What you will learn

  • Install or modify Visual Studio 2026 with the correct workload
  • Configure an Android emulator or physical Android device
  • Recognize the common causes of missing MAUI templates or failing Android builds

1. Check your prerequisites

Use a Windows 11 PC with sufficient disk space for Visual Studio, the Android SDK and a virtual device. Hardware virtualization should be enabled for reliable emulator performance. If the emulator is slow, testing on a connected Android phone is a valid alternative.

Version for examples: Select .NET 10 in Visual Studio 2026 when available, so the samples use a consistent MAUI API surface. The exact SDK and Android image versions can change with Visual Studio updates.

2. Install the MAUI workload

  1. Close Visual Studio. Open Visual Studio Installer from Start.
  2. Choose Modify for Visual Studio 2026.
  3. Select .NET Multi-platform App UI development.
  4. Apply changes and let Visual Studio install the Android SDK, required dependencies and workloads.
  5. Open Visual Studio, choose Create a new project, and search for .NET MAUI App.

Microsoft’s current first-app guide uses the same workload and template.

3. Configure an Android virtual device

  1. Open Tools > Android > Android Device Manager in Visual Studio, if that menu is available in your installed toolset.
  2. Create or select a virtual Android device using a supported system image.
  3. Start the emulator and confirm it reaches the Android home screen.
  4. For a new MAUI project, choose the Android emulator as the debug target.
  5. Press F5 and allow the first build and deployment to finish.

For a physical Android phone, enable Developer options and USB debugging, approve the computer on the device and select it in Visual Studio. Some phones restrict USB debugging through additional security settings.

4. Check the .NET environment

Open View > Terminal or a Windows terminal and run the commands below. The available SDKs and workloads will be displayed; your machine may show several versions.

5. Success checklist

  • A .NET MAUI App template is visible.
  • Visual Studio creates a solution with Platforms, Resources, MainPage.xaml, and MauiProgram.cs.
  • The Android emulator or phone appears in the run-target list.
  • The sample application launches on Android without an iOS build.

Complete sample code

Use the exact file names and folder locations shown below. Copy each listing into your MAUI project. The separate source files can also be downloaded individually.

Terminal commands
Download
dotnet --info
dotnet workload list

Common problems and solutions

  • MAUI template missing: Modify the Visual Studio installation and check the .NET MAUI workload. Restart the IDE after installation.
  • Android emulator fails: Verify hardware virtualization and use Android Device Manager to create a supported device image.
  • Build errors after upgrades: Restore NuGet packages, clean the solution, and check that Visual Studio and workloads are compatible.

Practice exercise

Install the workload and take your own screenshot of a default MAUI app running in the Android emulator.

Expected result: A default .NET MAUI project launches successfully on Android.

Official references

← Lesson 1Lesson 3 →