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How to Migrate a .NET Framework Project to SDK-Style

Updated on Jul 8, 2026

Environment

Product

UI for WPF

Description

How to modernize an existing .NET Framework project by converting it to the SDK-style project format.

SDK-style projects simplify project files, improve NuGet package management, support multi-targeting, and make future migration to .NET easier.

Solution

The general recommendation is to migrate to .NET when possible, because it provides better performance and long-term support.

If you must stay on .NET Framework, you can still improve maintainability by converting the project to SDK-style.

Why use SDK-style for .NET Framework projects

Simplified and cleaner project definition. Instead of explicitly defining each file and reference in the .csproj file, much of this is handled by the SDK.
Improved NuGet package management through PackageReference.
Multi-targeting support (for example, net462, net48, net8).
Full support for the dotnet CLI.
Easier future migration to .NET.

Convert to SDK-style

Open the project .csproj file and replace its content with:

xml

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
	<PropertyGroup>
		<OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
		<TargetFramework>net48</TargetFramework>
		<UseWPF>true</UseWPF>
	</PropertyGroup>
</Project>

If you have build-specific settings, re-apply them in the new .csproj file.

In the project's Properties folder, remove the following assembly attributes from AssemblyInfo.cs:
csharp
```
//[assembly: AssemblyConfiguration("")]
//[assembly: AssemblyCompany("Progress")]
//[assembly: AssemblyProduct("WpfApp1")]
//[assembly: AssemblyVersion("1.0.0.0")]
//[assembly: AssemblyFileVersion("1.0.0.0")]
```
If you do not have custom code in AssemblyInfo.cs, you can delete the file instead.

If you also do not have custom settings in Resources.resx or Settings.settings, you can delete the entire Properties folder.
Build and run the project.

Move NuGet definitions from packages.config to PackageReference

If you use packages.config, move the Telerik package references into an ItemGroup in the .csproj file.

packages.config (before)

xml

	<packages>
		<package id="Telerik.Windows.Controls.for.Wpf.Xaml" version="2025.2.521" targetFramework="net46" />
		<package id="Telerik.Windows.Controls.Navigation.for.Wpf.Xaml" version="2025.2.521" targetFramework="net46" />
		<package id="Telerik.Windows.Controls.GridView.for.Wpf.Xaml" version="2025.2.521" targetFramework="net46" />
	</packages>

PackageReference (after)

xml

	<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
		<PropertyGroup>
			<OutputType>WinExe</OutputType>
			<TargetFramework>net48</TargetFramework>
			<UseWPF>true</UseWPF>
		</PropertyGroup>
		<ItemGroup>
			<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Windows.Controls.for.Wpf.Xaml" Version="2025.2.521" />
			<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Windows.Controls.Navigation.for.Wpf.Xaml" Version="2025.2.521" />
			<PackageReference Include="Telerik.Windows.Controls.GridView.for.Wpf.Xaml" Version="2025.2.521" />
		</ItemGroup>
	</Project>