How to Install .NET 10 SDK on Windows, Linux, and macOS


 If you want to start developing applications with .NET 10, the first step is to install the .NET 10 SDK on your computer.

The .NET SDK includes the tools required to create, build, run, test, and publish .NET applications. It also includes the corresponding .NET runtime.

In this tutorial, you'll learn:

  • What you need to install for .NET 10 development
  • How to install .NET 10 on Windows
  • How to install .NET 10 using WinGet
  • How to install .NET 10 on macOS
  • How to install .NET 10 on Linux
  • How to verify the installation
  • How to create your first .NET 10 application
  • How to troubleshoot common installation problems

What Is .NET 10?

.NET 10 is a cross-platform development platform from Microsoft that can be used to build:

  • Web applications
  • REST APIs
  • Console applications
  • Desktop applications
  • Cloud applications
  • Microservices
  • Background services
  • Libraries
  • AI-powered applications

.NET 10 is an LTS (Long Term Support) release. The official Microsoft download page currently lists .NET 10 SDK 10.0.401 as the latest SDK release, released September 8, 2026.

SDK vs Runtime: What Should You Install?

Before downloading .NET, it's important to understand the difference between the SDK and Runtime.

.NET SDK

The SDK is used by developers to create and build applications.

It includes:

  • .NET CLI
  • Compiler
  • Build tools
  • .NET runtime
  • .NET libraries
  • Project templates

If you are a developer, install the SDK.

.NET Runtime

The runtime is primarily required to run an existing .NET application.

You don't normally need to install the runtime separately when you install the SDK because the SDK already includes the corresponding runtime.

Which one should you install?

Your requirementInstall
Develop .NET applications.NET SDK
Create ASP.NET Core applications.NET SDK
Build console applications.NET SDK
Build Web APIs.NET SDK
Only run an existing applicationRuntime
Run ASP.NET Core applicationsASP.NET Core Runtime

For this tutorial, we'll install the .NET 10 SDK.

Step 1: Download the .NET 10 SDK

Go to the official Microsoft .NET download page:

Download .NET 10 SDK

Look for the SDK section rather than the Runtime section.

The official .NET 10 download page provides SDK installers for:

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux

It also provides different CPU architectures such as x64 and Arm64.

Important: If you want to develop .NET applications, download the SDK, not just the Runtime.

Step 2: Install .NET 10 on Windows

For most Windows developers, installing .NET 10 using the official installer is the easiest approach.

Open the .NET 10 download page and find the Windows SDK.

For most modern Windows PCs, choose:

Windows → x64

Microsoft recommends x64 when you're unsure which architecture to select because it is the most common option.

Download the installer.

It will normally be an executable installer.

Step 3: Run the Installer

Open your Downloads folder and double-click the downloaded .NET SDK installer.

The .NET installation wizard will appear.

Follow the installation instructions.

Once the installation finishes, close the installer.

For a system-wide installation, administrative privileges may be required.

Step 4: Open a Terminal

After installing .NET, open:

  • Command Prompt
  • PowerShell
  • Windows Terminal

For example, open PowerShell.

Then run:

dotnet --version

You should see a version beginning with:

10.0

For example:

10.0.401

The exact patch version may be different because Microsoft regularly releases updates.

Step 5: Check All Installed SDKs

You can also see all SDK versions installed on your computer.

Run:

dotnet --list-sdks

For example:

8.0.4xx [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
9.0.3xx [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]
10.0.401 [C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk]

This is useful if you work with multiple .NET versions.

You can have multiple .NET SDK versions installed side by side.

Install .NET 10 Using WinGet

Windows developers can also install the .NET 10 SDK using Windows Package Manager (WinGet).

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:

winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10

WinGet will download and install the .NET 10 SDK.

Microsoft documents Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10 as the WinGet package for the .NET 10 SDK.

After installation, verify it:

dotnet --version

You can also run:

dotnet --info

What Does dotnet --info Do?

The following command provides detailed information about your .NET installation:

dotnet --info

You may see information such as:

.NET SDK:
 Version:           10.0.401
 Workload version:  10.0.xxxxx

Runtime Environment:
 OS Name:     Windows
 OS Version:  ...
 RID:         win-x64

Host:
 Version:      10.0.x

This command is particularly useful when troubleshooting .NET installation or environment problems.

