You can now download .Net 8 Preview 7 with significant improvements and new features. Improvements have been made to System.Text.Json amongst many other libraries.
With this release, .NET 8 Preview releases come to an end as Microsoft will now be releasing the Release Candidates next, before the final and stable release of .NET 8 planned to be launched on .NET Conf 2023 held on 14-16th November 2023.
Before we show you how to download and install it, note that .NET 8 Preview 7 is currently incompatible with C# Dev Kit. This is an issue Microsoft is aware of and is working to fix it.
On this page
New in .NET 8 Preview 7
Improvements to System.Text.Json
The following improvements have been made to the System.Text.Json source generator
JsonSourceGenerationOptionsAttributenow has feature parity with theJsonSerializerOptions- Built-in support for
Memory<T>/ReadOnlyMemory<T> - Built-in support for
Half,Int128andUInt128numeric types - Extending
JsonIncludeAttributeandJsonConstructorAttributeto non-public members IJsonTypeInfoResolver.WithAddedModifierextension method- Additional JsonNode functionality
Keyed services support in Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection
Keys allow for scoping of registration and consumption of services. Microsoft has now added support to DI abstractions, as well as an implementation in the built-in Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.
HTTPS Proxy
HttpClient now supports the usage of an HTTPS proxy. This might be a huge boost in terms of defense against interception assaults.
HTTPS is widely used and is essentially a must for all open internet websites. However, there are many situations in which using raw (unencrypted) HTTP is a good idea. These situations frequently work nicely with a proxy. An HTTPS proxy creates a secure route for communication between the client and the proxy, guaranteeing total confidentiality.
HybridGlobalization mode on iOS/tvOS/MacCatalyst platforms
The creation of InvariantGlobalization mode was done to do rid of the reliance on ICU (which has a high size cost). The fact that most globalization functionality is no longer supported is a key trade-off of this mode. This new feature strikes a balance between keeping globalization functionality while considerably shrinking size (34% decrease).
Other features and improvements
There is a list of improvements in .NET 8 Preview 7. Click on the given links below to learn more about them:
- Improvements to CodeGen
- Adjustments to containers
- New Platforms for Docker ASP.NET Composite Container Images
To learn more, read this .NET 8 Preview 7 announcement.
Download .NET 8 Preview 7
Use the direct download links below to download the .NET 8 Preview 7 Runtime, SDKs, and ASP.NET Core matching your operating system and architecture. Simply click on the respective link in the “Download” column to begin the download.
Runtime
| Version | Platform | Download |
|---|---|---|
| .NET 8 Preview 7 Desktop Runtime | Windows | x64 x86 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 Runtime | Windows | x64 x86 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 Runtime | macOS | x64 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 Runtime Binaries | Linux | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 Runtime Binaries | Linux Alpine | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
SDK
| Version | Platform | Download |
|---|---|---|
| .NET 8.0.100 Preview 7 SDK | Windows | x64 x86 ARM64 |
| .NET 8.0.100 Preview 7 SDK | macOS | x64 ARM64 |
| .NET 8.0.100 Preview 7 SDK Binaries | Linux | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
| .NET 8.0.100 Preview 7 SDK Binaries | Linux Alpine | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
ASP.NET Core
| Version | Platform | Download |
|---|---|---|
| .NET 8 Preview 7 ASP.NET Core Runtime | Windows | Hosting bundle x64 x86 ARM64 (Binaries) |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 ASP.NET Core Runtime Binaries | macOS | x64 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 ASP.NET Core Runtime Binaries | Linux | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 ASP.NET Core Runtime Binaries | Linux Alpine | x64 ARM32 ARM64 |
Click on this link for more .NET 8 download options.
Install .NET 8
You can begin by downloading the right .NET version for you from the links above and then running it to begin the installation process. Here is how:
Once you have installed the newer .NET preview version, all your applications will run using the new build as the previous preview version will be replaced. However, if a stable version is installed and running, it will not be replaced.
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Execute the downloaded installation package and click Install.
Install .NET 8 Preview 7 Run the installation package by double-clicking it (in the case of macOS and Windows), and then clicking Install on the installation wizard.
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Close the wizard once the installation is complete.
Close .NET 8 installation wizard 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.
You have now installed the .NET. You may check which .NET version is running by running the following command in Command Prompt:
wmic product get description | findstr /C:.NET
How to uninstall .NET
If you wish to remove a .NET version from your computer, you can simply uninstall it like any other regular application. Here are the steps to following:
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Press the “Windows Key + R” shortcut keys to open the Run Command box.
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Type in “appwiz.cpl” and press Enter to open the Programs and Features applet.
Open Programs & Features applet -
Right-click the .NET component that you want to remove, then click “Uninstall” from the context menu.
Uninstall .NET The uninstallation wizard will now launch.
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Click “Uninstall” again.
Uninstall .NET from the wizard -
When removed, click Close.
Close .NET uninstallation wizard
Ending thoughts
.NET 8 will replace .NET 6 in the Long Term Support (LTS) channel which is said to be supported for 3 years after its initial release. Currently, its preview version is available to download which is now Preview 7. Note that no more previewing will be released. Instead, Microsoft will now publish Release Candidates as the final, stable release approach.
That said, we suggest that you remain on the stable releases for your production environment while continuing to test out the latest features and improvements in an isolated environment within .NET 8.
.NET 8 Release History
| Complete Version | Release Date | Significant Improvements | Announcement |
| .NET 8 | 14-Nov-23 | – Includes security improvements – Fastest .NET version to date – AI integration in .NET apps – AOT replaces JIT | Microsoft announces .NET 8 |
| .NET 8 RC 2 | 10-Oct-23 | – Package READMEs for .NET libraries – Publish directly to TAR.GZ archives – Tensor Primitives for .NET | Microsoft announces .NET 8 RC 2 |
| .NET 8 RC 1 | 12-Sep-23 | – Improvements to System.Text.Json | Microsoft announces .NET 8 RC 1 |
| .NET 8 Preview 7 | 8-Aug-23 | – Improvements to System.Text.Json – Keyed services support amongst many other changes | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 7 |
| .NET 8 Preview 6 | 11-Jul-23 | – Improvements to System.Text.Json – New overloads – Addition of options validation source generator | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 6 |
| .NET 8 Preview 5 | 13-Jun-23 | – Improved Metrics APIs – Included .NET MAUI – Improved IDE experience with source link integration – Addition of .NET libraries analyzers | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 5 |
| .NET 8 Preview 4 | 16-May-23 | – Nuget security improvements to Template Engines – New terminal build output – Updates to simplified output paths | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 4 |
| .NET 8 Preview 3 | 11-Apr-23 | – Updates to SDK and Runtime libraries – Optimizations to JIT compilers – Improvements to containers | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 3 |
| .NET 8 Preview 2 | 14-Mar-23 | – Updates to libraries – Introspection support for function pointers | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 2 |
| .NET 8 Preview 1 | 21-Feb-23 | – Native AOT – Improvements to container images and Runtime Libraries | Microsoft announces .NET 8 Preview 1 |
