Mailbag: What version of the .NET Framework is included in what version of the OS?

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Question:

I recently installed Windows Vista.  When I looked in the Programs and Features (formerly known as Add/Remove Programs) control panel, I didn't see the .NET Framework 2.0 listed.  Therefore I decided to install the .NET Framework 2.0 by downloading it from this location.  However, running that setup displays an error message stating that it cannot be installed because it is already a part of the OS.  Why does this happen?

Answer:

Over the past few months, I've received several variations on this question for other operating systems and all of the released versions of the .NET Framework.  When the .NET Framework is installed as a part of the OS, it does not appear in the Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs) control panel.  The following is a complete list of which version of the .NET Framework is included in which version of the OS:

  • Windows XP Media Center Edition (Windows XP SP1) includes the .NET Framework 1.0 + SP2 as an OS component
  • Windows XP Media Center Edition (Windows XP SP2 and higher) includes the .NET Framework 1.0 + SP3 as an OS component.  On Windows XP Media Center Edition, the only way to get the .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 is to install Windows XP SP2 or higher.  There is not a standalone 1.0 SP3 installer for this edition of Windows XP.
  • Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (Windows XP SP1) includes the .NET Framework 1.0 + SP2 as an OS component
  • Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (Windows XP SP2 and higher) includes the .NET Framework 1.0 + SP3 as an OS component.  On Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, the only way to get the .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 is to install Windows XP SP2 or higher.  There is not a standalone 1.0 SP3 installer for this edition of Windows XP.
  • Windows Server 2003  (all x86 editions)  includes the .NET Framework 1.1 as an OS component; 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 do not include a version of the .NET Framework as an OS component
  • Windows Vista (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0 as OS components  3.0 can be added or removed via the Programs and Fatures control panel.
  • Windows Vista SP1 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and 3.0 SP1 as OS components.  3.0 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 SP1 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and 3.0 SP1 as OS components.  The .NET Framework 3.0 SP1 is not installed by default and must be added via the Programs and Features control panel though.
  • Windows Server 2008 SP2 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 as OS components.  The .NET Framework 3.0 SP2 is not installed by default and must be added via the Programs and Features control panel though.
  • Windows Server 2008 R2  (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 3.5.1 as an OS component.  This means you will get the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 plus a few post 3.5 SP1 bug fixes.  3.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 7 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 3.5.1 as an OS component.  This means you will get the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 plus a few post 3.5 SP1 bug fixes.  3.0 SP2 and 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 8 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.5 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 8.1 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.5.1 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows Server 2012 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.5 as an OS component, and it is installed by default except in the Server Core configuration.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Server Manager.
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.5.1 as an OS component, and it is installed by default except in the Server Core configuration.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Server Manager.
  • Windows 10 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.6 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 10 November 2015 Update (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.6.1 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 10 Anniversary Update (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.6.2 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows Server 2016 (all editions) includes the .NET Framework 4.6.2 as an OS component, and it is installed by default except in the Server Core configuration.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Server Manager.
  • Windows 10 Creators Update (all editions)  includes the .NET Framework 4.7 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 10 Fall 2017 Creators Update (all editions)  includes the .NET Framework 4.7.1 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 10 April 2018 Update (all editions)  includes the .NET Framework 4.7.2 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.
  • Windows 10 May 2019 Update (all editions)  includes the .NET Framework 4.8 as an OS component, and it is installed by default.  It also includes the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 as an OS component that is not installed by default.  The .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 can be added or removed via the Programs and Features control panel.

Note - for the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5, you can see a graphical view of the above information in this blog post.

In addition, the .NET Framework shipped with the following versions of Windows but not as truly integrated OS components:

  • Windows XP Home and Professional SP1 includes the MSI-based .NET Framework 1.0 + SP2 in the Additional Components folder on the installation CD.  It is not an OS component on this OS.
  • Windows XP Home and Professional SP2 includes the MSI-based .NET Framework 1.1 + SP1 in the Additional Components folder on the installation CD.  It is not an OS component on this OS.
  • Windows XP Home and Professional SP3 includes the MSI-based .NET Framework 1.1 + SP1 in the Additional Components folder on the installation CD.  It is not an OS component on this OS.
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 includes the MSI-based .NET Framework 2.0.  It appears in Add/Remove Windows Components as an OS component, but selecting it simply invokes the MSI-based installer.  The MSI can be repaired and removed using Add/Remove Programs regardless of whether it is installed via the standalone MSI or via the Add/Remove Windows Components UI.