Step 6: Create Your First .NET 10 Application

Now that the SDK is installed, let's create a simple console application.

Create a folder:

mkdir DotNet10Demo
cd DotNet10Demo

Create a new console application:

dotnet new console

You should see output indicating that the project was created successfully.

Step 7: Check the Project File

Open the generated .csproj file.

You should see something similar to:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>
    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
  </PropertyGroup>

</Project>

The important part is:

<TargetFramework>net10.0</TargetFramework>

This tells .NET that the application targets .NET 10.

Step 8: Run the Application

Run:

dotnet run

You should see:

Hello, World!

Congratulations! 🎉

You have successfully created and run your first .NET 10 application.

Installing .NET 10 on macOS

.NET 10 can also be installed on macOS.

Microsoft provides separate SDK downloads for:

  • x64
  • Arm64

Arm64 is generally appropriate for Apple Silicon Macs, while x64 is used for Intel-based Macs.

Go to:

.NET 10 downloads

Select the appropriate macOS SDK installer.

After installation, open Terminal and run:

dotnet --version

Then:

dotnet --info

You can create an application with:

dotnet new console -o DotNet10Demo
cd DotNet10Demo
dotnet run

Installing .NET 10 on Linux

.NET 10 is available for several Linux distributions and architectures.

Microsoft provides distribution-specific installation instructions for Linux.

For example, .NET 10 can be installed through supported package-management methods.

If you're using Snap, Microsoft documents the .NET 10 SDK package as:

sudo snap install dotnet-sdk-100

After installation:

dotnet --version

Then:

dotnet --info

You can create a test application:

dotnet new console -o DotNet10Demo
cd DotNet10Demo
dotnet run

How to Check Whether .NET 10 Is Installed

There are three useful commands to remember.

Check the active SDK version

dotnet --version

List installed SDKs

dotnet --list-sdks

Display detailed installation information

dotnet --info

For example:

10.0.401

means the .NET 10 SDK is installed.

SDK vs Runtime: A Common Beginner Mistake

One of the most common mistakes when installing .NET is downloading only the runtime.

For example, if you want to create a new application and run:

dotnet new console

you need the SDK.

The Runtime alone doesn't provide the complete development toolchain.

A simple rule is:

Develop applications → Install SDK
Only run applications → Install Runtime

Can I Install .NET 10 Alongside .NET 8?

Yes.

Multiple .NET SDK versions can be installed on the same machine.

For example, you might have:

8.0.x
9.0.x
10.0.x

installed simultaneously.

This is particularly useful when maintaining applications targeting different .NET versions.

For example:

MyOldApplication → net8.0
MyNewApplication → net10.0

You don't necessarily need to remove .NET 8 before installing .NET 10.

What If dotnet Is Not Recognized?

If you run:

dotnet --version

and receive an error such as:

'dotnet' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet

try the following:

1. Restart your terminal

Close PowerShell or Command Prompt and open it again.

2. Restart your computer

Sometimes environment changes aren't immediately reflected in an already-running session.

3. Verify the installation

On Windows, check whether .NET was installed correctly.

4. Check your PATH

The .NET installation needs to be accessible through your system environment.

If you manually install .NET, Microsoft documents configuring DOTNET_ROOT and adding the installation directory to PATH.

Verify Everything With One Test

After installing .NET 10, run:

dotnet --version

Then:

dotnet new console -o HelloDotNet10

Move into the directory:

cd HelloDotNet10

Run the application:

dotnet run

If you see:

Hello, World!

your .NET 10 development environment is ready.

Conclusion

Installing .NET 10 is straightforward.

For developers, the most important thing to remember is to install the .NET 10 SDK, rather than only the runtime.

The basic workflow is:

Download .NET 10 SDK
        ↓
Install SDK
        ↓
dotnet --version
        ↓
dotnet new console
        ↓
dotnet run

The .NET SDK gives you the tools required to create, build, run, and publish .NET applications.

You can install .NET 10 on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and you can keep multiple .NET SDK versions installed side by side.

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