How to change .NET version in Visual Studio 2019 to .NET Framework 4.7.2?

Question

how can I change the .NET to .NET Framework 4.7.2 i am really struggeling since 2 days now. I am doing a WinFormApp and can only use .NET 5 or .NET Core 3.1 but i need .NET Framework 4.7.2 for another Framework. Already installed it through [Microsoft] but it dont appear there to select.

Answer 1

Well, as your main application is .NET Core, it's running on a core CLR. It cannot be changed to a non-core CLR project. You would need to restart a project if there is no way of achieving the goal you need.

If you also need the .NET Core application for whatever reason, I would recommend using an API call to communicate between the two applications or another method of communication which isn't with the project itself.

Answer 2

You don't need to "restart a project" to target .NET Framework. You just need to use the appropriate TargetFramework element in the csproj file.

Here's an example for a Windows Forms application targeting .NET Framework 4.7.2:

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
    <TargetFramework>net472</TargetFramework>
    <UseWindowsForms>true</UseWindowsForms>
  </PropertyGroup>
</Project>

If you create a .NET Core 3.1 or .NET 5 project, you can just edit the .csproj file to specify .NET Framework as the target framework - no need to start from scratch.

Answer 3

Old question, but in case others will have this issue like I did. For VS 2019, when you select a new project you need to pick .NET Framework. I added a print screens with the dialog. In the next step you will be able to pick lower .NET frameworks. (reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/549819/lower-target-framework-unavailable)