You can see a table of what version numbers are associated with each version of the .NET Framework in this blog post.

<update date="3/27/2008"> Added a note that the .NET Framework 1.1 is not included in 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003.  Added information about Windows Server 2008. </update>

<update date="7/29/2008"> Added a note about Windows XP SP3. </update>

<update date="8/14/2008"> Added a note about Vista SP1 and the .NET Framework 2.0 SP1 and 3.0 SP1 </update>

<update date="1/12/2009"> Added a note about the .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 for Windows XP Media Center and Tablet PC editions. </update>

<update date="4/1/2009"> Added a note about the .NET Framework versions available on Windows 7 </update>

<update date="8/26/2009"> Added a note about Windows Server 2008 SP2. </update>

<update date="8/29/2009"> Added a note about Windows Server 2008 R2. </update>

<update date="2/5/2010"> Added a link to a blog post with a graphical view of the versions of Windows that include the .NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5. </update>

<update date="4/27/2010"> Added a link to a blog post with a list of the exact version numbers for each .NET Framework version and service pack level. </update>

<update date="9/8/2012"> Added a note about Windows 8. </update>

<update date="11/18/2013"> Added a note about Windows 8.1. </update>

<update date="3/5/2014"> Added a note about Windows Server 2012. </update>

<update date="9/22/2015"> Added a note about Windows 10. </update>

<update date="9/22/2015"> Added a note about Windows 10 November 2015 Update. </update>

<update date="11/7/2016"> Added a note about Windows 10 Anniversary Update. </update>

<update date="5/25/2017"> Added a note about Windows 10 Creators Update. </update>

<update date="6/12/2017"> Added a note about Windows Server 2016. </update>

<update date="5/23/2019"> Added a note about Windows 10 May 2019 Update. </update>

Comments

  • Anonymous
    March 26, 2007
    Since the Windows Vista public launch in January 2007, I have been receiving questions about how to repair

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2007
    Aaron stebner's blog has a very good entry regarding this point: http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2007/03/14/mailbag-what-version-of-the-net-framework-is-included-in-what-version-of-the-os.asp

  • Anonymous
    September 29, 2007
    As I previously described in this blog post , the MSI-based .NET Framework 2.0 is included as an optional

  • Anonymous
    September 29, 2007
    As I previously described in this blog post , the MSI-based .NET Framework 2.0 is included as an optional

  • Anonymous
    January 31, 2008
    My boss had some problems on his PC after installing some tools onto it and upon further diagnosis it

  • Anonymous
    March 08, 2008
    Hey, I want to know what version of .NET Framework comes with:Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 clean install Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 clean install

  • Anonymous
    March 09, 2008
    Hi Someone - The only version of the .NET Framework that ships as a part of the OS on any version of Windows XP Tablet PC or Media Center Editions is 1.0.  There may also be other pre-installed versions of the .NET Framework that come with a new computer that has one of these OS's pre-installed, but those other versions will be installed using the MSI-based setup and will appear in Add/Remove Programs.

  • Anonymous
    March 26, 2008
    Correction:  .NET 1.1 is not included in 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003.

  • Anonymous
    March 27, 2008
    Hi Aaron - Correct, thank you for pointing that out.  I will update the text of this blog post to be more specific.

