, World! to the terminal. Click on the file to see the code created by the template:

Select the Continue button below to go to the next step.

Run your app

To run your application, select the dropdown menu to the right of the run button in the top right, and select Run project associated with this file.

You should see Hello, World! in your VS Code terminal.

Hello, World!

Congratulations, you've built and run your first .NET app! Select the Continue button below to go to the next step.

Edit your code

In the Program.cs file, add the highlighted line after the code that prints Hello, World!, like the following:

// See https://aka.ms/new-console-template for more information
Console.WriteLine("Hello, World!");
Console.WriteLine("The current time is " + DateTime.Now);

Save the Program.cs file and select Run project associated with the file again. If you succeed, you should see an output similar to the following:

Hello, World!
The current time is 11/12/2026 10:44:20 AM

Next steps

Congratulations, you've built and run your first .NET app!

Keep learning

To keep learning general .NET skills, try our tutorials on Microsoft Learn where you'll learn about .NET, dependencies, working with files, debugging, and more:

Build .NET applications learning path

Learn C#

C# is .NET's modern, innovative, open-source programming language for building all your apps. Get started by trying our C# interactive tutorials on Microsoft Learn:

Take your first steps with C# on Microsoft Learn

.NET for Beginners

Let Claudia walk you through the basics of .NET with her beginner video series:

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