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To start developing native, cross-platform .NET apps on macOS, install Visual Studio 2019 for Mac following the steps below.
Requirements
- A Mac with macOS High Sierra 10.13 or above.
- Visual Studio 2019 for Mac version 8.8 is available today! We've added support for developing applications with.NET 5 and debugging Blazor WebAssembly applications and included several improvements for Xamarin developers, including Xamarin.Forms 5.0 Preview support. Visual Studio for Mac version 8.8 is available for you to download today.
- After Microsoft today announced the general availability of Visual Studio for Mac, many developers on forum sites questioned if it's really the same IDE that Windows users have known and loved for years, or a refactored, rebadged and rebranded version of Xamarin Studio - and no less than Xamarin chief Miguel de Icaza himself weighed in with some answers.
- Visual Studio for Mac Develop apps and games for iOS, Android, and web using.NET.
Microsoft Visual Studio is available in the following editions or SKUs: Community. The Community edition was announced on 12 November 2014, as a new free version, with similar functionality to Visual Studio Professional. Prior to this date, the only free editions of Visual Studio were the feature-limited Express variants.
To build Xamarin apps for iOS or macOS, you'll also need:
- Xcode 10.0 or above. The latest stable version is usually recommended.
- An Apple ID. If you don't have an Apple ID already you can create a new one at https://appleid.apple.com. It's necessary to have an Apple ID for installing and signing into Xcode.
Installation instructions
Download the installer from the Visual Studio for Mac download page.
Once the download is complete, click the VisualStudioforMacInstaller.dmg to mount the installer, then run it by double-clicking the arrow logo:
You may be presented with a warning about the application being downloaded from the Internet. Click Open.
Wait while the installer checks your system:
An alert will appear asking you to acknowledge the privacy and license terms. Follow the links to read them, then press Continue if you agree:
The list of available workloads is displayed. Select the components you wish to use:
If you do not wish to install all platforms, use the guide below to help you decide which platforms to install:
Type of App Target Selection Notes Apps Using Xamarin Xamarin.Forms Select Android and iOS platforms You will need to install Xcode iOS only Select iOS platform You will need to install Xcode Android only Select Android platform Note that you should also select the relevant dependencies Mac only Select macOS (Cocoa) platform You will need to install Xcode .NET Core applications Select .NET Core platform. ASP.NET Core Web Applications Select .NET Core platform. Azure Functions Select .NET Core platform. Cross-platform Unity Game Development No additional platforms need to be installed beyond Visual Studio for Mac. Refer to the Unity setup guide for more information on installing the Unity extension. After you have made your selections, press the Install button.
The installer will display progress as it downloads and installs Visual Studio for Mac and the selected workloads. You will be prompted to enter your password to grant the privileges necessary for installation.:
Once installed, Visual Studio for Mac will prompt you to personalize your installation by signing in and selecting the key bindings that you'd like to use:
If you have network trouble while installing in a corporate environment, review the installing behind a firewall or proxy instructions.
Learn more about the changes in the release notes.
Note
If you chose not to install a platform or tool during the original installation (by unselecting it in step #6), you must run the installer again if you wish to add the components later.
Install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall or proxy server
To install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall, certain endpoints must be made accessible in order to allow downloads of the required tools and updates for your software.
Configure your network to allow access to the following locations:
Next steps
Installing Visual Studio for Mac allows you to start writing code for your apps. The following guides are provided to guide you through the next steps of writing and deploying your projects.
iOS
- Device Provisioning(To run your application on device).
Android
.NET Core apps, ASP.NET Core web apps, Unity game development
For other Workloads, refer to the Workloads page.
Related Video
Visual Studio For Mac Wikipedia
If you chose not to install a platform or tool during the original installation (by unselecting it in step #6), you must run the installer again if you wish to add the components later.
Install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall or proxy server
To install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall, certain endpoints must be made accessible in order to allow downloads of the required tools and updates for your software.
Configure your network to allow access to the following locations:
Next steps
Installing Visual Studio for Mac allows you to start writing code for your apps. The following guides are provided to guide you through the next steps of writing and deploying your projects.
iOS
- Device Provisioning(To run your application on device).
Android
.NET Core apps, ASP.NET Core web apps, Unity game development
For other Workloads, refer to the Workloads page.