  • Anonymous
    July 29, 2008
    Hey Aaron, any idea of what version of the .NET Framework is included with XP Tablet PC 2005 (w/ SP2), XP Media Center Edition 2005 (w/ SP2), XP Tablet PC Edition (w/ SP3), XP Media Center Edition (w/ SP3), and XP Professional (w/ SP3)? Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    July 29, 2008
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    September 08, 2008
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 11, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    January 12, 2009
    Hi Franklesniak - Thanks for the feedback - I'll update the table in this blog post with this information.My understanding is that the only way to get the .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or Windows XP Media Center Edition is to install XP SP2 or XP SP3.  I don't know of a standalone installer for the .NET Framework 1.0 SP3 on those versions of Windows XP.

  • Anonymous
    February 25, 2009
    A while back, I posted a set of instructions that can be used to try to resolve .NET Framework installation

  • Anonymous
    April 16, 2009
    I often get asked about how to perform silent and unattended installs for various versions of the .NET

  • Anonymous
    May 29, 2009
    Question: I tried to install the .NET Framework 4 beta 1 and Visual Studio 2010 beta 1 on my Windows

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2010
    A list of exact version numbers would be useful too, for example whhich one is 2.0.50727 ? Forgive me if I've just not looked hard enough.

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2010
    Hi Andykn - I think the information at http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2005/07/12/438245.aspx contains what you're looking for here.  Can you please take a look and let me know?

  • Anonymous
    March 19, 2011
    Thanks, this helped!

  • Anonymous
    April 04, 2011
    Hi Aaron, any thoughts in Raymonds today's post?blogs.msdn.com/.../10149346.aspx

  • Anonymous
    April 04, 2011
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    October 15, 2011
    Aron,Is it possible to install VS 2008 (90 day trial) on windows 7 ?I un installed .Net 4  and verified 3.5 and 3.5 sp1 successfully .I tried installing VS 2008 in both Win 7 enterprise and home premium edition .In both the o/s I got the same error missing NetFX2.0-KB936704-v6000-x86_RTM_en.msu file from bootstrapper directory.I do have SQL 2008 installed on my Win 7 enterprise machine. But it shouldn't really matter.Is there clean step by step approachMy friends were able to install VS 2008 on Win XP Pro without any problem.Basically I need asp_net compiler to build a web site and make dll and make file, Do you have any other route?Ray

  • Anonymous
    October 16, 2011
    Hi Ray Go - Yes, it should be possible to install VS 2008 on Windows 7 - I have it installed on my Windows 7 computer currently.The error you are getting sounds like it might be due to a corrupt download of the setup package that you're installing from.  I'd suggest trying to re-download and re-run VS 2008 setup to see if that helps resolve this error.

  • Anonymous
    October 18, 2011
    Aaron,Thank You. I downloaded a newer professional edition of VS 2008 and installed in Win 7 and it worked .I need to install on other windows 7 machine also . But I can do it later. Your tip helped.Ray

  • Anonymous
    November 29, 2012
    Thank you for collection this information.

  • Anonymous
    November 17, 2013
    Hi Aaron,Could you please help me with my issue. I had an application which was developed in .Net framework 2.0 and was working fine with windows XP...Recently when I installed Win7, my application has stopped working..Could it be some sort of compatibility issue??

  • Anonymous
    November 17, 2013
    Hi Sharon - Yes, it is possible that you're running into a compatibility issue.  Windows 7 includes the .NET Framework 3.5.1 as a part of the OS, and that includes the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 and 3.0 SP2 behind the scenes.  When you've been using your application on Windows XP, did you have the original release of the .NET Framework 2.0 installed, or did you have the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 installed?What kind of error do you see when you try to run on Windows 7?  Are you able to debug it to try to narrow it down further?

  • Anonymous
    November 18, 2013
    Hi Aaron,I am new to this application, so I am not aware that whether we had the original release of the .NET Framework 2.0 installed, or the .NET Framework 2.0 SP2 installed!!Actually I don't see any error, but it stops working...When I open the application, it starts up, but when I open any task inside it, it closes by itself, without giving any error.

  • Anonymous
    November 18, 2013
    Hi Sharon - In your original comment, I was under the impression that you were the developer of the application.  It sounds like you're a user of the application, not the developer.  In that case, I'd suggest contacting the application's manufacturer to see if they have any known issues on Windows 7 and/or have any patches or new versions available to download.When the application starts up and closes by itself, you can usually go to the Application Event Log (by running eventvwr) and looking for warnings and errors to get more details about the cause of the crash.

