Most WinUI Gallery failures come from one of four places: an incomplete Visual Studio setup, opening the wrong solution or startup project, NuGet restore failing for a package or runtime pack, or a mismatch between packaged and unpackaged deployment settings. Start with the Gallery repository’s current instructions, identify the exact stage that fails, and apply only the remedy that matches the error.
The current baseline is Visual Studio 2022 or later with the Windows application development component, the repository’s current WinUIGallery.slnx solution, and WinUIGallery selected as the startup project. Windows 10 or later is documented for running the app. The project also pins an experimental Windows App SDK in standalone.props and uses self-contained deployment, so the checked-out branch and its SDK pin matter when diagnosing samples.
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First, identify where the failure occurs
Do not treat every red error in Visual Studio as the same problem. A Gallery sample can fail before compilation, during compilation, while creating a package, or only when Visual Studio tries to deploy it. The wording and location of the first error usually determine the correct fix.
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|---|---|---|
| Project load or configuration | The solution does not open, the expected project is absent, or startup cannot be selected. | Confirm the checkout, solution filename, project layout, and repository branch. |
| NuGet restore | project.assets.json is missing, a package cannot be downloaded, or a runtime pack is unavailable. |
Read the package ID, feed, and runtime identifier in the complete error. |
| Compilation | C# or XAML errors appear after restore completes. | Check the branch’s pinned Windows App SDK and whether the sample uses experimental APIs. |
| Packaging | Build succeeds but MSIX creation fails. | Confirm the Packaged setting, target platform, architecture, and package prerequisites. |
| Deployment | Build and package complete, but the app will not install or launch from Visual Studio. | Check Configuration Manager’s Deploy selection and the selected packaged or unpackaged configuration. |
Record the first error rather than only the final summary line. Later messages often describe consequences of an earlier restore or configuration problem.
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Use the Gallery’s current repository layout
Repository instructions can change, so an older tutorial may name a different solution or project. Follow the README in the branch you actually downloaded. The documented sequence is to clone the Microsoft WinUI-Gallery repository, open WinUIGallery.slnx, and set WinUIGallery as the startup project.
- Confirm that the checkout contains
WinUIGallery.slnxand theWinUIGalleryproject. If either is missing, you may be in the wrong directory, on a different branch, or using an incomplete checkout. - Open the solution itself, not an individual sample file.
- In Solution Explorer, right-click
WinUIGalleryand choose Set as Startup Project. - Choose the intended platform and configuration before pressing Build or Start.
Do not copy project properties from an old guide until you have compared them with the current project file. The Gallery supports packaged and unpackaged configurations, and its MSIX properties change according to the Packaged setting.
Verify the machine prerequisites before changing the project
The Gallery README documents Visual Studio 2022 or later with the Windows application development component. It also documents Windows 10 or later for executing the app. A missing workload can look like a project or SDK failure because Visual Studio may not install the required Windows SDK, MSBuild targets, or deployment tooling.
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- Close Visual Studio.
- Open Visual Studio Installer and choose Modify for your Visual Studio 2022 installation.
- Confirm the Windows application development component is installed. If it is not listed exactly that way in your edition, use the workload or component search for the Windows app-development tools named by the Gallery’s current README.
- Apply changes, restart Windows if the installer requests it, and reopen the solution.
Confirm the execution baseline
- Use Windows 10 or later on the machine where you intend to run the Gallery.
- Make sure the selected target platform is installed and supported by the project configuration.
- Keep the Visual Studio version, Windows version, repository branch, and architecture in your notes; those details are needed if the failure must be reported.
Installing a workload does not repair a restore error caused by an unavailable package feed, and it does not select the right deployment mode. Continue to the stage-specific checks below.
Decide whether you need packaged or unpackaged execution
Before changing properties, decide what you are trying to run. The Gallery project contains both packaged and unpackaged modes. A packaged run builds or deploys an MSIX package; an unpackaged run starts the application without that package. The correct choice depends on the sample and on what you are testing, not on which option happens to be selected when the solution opens.
| Question | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Do you need an MSIX package? | Select the packaged configuration and make sure package deployment is enabled for the selected platform and configuration. |
| Are you debugging the app without packaging? | Select the unpackaged configuration and use its matching launch profile; do not troubleshoot an MSIX deployment error for an unpackaged run. |
| Does the project file change MSIX properties? | Inspect the active Packaged setting and the properties conditional on it. A configuration switch can change the build output and deployment behavior. |
| Did you change platform or architecture? | Recheck the selected target and restore again if the new target requests a different runtime pack. |
Changing from packaged to unpackaged can isolate an MSIX deployment problem, but it will not fix missing NuGet assets. Resolve restore first if the build cannot produce its outputs.
