Windows and Visual Studio

Use this workflow if you are on Windows and want the most integrated Qt Bridge for C# experience. The Visual Studio extension adds project and item templates, and it can provide QML diagnostics, completion, semantic editor support, and project-aware imports. Basic QML syntax highlighting and completion are available when you open a QML file. The first build gives the editor the project information it needs to understand QML-facing C# types and imports.

Requirements

  • Windows x64 or arm64
  • .NET SDK 8+
  • Visual Studio 2022 or 2026
  • .NET desktop development workload
  • Desktop development with C++ workload
  • CMake and Ninja available on PATH

CMake, Ninja, and the C++ toolchain are used by the bridge build behind the scenes; you do not need to write CMake files or C++ code for a template project.

Create your first project

  1. Install the Qt Bridge for C# Visual Studio extension.
  2. Create a project from the Qt Bridge for C# project template.
  3. Build the project once.
  4. Open the QML files and inspect the editor support.
  5. Run the application.

In the new project dialog, filter by C#, Windows, and Qt Bridge for C# or Qt to find the Qt Bridge for C# application template.

On Windows arm64, the package does not bundle Qt (unlike win-x64), so set the QtDir MSBuild property to a Qt 6 installation prefix before building, for example in the project's properties or a Directory.Build.props file.

For generated project structure, template options, and QML item templates, see Project Templates.

Check your setup

After the first build, check that:

  • The project builds without missing toolchain errors
  • The application launches
  • QML files are present and editable
  • QML diagnostics and completion include QML-facing C# types after the first build

For the diagnostics, completion, semantic editor support, and project-aware imports the extension provides, see Editing QML in Visual Studio.

Common first issues

If the project does not build or the editor support looks incomplete, check these areas first:

  • The .NET SDK is missing or older than .NET 8
  • Visual Studio is missing the C++ workload
  • The first build has not completed yet; QML-facing C# types and editor support require a successful build
  • The selected package or runtime does not match your Windows architecture (x64 or arm64)