Run MAUI app

Question

Run MAUI app

Peter_1985 2,866

Hi,

After having well built one MAUI app, how to run/test it?

2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Q&A Assist

AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

To run and test your .NET MAUI app, you need to follow these steps based on the target platform:

For iOS:

Set the Debug Target: In Visual Studio Code, ensure that the Debug Target is set to a specific iOS simulator. You can do this by pressing the curly brackets symbol { } in the status bar or by using the command palette with .NET MAUI: Pick iOS Device.
Build and Run: Press F5 or click the Run button in the upper right corner of Visual Studio Code. If prompted, select C# as the debugger.
Observe the App: Once the app is running in the simulator, you can interact with it and check its functionality.

For Android:

Set the Debug Target: In Visual Studio, select the Debug Target dropdown and choose Android Emulators. Then select your desired emulator device.
Run the App: Press F5 or click the play button at the top of Visual Studio to run the app.
Test the App: The Android app window will appear in the emulator, allowing you to test its features.

For Desktop:

Set the Debug Target: In Visual Studio, set the Debug Target to the appropriate framework (e.g., net7.0-windows).
Run the App: Press F5 or select the play button to run the application. The desktop application window will appear automatically.
Sign In and Test: If applicable, select the Sign In button to test the authentication process.

By following these steps, you can effectively run and test your .NET MAUI application across different platforms.

Peter_1985 2,866 Reputation points

2025-12-09T06:12:27.9333333+00:00

Is there executable file created that can be tested within Windows?
Bruce (SqlWork.com) 82,061 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2025-12-10T18:01:52.58+00:00

Windows supports an Android emulator or you can build a windows Maui app. iOS apps require a Mac or real device.

Note: I develop on Mac which supports both Android and iOS.
Peter_1985 2,866 Reputation points

2025-12-11T02:12:22.2+00:00

How to separately run the one already built in Windows? Which file to validate/test?
Bruce (SqlWork.com) 82,061 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2025-12-11T17:14:09.32+00:00

If windows is one of the targets, after build it will be in the bin folder. Look for the folders with windows in the name. Pick the one that matches your hardware. Run the .exe
Peter_1985 2,866 Reputation points

2025-12-12T02:02:03.1+00:00

I ran the .exe on Windows but nothing appeared. How about the details below (on the app)?

Why did nothing happen properly?

Answer 2

Michael Le (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 6,420 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello @Peter_1985 ,

To run and test your app, simply:

Open your project in Visual Studio.
Look for the green play button (or press F5).
Before you click it, there’s a dropdown next to the button where you can select the target environment.
For Windows testing, choose Windows Machine, then hit the play button.

User's image

Your app should launch, and you’ll be able to test it right away.

If you’re new to .NET MAUI, I highly recommend walking through Microsoft’s official tutorial. It covers the basics of building and running your first app step by step: Build your first .NET MAUI app.

The tutorial will guide you through the proper workflow for developing, testing, and eventually publishing your app when you’re ready.

Peter_1985 2,866 Reputation points

2025-12-12T08:16:43.5566667+00:00

Thanks. I now run it and got the issue below. Must we remove the reference (to net8.0) on the project file?

DEP1700: The recipe file "C:...\bin\Debug\net8.0-windows10.0.19041.0\MauiApp1 0.build.appxrecipe" does not exist. You may need to build your project.
Michael Le (WICLOUD CORPORATION) 6,420 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-12T09:22:39.4833333+00:00
No, please don't remove the net8.0 reference from your project file.

Let's try a few things to narrow down the issue.

First, test with a fresh project. Create a brand‑new blank MAUI app and try running it. If the new project runs fine but your current one doesn’t, then we know the issue is specific to your project configuration.

If the new project has the same issue, it might be an installation or environment problem that we need to address.

For your current project, try this cleanup process:

Close Visual Studio completely.

Go to your project folder and delete both the bin and obj folders.

Reopen Visual Studio and build the project again.

Also, can you share your .csproj file? I would like to check for any misconfigurations that could be leading to this problem.
Peter_1985 2,866 Reputation points

2025-12-12T13:24:33.4833333+00:00

Many thanks. Let me revert if other problems.

Share via

Run MAUI app

2 answers

For iOS:

For Android:

For Desktop:

Your answer