Microsoft Previews dotnetup, a Toolchain Manager for .NET SDKs and Runtimes
Microsoft has released a public preview of dotnetup, a cross-platform tool that installs and updates .NET SDKs and runtimes in the user's own directory without admin rights. It follows channels such as latest, lts and preview, reads global.json, and cleans up unused installs. Commands may still change before general availability.
Key points
- Installs go to the user's local data directory, never to Program Files\dotnet or /usr/share/dotnet.
- You can request a channel (latest, lts, preview, daily) or a band such as 10.0.1xx instead of an exact version.
- dotnetup update re-resolves all tracked channels and removes components no longer needed.
- On Windows the default 'everywhere' mode changes the system PATH and can override machine-wide SDKs, including Visual Studio's.
- Commands may change during preview; keep production machines on installers, package managers or Visual Studio.
Microsoft has launched a public preview of dotnetup, a cross-platform manager for .NET SDKs and runtimes that installs them into a user's own profile, no admin rights required. You request a channel, major version or feature band, and the tool picks a matching release; pinned versions stay put during updates, and a nearby global.json keeps team builds consistent.
Maintenance is consolidated into one update command that refreshes every tracked channel and removes components nothing needs. Preview and daily builds can coexist with stable ones, though daily builds are unsigned. Because the Windows default changes PATH and can override machine-wide SDKs, including Visual Studio's, check your setup first. Commands may still change, so production machines should stay on installers, package managers or Visual Studio.
Real-world use
- A developer on Linux or macOS switching between several .NET SDKs without admin rights.
- Teams that pin SDKs through global.json and want local machines to resolve the same toolchain.
- Library authors who test against preview or daily builds while keeping stable SDKs installed.
Why it matters
It offers channel-based, per-user toolchain management instead of machine-wide installs. On Windows, however, the default everywhere mode can shadow the SDK Visual Studio uses, so check your setup before relying on it.
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