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Fix the documented project.assets.json restore failure
The Gallery README describes a specific failure in which WinUIGallery’s project.assets.json is missing and Visual Studio asks you to run NuGet restore. For that named message, the repository suggests trying again after deleting nuget.config.
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Use the workaround narrowly
- Copy the existing
nuget.configto a safe location or rename it so you can restore it if the change does not help. - Confirm that the error really says the WinUIGallery
project.assets.jsonfile is missing and requests NuGet restore. - Delete or temporarily move the repository’s
nuget.config, then reopen the solution. - Run NuGet restore from Visual Studio and watch the Output window for the first package or source error.
- Rebuild only after restore completes successfully.
This is a repository-specific workaround for the described missing-assets failure. Do not delete nuget.config automatically for every restore problem: a feed, credentials, package-version, or runtime-pack error requires different diagnosis, and removing a local configuration can remove an intentionally configured source.
Diagnose package-feed and runtime-pack errors from their exact text
When restore fails, capture the package ID, version, feed name, target framework, and runtime identifier shown in the error. Those fields tell you whether the problem is source access, a package version that is no longer available, or a runtime pack requested by the selected target.
What the historical Gallery issue tells you
Issue #1659, opened November 17, 2024, records one report in which restore could not retrieve Microsoft.WindowsAppSDK.1.3.230331000 from a MUX-Dependencies feed and also reported a missing Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.Ref runtime pack. This is an example of useful error signatures, not proof that the same feed or package is currently broken for every branch or checkout.
Work through a restore error
- Copy the complete error, including the package ID and version. Do not reduce “failed to download” to “NuGet is broken.”
- Note the source or feed named by NuGet. A source-specific failure points to source availability, access, or configuration; it is not fixed by changing an unrelated project property.
- Note the requested runtime identifier and target framework. A missing runtime pack can occur because the selected platform or runtime is not installed or supported by the current SDK.
- In Visual Studio’s NuGet settings, verify that the required package sources are enabled and reachable for this checkout. Preserve any organization-specific source settings before editing them.
- Restore again and inspect the first new error. If the package ID, feed, or runtime identifier changes, diagnose the new signature rather than repeating the earlier workaround.
If the message names Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.Ref, treat it as a runtime-pack or SDK-selection problem, not as evidence that deleting nuget.config is appropriate. If it names a package feed, verify that feed and the package version required by your branch.
Check the pinned Windows App SDK and experimental samples
The current README says the Gallery pins its Windows App SDK version in standalone.props, bundles the runtime for self-contained deployment, and uses an experimental SDK to demonstrate upcoming features. That design affects both restore and compilation.
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Why the branch matters
- A branch can request a different Windows App SDK version than an older article or another checkout.
- Self-contained deployment means the project is intended to carry the runtime it needs, so a restore failure for that runtime can prevent the sample from building even when Visual Studio itself opens normally.
- Experimental APIs can change or be removed before a stable release. A compilation error in a sample may therefore reflect an API change in the pinned SDK rather than a damaged installation.
Inspect before editing versions
- Open
standalone.propsin the checkout and record the Windows App SDK version requested by that branch. - Confirm that your error refers to the same version. If the error names another version, look for an older intermediate output, stale package cache, or a different branch.
- Compare any suggested fix with the branch’s README and project files before manually changing the SDK pin.
- After a deliberate branch or SDK change, restore from scratch and record the resulting package and runtime errors separately.
Do not replace the experimental SDK with a stable release simply to silence one error. That can create incompatible project properties or remove the APIs the sample is designed to demonstrate. First establish whether the failure is a missing package, an unavailable runtime pack, or an actual API mismatch.
When compilation succeeds but deployment fails
A successful compile proves that source code and references produced binaries; it does not prove that Visual Studio is configured to install or launch them. Deployment depends on the active packaged or unpackaged mode, target platform, architecture, and deployment selections.
Enable deployment for the active configuration
Microsoft’s Windows App SDK sample-template guidance says that single-project MSIX deployment requires selecting Deploy in Build > Configuration Manager for each platform and configuration you intend to run.
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- Choose the active solution configuration, such as the packaged configuration you intend to test.
- Choose the target platform or architecture you are building.
- In the project row, check Deploy.
- Repeat the check for every platform/configuration combination you will use; the setting is not automatically enabled for all combinations.
- Close Configuration Manager, rebuild, and run the intended configuration.
If the project is unpackaged, do not expect an MSIX deployment action to behave like a packaged run. Conversely, if you selected a packaged configuration but Deploy is unchecked, Visual Studio can build successfully and still skip the installation step.
Check platform and package mode together
- Verify that the platform selected in the toolbar matches the one selected in Configuration Manager.
