Download .NET 7 Release Candidate 1 (Offline Installers)

Subhan Zafar|September 15, 2022

.NET 7 is nearing its stable release, therefore Microsoft has now released .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 1. This is one of two release candidates before the final version is released. Release Candidate is an early release version of .NET that is publicly available for use but does not automatically update unless installed manually.

Since this is an unstable update, we suggest that you do not install it on production environments, and only use it for testing purposes.

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

.NET 7 Preview 7

.NET 7 RC 1 has been tested with Visual Studio 17.4 Preview 2, 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.

New in .NET 7 RC 1

.NET MAUI

Microsoft has introduced .NET Multi-platform App UI (MAUI) with .NET 7 RC 1. This feature enables users to create cross-platform applications into a single API instead of separately creating APIs for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms.

This feature allows developers to conserve time and attain maximum productivity by creating only one API for all devices.

Cloud Native

This feature allows developers to create cloud-native applications, which are essentially a set of best practices to take advantage of, as Microsoft puts it, “resilience, scalability, efficiency, and velocity.”

With these features, Microsoft also highlights other benefits of using .NET to develop applications:

Support for ARM64 devices
The latest .NET version allows you to take advantage of modern lightning-fast performance gains with many advanced features.

.NET 7 RC 1 might not be entirely stable at the moment, but it lets the developers know what to expect when the stable version is released. This way, they are prepared and enabled to use maximum features to be more productive and create mesmerizing applications.

If you feel like trying it out, you can download it from the direct download links shared below.

Download .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 1

Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 7 RC 1 Runtime, SDKs, and ASP.NET Core matching your operating system and architecture:

More download and install options here.

Install .NET 7 Release Candidate (RC) 1

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 NET installation — Confirm .NET installation

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.

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

Confirm removal of .NET
.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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