Get Started on VS Code

This guide will walk you through the setup process for building apps with Uno Platform under Windows, Linux, or macOS.

See these sections for information about using Uno Platform with:

Prerequisites

Visual Studio Code
The Uno Platform Visual Studio Code Extension
For Linux, install OpenJDK 17 for Android development.

Check your environment

Open a command-line prompt, Windows Terminal if you have it installed, or else Command Prompt or Windows Powershell from the Start menu.
Setup uno.check by installing or updating the tool with:
```
dotnet tool update -g uno.check
```
Run the tool from the command prompt with the following command:
```
uno-check
```
You can optionally add the --target desktop --target web (or ios, android, windows) parameters based on your intended development platforms.
Follow the instructions indicated by the tool.

You can find additional information about uno-check here.

Open a Terminal.
Setup uno.check by installing or updating the tool with:
```
dotnet tool update -g uno.check
```
Run the tool from the command prompt with the following command:
```
uno-check
```
If the above command fails, use the following:
```
~/.dotnet/tools/uno-check
```
You can optionally add the --target desktop --target web (or ios, android, windows) parameters based on your intended target platforms.
Follow the instructions indicated by the tool

You can find additional information about uno-check here.

Open a Terminal
If dotnet --version returns command not found:
- Follow the official directions for installing .NET.
  
  Important
  
  If you are using Ubuntu 24.04 or earlier, use the Microsoft feed to install .NET. On later versions, you may install .NET directly from Ubuntu's official feed. In any case, you may refer to the directions from Microsoft on installing .NET on Ubuntu and make sure to select your Ubuntu version.
Then, setup uno.check by installing or updating the tool with:
```
dotnet tool update -g uno.check
```
Run the tool from the command prompt with the following command:
```
uno-check
```
If the above command fails, use the following:
```
~/.dotnet/tools/uno-check
```
You can optionally add the --target desktop --target web (or ios, android, windows) parameters based on your intended development platforms.
Follow the instructions indicated by the tool

You can find additional information about uno-check here.

Configure VS Code

If you are new to VS Code or to developing C# applications with VS Code take the time to follow the next steps.

Open VS Code
If this is not a new installation, then try to update it. Press F1 and type Code: Check for Updates... and select it. A notification will tell you if an update is available.
Configure VS Code to start from the command-line using the code command. This can be configured by following these instructions.
Install the Uno Platform extension. Press F1 and type Extensions: Install Extensions, search the marketplace for Uno Platform and click the Install button.

Note

The Uno Platform extension provides all the tooling needed to enable AI agents from Visual Studio, VS Code, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot CLI, Codex, and more.

Uno MCP provides structured, semantic access to Uno Platform’s complete knowledge base—covering documentation, APIs, and best practices—empowering AI agents and developers with the intelligence they need to build better experiences. Meanwhile, App MCP brings intelligent automation to life by enabling AI agents to interact directly with live Uno Platform applications, creating a seamless bridge between design, development, and execution.

Uno Platform's MCP tools are available when you sign in to your Uno Platform account. For more information, see Using the Uno Platform MCPs.

Platform-specific setup

You may need to follow additional directions, depending on your development environment.

Android & iOS

For assistance configuring Android or iOS emulators, see the Android & iOS emulator troubleshooting guide.

Install the required dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mesa-utils libgl1-mesa-glx ttf-mscorefonts-installer dbus libfontconfig1 libxrandr2 libxi-dev

Update system and packages
```
pacman -Syu
```

Install the necessary dependencies

sudo pacman -S dotnet-targeting-pack dotnet-sdk dotnet-host dotnet-runtime python ninja gn aspnet-runtime dbus libxrandr libxi

You may also need to install the Microsoft fonts manually.

If you are using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), you can find specific instructions in the following video:

OmniSharp Legacy Mode

Starting Uno Platform extension version 0.12, running in VS Code automatically uses the C# Dev Kit extension ms-dotnettools.csdevkit.

If you are using Ona, any Open VSX environment or earlier versions of the Uno Platform extension, you will be automatically using the C# extension ms-dotnettools.csharp with OmniSharp enabled.

To switch between C# Dev Kit and OmniSharp:

Next Steps

You're all set to create your first Uno Platform app!