Note: This post was updated on 6/27/2023 to account for this day’s release on Windows Update and Microsoft Update Catalog.
Today, the .NET Framework 4.8.1 is available on Windows Update and Microsoft Update Catalog for supported versions of Windows. With today’s release, the .NET Framework 4.8.1 is now rolling out gradually to customers seeking the latest content on Windows Update.Â
.NET Framework 4.8.1 is available for the following versions of Windows and distribution channels:
- Windows Update: Windows 11 21H2, Windows 10 21H2 (LTSC), and Windows 10 22H2
- Microsoft Update Catalog: Windows 11 21H2, Windows 10 21H2 (LTSC), Windows 10 22H2 and Windows Server 2022 (Desktop, Azure Editions), Azure Stack 21H2 and Azure Stack 22H2.
Note: Customers using Windows Server Updates Services (WSUS), or any other update management tools can import the .NET Framework 4.8.1 product from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Also note that .NET Framework 4.8.1 is already included by default as part of newer versions of Windows, starting with Windows 11 22H2.
What is new in .NET Framework 4.8.1?
For more information about what is new in the .NET Framework 4.8.1 product, you can read our previous announcement here: Announcing .NET Framework 4.8.1 – .NET Blog (microsoft.com). The NET Framework 4.8.1 (KB5011048) product installers have been updated to include the latest security and quality fixes as of June 13th, 2023.Â
How can I get .NET Framework 4.8.1?
The .NET Framework 4.8.1 (KB5011048) is available for download from: Download .NET Framework | Free official downloads (microsoft.com) for supported versions of Windows and is also included with Visual Studio 17.3 and Windows 11 22H2, and their corresponding newer versions.
Additionally, the .NET Framework 4.8.1 is available on Windows Update and Microsoft Update Catalog as follows:
- Windows Insider program participants that have registered their device into the Release Preview channel will be the first to receive the latest .NET Framework 4.8.1 product release as Recommended.
- Windows Update seekers can now install the .NET Framework 4.8.1 by checking for the latest updates (Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates). We will gradually throttle availability to devices connected to Windows Update.
- Supported versions of Windows client will receive the .NET Framework 4.8.1 as a Recommended update on Windows Update.
- IT administrators can download the .NET Framework 4.8.1 directly or import into WSUS from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
More Information
Language Packs
The .NET Framework 4.8.1 Language Packs are also available on Windows Update and Microsoft Update Catalog for customers using non-English localized versions of Windows or those that have one or more Multilingual User Interface (MUI) pack installed. For information here: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8.1 Language Pack on Windows 10 version 21H2, Windows 10 version 22H2, Windows 11 version 21H2, Windows Server 2022 (Desktop, Azure Editions), Azure Stack 21H2 and Azure Stack 22H2 (KB5027937).
Blocking the automatic deployment of .NET Framework 4.8.1
Enterprise customers may have client machines that connect directly to the public Windows Update servers. In such cases, an administrator may want to prevent the .NET Framework 4.8.1 from being deployed to these client machines to allow testing of internal applications to be completed before deployment.
In such scenarios, administrators can deploy a registry key setting and prevent the .NET Framework 4.8.1 from being offered to those devices. More information about how to use this blocker registry key can be found in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB5027101:Â How to temporarily block the installation of the .NET Framework 4.8.1.
FAQ
I have already installed the .NET Framework 4.8.1. Do I still need the upcoming update?
If you have already downloaded and installed the .NET Framework 4.8.1 originally released, you do not need to install the upcoming product update for .NET Framework 4.8.1. However, you do want to keep your device up to date for the latest .NET Framework security and reliability updates through the Windows Update, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and Microsoft Update Catalog channels.
Will the updated .NET Framework 4.8.1 have the same KB numbers, title, and detection Release key values as the product originally released to Microsoft Download Center and Visual Studio 17.3+?Â
Yes.
