The Main IDE Windows

Knowing where everything lives in Visual Studio 2026 will save you hours each week. Here are the panels you'll use daily when building Android apps.

Solution Explorer

View → Solution Explorer. This is your project file tree. Key locations:

• Platforms/Android/AndroidManifest.xml — permissions and app metadata
• Resources/AppIcon/ — launcher icons in all resolutions
• MauiProgram.cs — startup configuration and dependency injection root

XAML Designer with Split View

Opening any .xaml file shows a split view: the XAML editor on the left and a live preview on the right. XAML Hot Reload automatically updates the preview as you type.

Android Device Manager

Tools → Android → Android Device Manager. Use it to:

• Create and configure AVDs (Android Virtual Devices)
• Choose Android API levels
• Configure screen size, RAM, storage, and GPU acceleration
• Start and stop emulator instances

Logcat Output

View → Other Windows → Android Device Log. Streams real-time logs from your emulator or physical device. Filter by tag or severity to zero in on your app's output.

// Log from C# code
Android.Util.Log.Debug("MyApp", "Page loaded");
Android.Util.Log.Error("MyApp", $"Error: {ex.Message}");

Debugger

Click any gutter line to set a breakpoint. Press F5. When the breakpoint hits, the app pauses. Hover any variable to inspect its value, or use the Immediate Window to evaluate expressions on the fly.