MSBuild project file schema reference
Provides a table of all the MSBuild XML Schema elements with their available attributes and child elements.
MSBuild uses project files to instruct the build engine what to build and how to build it. MSBuild project files are XML files that adhere to the MSBuild XML schema. This section documents the XML schema definition (.xsd) file for MSBuild.
MSBuild XSD schema definition files
The schema link in an MSBuild project file is not required in Visual Studio 2017 and later. If present, it should be http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003 regardless of the version of Visual Studio. This value is not a live web destination; the most current MSBuild schema definition file (.xsd file) can be found at Microsoft.Build.xsd.
The following table shows links to each version of the XSD schema:
| MSBuild Version | GitHub link | Raw link (for tooling) |
|---|---|---|
| 17.7 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.7.0 | raw |
| 17.6 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.6.3 | raw |
| 17.5 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.5.1 | raw |
| 17.4 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.4.4 | raw |
| 17.3 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.3.1 | raw |
| 17.2 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.2.1 | raw |
| 17.1 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.1.1 | raw |
| 17.0 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 17.0.0 | raw |
| 16.11 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.11.2 | raw |
| 16.10 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.10.2 | raw |
| 16.9 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.9.2 | raw |
| 16.8 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.8.3 | raw |
| 16.7 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.7.0.37604 | raw |
| 16.4 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 16.4.0.56107 | raw |
| 15.9 | Microsoft.Build.xsd version 15.9.21.664 | raw |
The top-level XSD file includes two other child XSD files, Microsoft.Build.CommonTypes.xsd and Microsoft.Build.Core.xsd. You can also find all the MSBuild XSD schema definition files in the Visual Studio installation folder under Xml\Schemas\1033\MSBuild.
For more about MSBuild versions, including a table of corresponding .NET SDK versions, see Overview of .NET, MSBuild, and Visual Studio versioning.
MSBuild XML schema elements
The following table lists all of the MSBuild XML schema elements along with their child elements and attributes.
| Element | Child elements | Attributes |
|---|---|---|
| Choose element (MSBuild) | Otherwise When |
-- |
| Import element (MSBuild) | -- | Condition Project |
| ImportGroup element | Import | Condition |
| Item element (MSBuild) | ItemMetaData | Condition Exclude Include Remove |
| ItemDefinitionGroup element (MSBuild) | Item | Condition |
| ItemGroup element (MSBuild) | Item | Condition |
| ItemMetadata element (MSBuild) | Item | Condition |
| OnError element (MSBuild) | -- | Condition ExecuteTargets |
| Otherwise element (MSBuild) | Choose ItemGroup PropertyGroup |
-- |
| Output element (MSBuild) | -- | Condition ItemName PropertyName TaskParameter |
| Parameter element | -- | Output ParameterType Required |
| ParameterGroup element | Parameter | -- |
| Project element (MSBuild) | Choose Import ItemGroup ProjectExtensions PropertyGroup Target UsingTask |
DefaultTargets InitialTargets Sdk ToolsVersion TreatAsLocalProperty xmlns |
| ProjectExtensions element (MSBuild) | -- | -- |
| Property element (MSBuild) | -- | Condition |
| PropertyGroup element (MSBuild) | Property | Condition |
| Sdk element (MSBuild) | -- | Name Version |
| Target element (MSBuild) | OnError Task |
AfterTargets BeforeTargets Condition DependsOnTargets Inputs KeepDuplicateOutputs Name Outputs Returns |
| Task element of Target (MSBuild) | Output | Condition ContinueOnError Parameter |
| Task element of UsingTask (MSBuild) | Data | Evaluate |
| UsingTask element (MSBuild) | ParameterGroup Task |
AssemblyFile AssemblyName Condition TaskFactory TaskName |
| When element (MSBuild) | Choose ItemGroup PropertyGroup |
Condition |