Manage - .net Runtimes

Summary

This Automate implementation helps keep .NET on Windows devices clean, current, and secure. It can list installed .NET components, install the latest supported versions, update patch releases, remove unsupported versions, or perform a full cleanup and refresh.

The script checks Microsoft release data in real time, then uses that information to decide what to install, update, or remove. This reduces manual effort and lowers the risk of keeping outdated .NET versions.

When you run this script, expect software changes on the endpoint. Depending on the selected action, it may download installers, silently install updates, and remove older versions. A stable internet connection and administrator access are required.

NOTE:

• Installing or uninstalling sdk can also install or remove related aspNetCoreRuntime, desktopRuntime, and runtime components.
• Installing or uninstalling desktopRuntime can also install or remove the related runtime.
• For actions other than list, if Type is not provided, the script uses desktopRuntime by default.
• Install and update use the machine's native architecture installer (for example, x64 installer on x64 machines).
• If x86 components already exist on a machine, the script can detect and remove outdated x86 components during uninstall, update, and renew.
• Use Version carefully:
  • For list, install, uninstall, and update, you can target specific major versions (including unsupported versions).
  • For renew with Version, all specified versions must still be supported. If any are unsupported, the action will stop.
• Set Force to 1 to apply force removal behavior. Any other value (or blank) means force is not applied.
• For uninstall, update, and renew, older-version cleanup primarily targets components detected by dotnet.exe. With Force = 1, cleanup can also remove .NET entries found through uninstall registry data and package metadata, including components that dotnet.exe does not list.
• renew is the most aggressive option. It can remove versions you are not targeting. Review your required application dependencies before using it.

Dependencies

• Optimize-DotNetRunTime

Sample Run

Note: You will notice the Force parameter is missing in screenshots for examples 1 to 15. We spared both your eyes and my wrists from updating 15 screenshots for a value that is not used there. Examples 16 and 17 include Force, so those screenshots show the extra field. :)

Example 1: List all installed .NET components

Example 2: List only .NET SDKs

• Action: list
• Type: sdk

Example 3: Install the latest versions of all .NET components

• Action: install
• Type: all

Example 4: Update SDKs to the latest patch version

• Action: update
• Type: sdk

Example 5: Remove unsupported ASP.NET Core versions

• Action: uninstall
• Type: aspNetCoreRuntime

Example 6: Removes all unsupported versions of .NET runtimes and SDKs and installs the latest available version

• Action: renew
• Type: all

Example 7: Install the latest .NET Desktop Runtime (default type)

• Action: install

Example 8: Install .NET 10 Desktop Runtime

• Action: install
• Type: desktopRuntime
• Version: 10

Example 9: Install multiple specific versions

• Action: install
• Type: desktopRuntime
• Version: 8, 10

Example 10: Update only .NET 8 to the latest patch

• Action: update
• Type: desktopRuntime
• Version: 8

Example 11: Update multiple versions to their latest patches

• Action: update
• Type: all
• Version: 6, 7, 8, 9

Example 12: Remove specific .NET versions

• Action: uninstall
• Type: all
• Version: 6, 9

Example 13: Keep only .NET 8 and .NET 9 and remove all others

• Action: renew
• Type: all
• Version: 8, 9

Example 14: List only .NET 8 and .NET 9 components

• Action: list
• Type: <Blank>
• Version: 8, 9

Example 15: Keep only .NET 10 and remove all others

• Action: renew
• Type: all
• Version: 10

Example 16: Force renew to .NET 10 only

• Action: renew
• Type: all
• Version: 10
• Force: 1

Example 17: Force uninstall .NET 8

• Action: uninstall
• Type: all
• Version: 8
• Force: 1

Global Variables

Name	Value	Accepted Values	Description
Debug	False	False, True	When True, enables informational logging; when False (default), informational logs are suppressed to avoid adding entries to the h_scripts table. Set to True to assist with troubleshooting.
ScriptEngineEnableLogger	False	False, True	When True, enables final (success/failure) logging; when False (default), these logs are suppressed to avoid adding entries to the h_scripts table. Set to True to assist with troubleshooting.

