Do you want to run or play a game or app that requires .NET Framework 3.5? Would you like to know how to install .NET Framework 3.5 on a Windows 11 PC? Read on to know all the methods out there to install .NET Framework 3.5 on your Windows 11 PC.
Method 1 of 3
Install .NET Framework 3.5 via Control Panel in Windows 11
This is the easiest way to install .NET 3.5 on a Windows 11 PC, as it does not require you to run any commands. Your PC must be connected to the internet to download the necessary files.
Step 1: Type appwiz.cpl in the Start menu or taskbar search box and then press the Enter key to open the classic Programs and Features window of the Control Panel.
Step 2: On the left pane of this window, click the Turn Windows features on or off link. This will open the Windows Features dialog.
Step 3: Here, select the .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.5) option.
Step 4: Click the OK button.
Step 5: When you see the following screen, click the Let Windows Update download the files for you option to let Windows 11 download and install .NET Framework 3.5.
The process might take tens of minutes to download and install the required files from Microsoft servers.
Once installed successfully, you will see a “Windows completed the requested changes” message.
Click the Close button.
NOTE: If you encounter any errors while the PC is downloading/installing files, please ensure that your Windows 11 installation is up to date and that there are no pending updates.
Method 2 of 3
Install .NET Framework 3.5 via Command Prompt in Windows 11
NOTE: Ensure your PC is connected to the internet to download the required .NET files.
Step 1: Run Command Prompt as an administrator. To do that, type CMD in the search, right-click the Command Prompt entry in the search result, and then click the Run as administrator option.
Click the Yes button when you see the User Account Control prompt.
Step 2: At the Command Prompt window, copy and paste the following command and then hit the Enter key to execute the command.
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All
This should download and install the .NET Framework 3.5 on your Windows 11 PC.
Method 3 of 3
Use the DISM offline method to install .NET Framework 3.5 in Windows 11
Step 1: Download the Windows 11 ISO from this official page of Microsoft. For detailed directions, refer to our previously posted how to download Windows 11 ISO guide.
Please ensure that your Windows 11 installation is up to date and the downloaded ISO file is the same version as your installed Windows 11 version. For instance, if your Windows 11 installation is 25H2, the downloaded ISO must also be 25H2. If there is a pending restart to complete the installation of updates, please reboot your computer before installing .NET Framework 3.5 to avoid errors during the installation.
Step 2: Once the Windows 11 ISO is downloaded, visit the Downloads folder to see the ISO file.
Step 3: Right-click the Windows 11 ISO file and then click the Mount option to mount the ISO file. Click the Yes button when you get the security warning dialog.
Step 4: Open This PC and note the drive letter of the mounted Windows 11 ISO file. As you can see, it’s “E” on my PC.
Step 5: Next, open Command Prompt as an administrator. The easiest way is to search for it, right-click its entry and then click Run as administrator.
Step 6: Finally, copy and paste the following command and replace the letter “E” with the drive letter of the mounted Windows 11 ISO file.
DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All /LimitAccess /Source:E:\sources\sxs
Press the Enter key to execute the command, which installs the .NET 3.5 Framework.
NOTE: If you get the “Source invalid” error, it’s likely because the version number of the downloaded Windows 11 ISO image does not match the installed Windows 11 version.
Step 7: Once installed successfully, you will see the following message. Press the “Y” key to reboot your PC immediately and press the “N” key to restart later.
We recommend you press the “N” key for now to restart later.
Step 8: Navigate to This PC, right-click the Windows 11 ISO mounted drive, and then click the Eject option. That’s it!
Step 9: Save your work and restart your PC to complete the .NET Framework 3.5 installation.
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