6 Ways to Check What Version of Microsoft .NET Framework is Installed on your Computer
4. .NET Version Check
Version Check is aging a bit these days and hasn’t been updated for several years, but it still works. When we tried, Version Check detected the latest .NET Framework 4.8. Make sure to run this tool as Administrator, even if you are an Administrator, otherwise nothing will be shown in the window relating to version numbers.
There is also a check on the version number of the currently installed Internet Explorer which might be useful for older systems. Some buttons are provided for copying the information to the clipboard and printing or emailing it. Inside the zip file, there is a command line version (.com file) that you can use in batch files. The command line version doesn’t need administrative privileges like the GUI version does.
The information provided in both the GUI and command line tool gives a version number as opposed to an easily readable name. That can make it difficult to determine whether minor or service pack versions are installed.
5. Use PowerShell to Detect .NET Versions
While it’s possible to use Command Prompt or PowerShell to get the versions of .NET present on your computer, many methods found online give incomplete results. Like our own tool does, the best method of determining installed .NET versions is by querying the Registry, and PowerShell can do that quite easily.
gci ‘HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP’ -recurse | gp -name Version -EA 0 | where { $_.PSChildName -match ‘^(?!S)\p{L}’} | select PSChildName, Version
The list of names is slightly unfriendly and you won’t get better information like service pack numbers or minor revisions. It also will not detect .NET 1 or 1.1 as they are at a different place in the registry to all other versions.
Another option is downloading a ready made PowerShell script that will detect .NET versions and show the information in a much more friendly way.
The .Net Framework Installed Versions Getter script is hosted on Github and makes the information easier to read for most users. It currently supports and detects from 1.0 up to the latest .NET Framework 4.8.
Download .Net Framework Installed Versions Getter
6. Checking Manually
There are a few manual ways of checking which versions of Microsoft .NET Framework are installed. One of them is through “Programs and features” or “Add and Remove Programs” in Control Panel. This is a very basic way to check but could also be wrong because the uninstall entries that are displayed can be easily be removed from the registry or left over from a previous install. Also, versions of .NET that are integrated into the operating system will not show.
Another manual way of checking is to look in the folders where most of the .NET program files are stored to see what’s in there. The location is in the C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework folder and also the Framework64 folder for 64-bit systems. Hover over the folder to get its size in the info tip (we use Free Commander below to get all folder sizes at once).
The .NET version 1.0 and 1.1 folders above are practically empty on this system. Therefore it’s safe to assume they are not installed. The v4.0.30319 folder can be misleading because it could contain any single version of .NET 4 from 4.0 up to 4.8 or above. Open the folder and hover over a DLL or executable file to get an info tip that shows the real installed version of .NET 4.
It’s not the most accurate method but at least gives you a rough idea of what’s installed by just using Windows File Explorer.
The .NET Version Detecting tools are handy for getting some useful information about exactly what versions a user has installed which is good for troubleshooting. If an application requires .NET v4 or higher and you only have v3.5, problems or crashes will likely be averted by installing the correctly required version.
You might also like:
Check .NET Compact Framework Version Installed on Windows Mobile
4 Ways to Repair or Remove Microsoft .NET Framework
7 Programs to Check Installed Audio and Video Codecs On Your Computer
Why are there Multiple Versions of Microsoft .NET Framework in Add or Remove Programs?
.NET Framework Setup Verification Utility
There are a couple of free programs which will also give you information in respect to installed .NET frameworks.
PCFerret Pro: pcferretpro.com
Speccy: ccleaner.com/speccy
Both of these have been around for years.
Hope this helps.
Try this
dir C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.Net\Framework\v* /O:-N /B
Thank you for sharing this information!!
Thanks so much, works perfectly and even saw my .NET 4.8.
Or you can execute PowerShell script
github.com/peterM/Net_Framework_Installed_Versions_Getter
Thanks alot.
On Windows 8.1 x86 clean install:
1. Installed .NET Framework 4.6.2 and Raymondcc .NET Detector could detect the version but v4.5 was gone I guess cause the program showed as not installed.
2. Afterwards I installed .NET Framework 4.7 but oddly Raymondcc .NET Detector couldn’t detect any version anymore, except v3.5, v2.0.
Thanks for the feedback.
1. v4.6.x is an update to v4.5 and replaces it on the system, so you can’t have both 4.5 and 4.6.2 installed at the same time.
2. The tool was last updated in April when .NET 4.7 was only available for Windows 10 Creators update and the standalone installer hadn’t been released. The tool has now been updated to detect the installer version of 4.7. Do note that 4.7 is also a replacement update for 4.5 or 4.6, so you will get only 4.7 and not 4.6.x or 4.5.x.
Great job indeed
Dear Dale Chen,
This is very good offer. Thanks for this beautiful comment.
PowerShell solution provided by Microsoft: gallery.technet.microsoft.com/How-to-determine-versions-d3669799
To find .NET Framework versions by viewing the registry (.NET Framework 1-4)
On the Start menu, choose Run.
In the Open box, enter regedit.exe. You must have administrative credentials to run regedit.exe.
In the Registry Editor, open the following subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP.
(taked from msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh925568(v=vs.110).aspx)
this doesnt work on the latest windows versions
thanks natell!
wmic /namespace:\\root\cimv2 path win32_product where “name like ‘%%.NET%%'” get version
it will show the installed version
Another way to detect is using the “Microsoft Web Platform Installer” which will exactly show the Framework versions currently installed as well as the ability to download and install versions from it instantly.
Nice work,
Can you please upgrade this tool to detect .NET Framework 4.5.1 and 4.5.2
Currently, I need to check the minor version as per my product prerequisites, would be more beneficial if we get to know the Minor versions using this tool
If you put your cursor over 4.5 it will show you the version. Mine says 4.5.50938
Thank you so much for the detector app! <3
Thank you for the Raymondcc .NET Detector app. It was exactly what I needed to fix an “Unhandled Exception” error by helping to install the missing .NET Framework(s) ! :-)
Thanks a lot for Raymondcc .NET Detector. Very quick, very easy, very helpful,
works well fantastic
Try this
dir %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework/AD
wmic /namespace:\\root\cimv2 path win32_product where “name like ‘%%.NET%%'” get version
Thanks a lot. Very useful for getting results from users.
Thanks for the fantastic tool!
Fantastic answer
Thanks, that’s helping a lot.
worked thanks!
Thanks a lot
Woww. I’ve never thought about this. Thanks a lot.
thanks raymond, i was trying to use quickpwn and didn’t realize i needed .net so thanks for letting me know and helping me.
Thanks, I was not sure what version I had, as I know I had got a new one but now I do!!!
Many thanks. ;)
Thanks dude. this work very fine.
useful tool man
thanks
Woohoo… excellent job Raymond…makes my life easier when checking my customers’ PC(s)
Thanks Ray..
very useful.. Thank you Ray~
thanks Raymond