- Verify that the active Packaged setting matches your objective.
- Confirm that the package output was generated before investigating launch behavior.
- Read the deployment output for the exact Windows version, package identity, architecture, and error code.
These checks address common configuration mistakes, but they do not establish one universal Gallery deployment defect. If deployment still fails, preserve the complete output instead of guessing at project-file changes.
Clean up stale state only after the cause is known
Cleaning can help when outputs were produced under a different branch, SDK pin, platform, or packaging mode, but it should not replace reading the error. Use it after correcting the configuration or source problem.
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- Close Visual Studio.
- Confirm the branch, solution, startup project, platform, configuration, and Packaged setting you intend to use.
- Reopen the solution and restore packages, watching for the first error.
- If restore succeeds but old binaries appear to be used, perform a clean rebuild from Visual Studio and verify the output path for the active configuration.
- Run deployment again with Deploy enabled for that exact combination.
Do not report “clean and rebuild fixed it” without recording what changed. A later branch switch or SDK update can reproduce the original failure if the underlying source or runtime issue remains.
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Build a useful diagnostic report when the checks do not solve it
The available evidence does not establish a single cause for every Gallery deployment failure. A precise report is more useful than a screenshot of the final red line.
- Repository branch or commit and whether the checkout contains
WinUIGallery.slnx. - Visual Studio version and installed Windows application development component.
- Windows version and target architecture.
- Packaged or unpackaged configuration, solution configuration, and platform selected.
- Whether Deploy was checked in Configuration Manager.
- Windows App SDK version shown in
standalone.props. - The complete first restore, build, packaging, or deployment error, including package ID, feed, and runtime identifier where shown.
- Whether the failure occurs before compilation, after compilation, during MSIX creation, or only while launching.
This information distinguishes an environment problem from a package-source problem, an SDK/API mismatch, and a deployment-selection error without assuming that an older issue still describes the current branch.
Common mistakes to avoid
Applying the nuget.config workaround to every restore error
Deleting the file is documented for the named missing-project.assets.json scenario. It can remove required local sources and obscure the real cause of another failure.
Using an older solution name
The current instructions name WinUIGallery.slnx. If your checkout uses another layout, verify the branch and repository contents before changing project references.
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Packaged and unpackaged runs have different outputs and deployment behavior. A successful build in one mode does not prove that the other mode is configured.
Assuming a historical package incident is universal
The November 17, 2024 issue is one report involving a specific Windows App SDK package, feed, and runtime pack. Use its signatures to interpret your own error, not as proof that every current checkout has the same outage.
Changing the SDK pin before reading it
The Gallery deliberately uses an experimental, pinned SDK and self-contained deployment. Record the branch’s value in standalone.props before applying advice written for another version.
A compact decision path
- Cannot open or start the solution: verify the current checkout,
WinUIGallery.slnx, startup project, Visual Studio 2022 or later, and Windows application development component. - Missing
project.assets.jsonwith a restore request: preserve a copy ofnuget.config, then try the repository’s documented deletion-and-restore workaround. - Error names a feed, package, or runtime pack: capture the exact identifiers and troubleshoot source access, package availability, target runtime, and SDK installation.
- Compilation errors mention Windows App SDK APIs: inspect the branch’s
standalone.propspin and remember that the Gallery uses experimental APIs. - Build succeeds but deployment fails: verify packaged versus unpackaged mode, platform, architecture, and Deploy in Configuration Manager.
- Still failing: report the complete environment and first error; do not infer a universal defect from one historical issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I install to build WinUI Gallery?
Use Visual Studio 2022 or later with the Windows application development component, open the current WinUIGallery.slnx, and set WinUIGallery as the startup project. Windows 10 or later is documented for execution.
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Should I always delete nuget.config when restore fails?
No. The Gallery documents that workaround for the specific missing project.assets.json error that asks for NuGet restore. For feed, package, or runtime-pack errors, use the exact identifiers in the message instead.
Why does Visual Studio build but not deploy the Gallery?
Check that the intended packaged or unpackaged configuration and platform are selected, then enable Deploy for that combination in Build > Configuration Manager. A successful compile does not automatically install an MSIX package.
What does a Microsoft.Windows.SDK.NET.Ref runtime-pack error mean?
It indicates that restore could not obtain a runtime pack requested by the selected target. Check the target runtime identifier, SDK and workload installation, and the package-source details in the complete error rather than treating it as a generic project failure.
Can I change the Windows App SDK version to fix a sample?
First inspect the version pinned in standalone.props for your branch. The Gallery uses an experimental SDK and self-contained deployment; changing the pin can introduce incompatibilities and should be a deliberate, branch-compatible change.
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