  • Anonymous
    March 02, 2014
    Could you tweak this one more time and add specific entries for Server 2012 and 2012 R2?  Thanks in advance and thanks for this blog post.

  • Anonymous
    March 05, 2014
    Hi Susan - I've added entries for Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • Anonymous
    November 04, 2014
    Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to keep this up to date.

  • Anonymous
    January 29, 2015
    I have installed 50 Windows 2012 R2 Standard edition in the last month and never I saw Net Framework 4.5.1 installed by default.it's 4.5 the one which comes with the DVD.

  • Anonymous
    January 29, 2015
    Just to clarify my statement above: "it's 4.5 the one which comes with the DVD";I based this statement on what the "Add roles and features Wizard" reports.If that wizard is incorrect, then I don't know.It seems like Microsoft did not provide a easy way to find the .net version from powershell cmdlet, so I can't double check.if anyone knows a easy way to double check, please share.Domenico.

  • Anonymous
    January 30, 2015
    Hi Domenico - My understanding was that Windows Server 2012 R2 came with the .NET Framework 4.5.1, not 4.5.  However, I don't have that version of Windows installed to confirm that statement at this time.  If you have the time, could you please try to use the sample code listed at blogs.msdn.com/.../9763379.aspx to see what it reports on your WS12 R2 system?

  • Anonymous
    February 01, 2015
    sorry,I don't have time to learn WIX and compile a program in order to do what Microsoft did not do (provide a built in program to check net framework version).

  • Anonymous
    February 02, 2015
    Hi Domenico - The link I posted previously is C++ sample code that is built into a small .exe.  It doesn't require doing anything with WiX.  If you don't have time to compile and run that .exe, you could alternatively download and run the .NET Framework setup verification tool from blogs.msdn.com/.../8999004.aspx.  It creates a log file in %temp% that lists the versions of the .NET Framework that it thinks are installed on a PC, and it uses code that is nearly identical to the sample code from my previous reply.

  • Anonymous
    July 12, 2015
    Hello. Could you tell me. Where on disk Windows XP. Installation files Net Framework? I need it to disk.

  • Anonymous
    July 13, 2015
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 04, 2016
    So, if I install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.1 on Windows 7, I don't need to install the version 4 and 4.5?Thanks for the information.

    • Anonymous
      May 05, 2016
      Hi Jamie McGregor - The .NET Framework 4.6.1 is an in-place upgrade for all versions of the .NET Framework from version 4 through 4.6. You don't need to install the .NET Framework 4 or 4.5 after installing 4.6.1, and the installers for the .NET Framework 4 and 4.5 won't allow you to install if 4.6.1 is already present on your PC - they'll tell you that a newer version is already installed.

  • Anonymous
    November 05, 2016
    What about XP 64-bit SP1 and XP 64-bit SP2?.

    • Anonymous
      November 07, 2016
      Hi PCB - There was not a version of the .NET Framework that shipped as a part of the OS on 64-bit versions of Windows XP.

  • Anonymous
    June 09, 2017
    Server 2016?

    • Anonymous
      June 12, 2017
      The comment has been removed
      • Anonymous
        June 23, 2017
        The main post has a typo. It says "Windows Server 2012 (all editions)" where I think you meant to say Windows Server 2016.
        • Anonymous
          June 23, 2017
          The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    September 21, 2017
    Thanks for the timely update!I bookmarked this page <3

  • Anonymous
    January 16, 2019
    When the .NET Framework is installed as a part of the OS, does it mean the user or administrator can't disable .NET?

    • Anonymous
      January 16, 2019
      The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 23, 2019
    .NET Framework 4.8 is included in the recent Windows 10 May update (what do we call it now? 19H1? 1903?)

    • Anonymous
      May 23, 2019
      Hi Scot Br - Thank you for the reminder about this. I've updated the main text of the blog post with information about the .NET Framework 4.8.