Find and use a version of MSBuild

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/?view=vs-2026
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Provides guidance on programmatically finding and utilizing specific versions of MSBuild within...
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### Register MSBuild Instance (Latest Version)

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/find-and-use-msbuild-versions?view=vs-2022

This example shows how to register the most recent version of MSBuild found by querying Visual Studio instances. This code should not directly call MSBuild types.

```csharp
void ThisWillFail()
{
    // Register the most recent version of MSBuild
    RegisterInstance(MSBuildLocator.QueryVisualStudioInstances().OrderByDescending(
       instance => instance.Version).First());
    Project p = new Project(SomePath); // Could be any MSBuild type
    // Code that uses the MSBuild type
}

```

--------------------------------

### Register MSBuild Instance (Specific Instance)

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/find-and-use-msbuild-versions?view=vs-2022

This example demonstrates how to register a specific MSBuild instance after selecting it from the results of MSBuildLocator.QueryVisualStudioInstances. This approach avoids calling MSBuild types directly in the registration method.

```csharp
void MethodThatDoesNotDirectlyCallMSBuild()
{
    var instance = ... // select which of the installed instances to use
    
    // Register a specific instance of MSBuild
    MSBuildLocator.RegisterInstance(instance);
    MethodThatCallsMSBuild();
}

void MethodThatCallsMSBuild()
{
    Project p = new Project(SomePath);
    // Code that uses the MSBuild type
}

```

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### Add NuGet Package Reference for Microsoft.Build.Locator

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/find-and-use-msbuild-versions?view=vs-2022

Add a NuGet package reference for the Microsoft.Build.Locator package to your project. Do not specify ExcludeAssets=runtime for this package.

```xml
    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Locator">
      <Version>1.1.2</Version>
    </PackageReference>

```

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### Reference MSBuild NuGet Packages

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/find-and-use-msbuild-versions?view=vs-2022

Use this XML in your project file to reference MSBuild assemblies from NuGet packages. Specify `ExcludeAssets=runtime` to ensure assemblies are only used at build time and not copied to the output directory. The version specified should be less than or equal to the minimum Visual Studio version you intend to support.

```XML
<ItemGroup>
  <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build" Version="15.1.548" ExcludeAssets="runtime" />
  <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Build.Utilities.Core" Version="15.1.548" ExcludeAssets="runtime" />
</ItemGroup>

```

--------------------------------

### Reference MSBuild Assemblies with Copy Local False

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/msbuild/find-and-use-msbuild-versions?view=vs-2022

When referencing MSBuild assemblies directly, set 'Copy Local' to 'False' to prevent them from being copied to the output directory. This is done within the project file.

```xml
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.Build, Version=15.1.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a, processorArchitecture=MSIL">
      <Private>False</Private>
    </Reference>

```
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