Download .NET 7 Release Candidate 2 (Offline Installers)

Subhan Zafar|October 12, 2022

Microsoft has released .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 2, which is the final preview release before the stable .NET 7 is published. This release also includes a security patch that mitigates known vulnerabilities.

Since this is not a finalized update, we suggest that you do not install it on production environments, and only use it for testing purposes. However, if you are using an earlier preview version already, we strongly recommend that you upgrade to RC 2 because of its security fixes.

This release introduces new features and improvements to .NET, which have been discussed in detail below. Before this release, Microsoft rolled out 7 preview updates and 1 Release Candidate. Click on the respective links below if you want to learn more about them:

.NET 7 RC 2 has been tested with Visual Studio 17.4 Preview 3, thus Microsoft recommends that you use it with preview channel releases of Visual Studio only to avoid compatibility conflicts. It can be installed on the following platforms using the direct download links shared below:

Windows
Linux
MacOS

Let us now dig into the new improvements this release has to offer before you download and test it out.

What’s New in .NET 7 Release Candidate 2

Inclusion of C# 11

C# (C Sharp) is still considered one of the popular coding languages. Microsoft has now included its latest available version, which is C# 11, to .NET 7.

C# 11 includes a lot of new features and enhancements. You can learn more about it here.

Improvements to Libraries and SDKs

The .NET libraries and SDKs are constantly being updated by the Microsoft team. New APIs containing brand-new functionality are regularly added. Performance improvements are being made to existing APIs, providing you with benefits by simply upgrading. Completely new libraries are being made to assist your daily jobs.

Similarly, the SDKs are also being improved alongside the libraries.

Microsoft has also instructed the developers on how to perform certain tasks correctly and not be entirely dependent upon the new features, like implementing Generic Math interfaces correctly and preventing a behavioral change in built-in operators for IntPtr and UIntPtr.

If you feel like trying out .NET 7 Release Candidate 2, you can download it from the direct download links given below.

Download .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 2

Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 7 RC 2 Runtime, SDKs, and ASP.NET Core matching your operating system and architecture:

More download and install options here.

Install .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 2

You can begin by downloading the right .NET version for you from the links above and then execute it to begin the installation process. Here is how:

Once you have installed the newer .NET version, all your applications will run using the new build as the previous version will be replaced.

Run the installation package by double-clicking it (in the case of macOS and Windows), and then clicking Install on the installation wizard.

Begin installation
The installation will now begin. It does not take much time nor does it require a restart. Click Close once it has been installed successfully.

Close installation wizard

You have now installed the .NET. You may check which .NET version is running by typing in the following command in Command Prompt:

wmic product get description | findstr /C:.NET

Confirm installation version — Confirm .NET installation version

How to Remove/Uninstall .NET

If you wish to remove .NET Release Candidate or Preview from your computer, you can simply uninstall it like any other regular application. Here are the steps to following:

Open the Programs & Features applet by typing in appwiz.cpl in the Run Command box.

Open Programs & Features applet
Here, search for the .NET component that you want to remove, right-click it, and then click Uninstall from the context menu.

Uninstall .NET
The installation wizard will now launch. Click Uninstall again.

Confirm .NET removal

.NET will now be removed from your PC. When done, click Close.

Close wizard

Final Analysis

According to Statista’s statistics, .NET is no longer the most widely used framework today. However, a significant portion of the developers still use it, and they are going to need it to keep updating their apps.

That said, .NET developers (and the framework) are not going anywhere anytime soon. Therefore, you might as well get used to it since it is still being widely used in 2022.

This is why we recommend the .NET developers switch to the latest .NET version available for testing purposes and make their applications compatible before the actual release of the stable .NET 7.

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Tags: .NET 7, .NET Preview, Software Updates

Subhan Zafar

Subhan Zafar is an established IT professional with interests in Windows and Server infrastructure testing and research, and is currently working with Itechtics as a research consultant. He has studied Electrical Engineering and is also certified by Huawei (HCNA & HCNP Routing and Switching).

See all posts from Subhan Zafar

Subhan Zafar|November 15, 2023

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