Do I need to import the .NET Framework 4.8.1 to my organization’s devices through WSUS?
No, unless your organization requires newer applications that target .NET Framework 4.8.1. For more information about what is new in .NET Framework 4.8.1, see: What’s new in .NET Framework – .NET Framework | Microsoft Learn.
Should my app target .NET Framework 4.8.1?
Each new .NET Framework product release introduces new features and capabilities. However, application developers do not necessarily need to target the highest version of .NET Framework unless they want to use specific new functionality (refer to What’s new in .NET Framework – .NET Framework | Microsoft Learn). When targeting .NET Framework 4.8.1, the application will not be able to run on Windows versions prior to Windows 10 version 21H2 and Server 2022. For more information on where 4.8.1 is supported, see the .NET Framework support lifecycle. For more information on patterns for developing and deploying native-arm64-capable applications see Tour of .NET Behavior on Windows 11 Arm64 · Issue #7709 · dotnet/core · GitHub. For information on patterns for developing accessible apps that take advantage of the latest .NET Framework support for accessible applications, see What’s new in accessibility in .NET Framework | Microsoft Learn.
What is the general .NET Framework targeting recommendation?
For existing apps, there is no need to make a change in targeting version. For new apps, in general, we currently recommend targeting .NET Framework 4.8, as noted here, unless your application must run on Windows Server 2008 SP2 or Windows version 1507 (where it is unsupported), or unless your application requires newer features only available in .NET 4.8.1 (see considerations in the question above). For more information about features and improvements across .NET Framework releases, refer to What’s new in .NET Framework – .NET Framework | Microsoft Learn.
.net 4.8.1 for Windows 10 22H2 is not detected by any client as “needed” after importing to WSUS (of cause “BlockNetFramework481” is NOT set at clients)
4.8.1 for Server 2022 works normally
Seems to be a WSUS dectecion bug caused by KB5028937.
If KB5028937 is already installed (for .Net 4.8.0) KB5028166 is not detected as “needed” anymore.
Re-released version of .net 4.8.1 (KB5011048) from 8/8/2023 also do not fix the detection issue, neither KB5029649.
Hi Malte, thank you for your inquiry. There are no dependencies or pre-requirements between .NET Framework updates and regular Windows Updates (e.g., KB5028166), so these updates won't interfere with each other's offering rules. KB5011048 represents the .NET Framework 4.8.1 product offering and will apply on supported configurations, unless one of the following conditions are not met: it is a supported version of Windows (see details in post above, including Edition version especially for LTSC-only...
Hi Brett
unfortunally systems with Windows 10 22H2 Ent. x64 engl. (with latest updates e.g KB5029244 and KB5029649 installed) shows status “not needed” in WSUS.
BlockNetFramework481 is NOT set on them. No disk space issue. only .NET 4.8 is installed.
So all conditions should be ok, right?
EDIT:
Updated 4.8.1 installer from 10/10/23 fixed the issue
This is very interesting because the vast majority of developers don't want to migrate to .NET Core due to the little support it has, only 3 years for LTS versions. For example, .NET Core 8, which hasn't been released yet, will be released in November this year 2023, it will end support in November 2026. If the developer doesn't update the software before then, or has discontinued the software, you're left with an outdated and...
(I know, this is one month old, I just wanted to add something for other seeing this thread in the future.)
Please also consider, that even major releases of .NET (Core) are in most parts backwards-compatible. You can check https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/compatibility/8.0 for what Binary incompatible and Behavioral changes exist that would affect running the .NET 7 targeted code with the .NET 8 runtime.
Thanks for sharing your feedback on the support lifecycle for .NET.
With the .NET Framework, upgrades from one major version to the next for large suites of apps could take months, while with modern .NET (.NET Core) customers tell us that their upgrades are much faster and pain free. That makes more frequent upgrades a lot easier, which also means you get access to valuable improvements a lot faster. Towards that end, we're investing in tools...