If unsure, choose x64.
In the early 2000s, Microsoft introduced the .NET Framework, a software framework that provided a common runtime environment for building Windows applications. Over the years, .NET evolved to support multiple programming languages, including C#, F#, and Visual Basic .NET. However, as the .NET ecosystem grew, so did its complexity. net desktop runtime 6
The app bundles its own copy of the runtime (100+ MB). The app runs without any pre-installed runtime, but it’s larger and you must manually reinstall the app to get security updates. If unsure, choose x64
To see if you already have it installed, you can open a command prompt and type: dotnet --list-runtimes However, as the
When you install the Desktop Runtime, it automatically includes the base .NET Runtime . This means you do not need to install multiple packages for a single application.
In 2016, Microsoft announced .NET Core, a cross-platform, open-source re-implementation of the .NET Framework. .NET Core was designed to be lightweight, modular, and highly performant, making it an attractive choice for building modern, cloud-native applications. However, .NET Core lacked some of the features and APIs available in the full .NET Framework.