User Parameters

Name	Example	Mandatory	Description
Action	list install uninstall update renew	False	Specifies the action to perform. Valid values are: list: Lists all installed .NET runtimes and SDKs. install: Installs the latest supported versions of .NET runtimes and SDKs. uninstall: Uninstalls unsupported or specific versions of .NET runtimes and SDKs. update: Updates to latest patches and removes superseded patches. renew: Removes all unsupported versions of .NET runtimes and SDKs and installs the latest available version. Note: Default Action is list
Type	sdk runtime desktopRuntime aspNetCoreRuntime all	False	Specifies the type of .NET component to manage. Valid values are: sdk: Manages .NET SDKs. runtime: Manages .NET runtimes. desktopRuntime: Manages .NET desktop runtimes. aspNetCoreRuntime: Manages ASP.NET Core runtimes. all: Manages all .NET components. Note: Default Type is desktopRuntime
Version	8 9 8, 9	False	(Optional) Limit the action to specific .NET versions by major version number (e.g., 8, 9, or 8, 9, 10). When omitted, the script uses its default behavior for each action. Accepts both supported and EOL versions for list, install, uninstall, and update. For renew, all specified versions must be actively supported. Note: Default is not set (all applicable versions are targeted).
Force	1 0 <Blank>	False	Set Force to 1 to apply forced MSI dependency bypass during removal. If Force is 0 or blank, normal safe behavior is used.

Tips for Version Behavior

Action	Without Version	With Version (e.g., Version 8, 9)
list	Shows all installed .NET components	Shows only versions 8 and 9
install	Installs the latest supported version	Installs the latest release for each specified version (EOL included with warning)
update	Updates only supported installed versions	Updates the specified version(s), including EOL
uninstall	Removes only unsupported/EOL versions	Removes the specified version(s), including supported
renew	Installs latest supported + removes all unsupported	Keeps only specified version(s), removes everything else. Aborts if any version is EOL.

Force Parameter - Caution

⚠️ WARNING: The Force parameter overrides Windows Installer dependency protection. Use only when you fully understand the implications.

Without Force (or Force = 0 or blank), the script respects MSI dependency providers registered by other applications. If software such as Visual Studio, SQL Server, or third-party tools installed a .NET component and registered a dependency on it, the Windows Installer will silently refuse to remove it (returning exit code 0) to protect the dependent application. This is by design.

When Force = 1, the script appends IGNOREDEPENDENCIES=ALL to all MSI uninstall commands, which:

• Bypasses the dependency provider safety check.
• Forces removal of the .NET component regardless of what other software depends on it.
• May cause dependent applications to malfunction, fail to start, or require repair/reinstallation.

When to use Force = 1:

• You are certain no critical software depends on the targeted .NET version.
• You are performing a controlled upgrade where a newer version will immediately replace the removed one (e.g., Action: renew, Version: 10, Force: 1 installs .NET 10 before removing older versions).
• You need to clean up orphaned registry entries from partially removed installations.

When NOT to use Force = 1:

• On systems with Visual Studio, SQL Server, or other enterprise software that bundles .NET runtimes.
• On shared or production servers where breaking a dependency could disrupt services.
• When you are unsure which applications depend on the .NET components being removed.

Output

• Script Logs

Changelog

2026-05-01

• Improved mixed x64/x86 handling: installs follow machine architecture, while cleanup actions can still remove outdated x86 components.
• Updated install, update, and removal logic to be architecture-aware for safer results.
• Improved uninstall reliability by resolving Windows Installer product codes from registry data.
• Added Force parameter to allow dependency bypass for advanced cleanup scenarios.
• Improved renew cleanup to remove orphaned MSI entries using .NET version parsing from package names.
• Expanded logging for removal operations, including exact uninstall command paths and exit codes.

2026-04-16

• Introduced the Version parameter.

2025-05-14

• Initial version of the document