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Visual Studio for Mac distributes updates for the IDE and supported frameworks on a regular basis. These updates can be in the form of new features, improvements, and bug fixes.
Allow Visual Studio for Mac Preview 6 to install the latest updates from 'Visual Studio Check for Updates'. (As of VS for Mac Preview 6, this menu only includes the 'Alpha' channel, which currently contains the 15.2 Preview version of Xamarin.iOS: Xamarin.iOS 10.10.). A fix for this issue has been released! Please update to the latest version of Visual Studio for Mac by following the instructions at.
Visual Studio for Mac provides two channels to get these latest versions:
- Stable - Provides thoroughly tested updates. This channel is recommended for the best development experience.
- Preview - Provides early access to updates that are candidates for release in the Stable Channel. These releases may not be reliable for everyday use.
Checking for updates
You can use the Visual Studio Updater box to check for new updates, change channels, and download and install updates.
To open the Visual Studio Updater, browse to Visual Studio > Check for Updates:
This displays the updater box:
Changing the Updater channel
To change the channel select it from the channel drop down and press the Switch Channel button:
Downloading and installing updates
Switching channels automatically starts the download process of new updates.
If you have selected the option to Check Automatically, the updater box will pop up when Visual Studio for Mac is open to let you know that new updates are available. New downloads will start downloading automatically to your machine when this box appears.
To start installing updates, select the Restart and Install Updates button:
Depending on the components that need to be installed, you may need to accept additional licenses or enter your machine's administrator username and password.
Troubleshooting
If you have issues with the updater, try following the steps in the Updater Troubleshooting guide.
See also
-->To start developing native, cross-platform .NET apps on macOS, install Visual Studio 2019 for Mac following the steps below.
Requirements
- A Mac with macOS High Sierra 10.12 or above.
To build Xamarin apps for iOS or macOS, you'll also need:
- Xcode 10.0 or above. The latest stable version is usually recommended.
- An Apple ID. If you don't have an Apple ID already you can create a new one at https://appleid.apple.com. It's necessary to have an Apple ID for installing and signing into Xcode.
Installation instructions
- Download the installer from the Visual Studio for Mac download page.
- Once the download is complete, click the VisualStudioforMacInstaller.dmg to mount the installer, then run it by double-clicking the arrow logo:
- You may be presented with a warning about the application being downloaded from the Internet. Click Open.
- Wait while the installer checks your system:
- An alert will appear asking you to acknowledge the privacy and license terms. Follow the links to read them, then press Continue if you agree:
- The list of available workloads is displayed. Select the components you wish to use:If you do not wish to install all platforms, use the guide below to help you decide which platforms to install:
Type of App | Target | Selection | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Apps Using Xamarin | Xamarin.Forms | Select Android and iOS platforms | You will need to install Xcode |
iOS only | Select iOS platform | You will need to install Xcode | |
Android only | Select Android platform | Note that you should also select the relevant dependencies | |
Mac only | Select macOS (Cocoa) platform | You will need to install Xcode | |
.NET Core applications | Select .NET Core platform. | ||
ASP.NET Core Web Applications | Select .NET Core platform. | ||
Azure Functions | Select .NET Core platform. | ||
Cross-platform Unity Game Development | No additional platforms need to be installed beyond Visual Studio for Mac. | Refer to the Unity setup guide for more information on installing the Unity extension. |
- After you have made your selections, press the Install button.
- The installer will display progress as it downloads and installs Visual Studio for Mac and the selected workloads. You will be prompted to enter your password to grant the privileges necessary for installation.:
- Once installed, Visual Studio for Mac will prompt you to personalize your installation by signing in and selecting the key bindings that you'd like to use:
If you have network trouble while installing in a corporate environment, review the installing behind a firewall or proxy instructions.
Learn more about the changes in the release notes.
Note
If you chose not to install a platform or tool during the original installation (by unselecting it in step #6), you must run the installer again if you wish to add the components later.
Install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall or proxy server
To install Visual Studio for Mac behind a firewall, certain endpoints must be made accessible in order to allow downloads of the required tools and updates for your software.
Configure your network to allow access to the following locations:
Next steps
Installing Visual Studio for Mac allows you to start writing code for your apps. The following guides are provided to guide you through the next steps of writing and deploying your projects.
iOS
- Device Provisioning(To run your application on device).
Android
.NET Core apps, ASP.NET Core web apps, Unity game development
For other Workloads, refer to the Workloads page.