If you are looking to save development time on UI styling and advanced navigation, integrating DotNetBar into your Visual Studio 2022 project is a solid, long-term choice.
While primarily designed for older versions, it works in VS 2022, but the designer might need the DevComponents.DotNetBar.Design.dll file copied to the new project location.
I can provide more specific troubleshooting steps for your migration if needed. What's new in Visual Studio 2022 for .NET developers
If you have the original installer (e.g., DotNetBarSetup.exe ), run it as administrator. It typically places files in: C:\Program Files (x86)\DevComponents\DotNetBar\ devcomponents dotnetbar visual studio 2022
With the release of , many developers are asking whether this legacy UI toolkit can keep up with Microsoft's latest 64-bit IDE. The short answer is: Yes, but it requires the right version.
There are three primary methods to get DotNetBar working inside Visual Studio 2022.
All licenses include:
Unlike VS2010, VS2022 won’t auto-discover DotNetBar in many cases. Here’s the fix:
Uncheck the checkbox. This allows the application to run flexibly across both 32-bit and 64-bit environments. Step 3: Add DLL References Manually
DevComponents DotNetBar was long considered a gold standard for Windows Forms UI development. It empowered developers to create sleek, Office-style ribbons, dockable windows, and advanced menus. However, with DevComponents officially discontinuing updates and closing operations, developers relying on DotNetBar face a major hurdle when upgrading to Visual Studio 2022. If you are looking to save development time
If the designer fails, right-click References in your project, select Add Reference , and browse to DevComponents.DotNetBar2.dll in your installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\DotNetBar... ). 🧰 Adding DotNetBar to the Toolbox
Visual Studio 2022 uses an "out-of-process" designer for .NET 6+. If your form won't load, ensure your project is a .NET Framework project rather than a modern .NET project.