# Setup: Install the .NET 10 SDK

Install the .NET 10 SDK with winget, and check from Git Bash that the dotnet command works.

Novice · Operating System · C# · Updated October 29, 2026

## After this lesson you can

- Install the .NET SDK and check its version with the dotnet command

## Key takeaways

- The .NET SDK holds the C# compiler, the runtime that runs your programs, and the `dotnet` command.
- `winget install -e --id Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10` installs the .NET 10 SDK, which comes with C# 14.
- After an install, open a new terminal. Then `dotnet --version` should print a version that starts with `10.0`.
- `dotnet --list-sdks` lists every SDK you have, and `dotnet` uses the newest one unless a project asks for another.

**Windows only.** **.NET** is the platform C# programs run on. The **.NET SDK** (software development kit) contains everything you need to build and run them:

- the C# **compiler**, which turns your code into something the computer can run;
- the **runtime**, which runs it;
- the `dotnet` command, which you type in the terminal to create, build, run and test your programs.

We use **.NET 10**, a long-term support (LTS) release, which Microsoft supports with updates until November 2028. It comes with **C# 14**, the version of the language this course teaches.

Visual Studio, which you install next, can bring its own copy of the SDK. Installing it yourself first means the `dotnet` command works in Git Bash, whatever Visual Studio does.

## Install the SDK

In Git Bash, run:

```bash
winget install -e --id Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10
```

Click **Yes** if Windows asks whether the app may make changes. The install takes a minute or two.

## Check your work

Close Windows Terminal completely and open it again, so Git Bash sees the new program. Then run:

```bash
dotnet --version
```

You should see a version that starts with `10.0.`, such as `10.0.403`. The numbers after `10.0` change with each monthly update, so yours may be newer.

To see every SDK on your computer, run:

```bash
dotnet --list-sdks
```

Each line shows a version and the folder it lives in, `C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk`. It's fine to have more than one: `dotnet` uses the newest one unless a project asks for another.

## Common problems

| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| `bash: dotnet: command not found` | Close every Windows Terminal window and open a new one. If it still fails, sign out of Windows and back in. |
| `dotnet --version` shows `8.0` or `9.0` | An older SDK is installed and the new one isn't. Run the install command again and read its message. |
| `A fatal error occurred. The folder [C:\Program Files\dotnet\host\fxr] does not exist` | The install didn't finish. Run `winget uninstall -e --id Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10`, then install it again. |
| winget says `No package found matching input criteria` | Check the id's spelling. `winget search Microsoft.DotNet.SDK` lists the SDKs winget knows. |

## Check yourself

2 questions to try on the lesson page.

## So what

The `dotnet` command is how you build and run every C# program in this course, from a one-line file to a full web app. If `dotnet --version` prints `10.0`, you're ready for C#.

## Key terms

- [.NET](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/dotnet)
- [.NET SDK](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/dotnet-sdk)
- [Compiler](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/compiler)
- [Common Language Runtime (CLR)](https://www.ask-codey.com/glossary/common-language-runtime-clr)

Source: https://www.ask-codey.com/lessons/csharp-setup-dotnet-sdk