remote-debugging-csharp.md

title	Remote Debug a C# or VB project
description	Learn how to debug a Visual Studio C# or Visual Basic application from a remote computer by following these step-by-step instructions.
ms.date	03/04/2026
ms.topic	how-to
dev_langs	C++ FSharp CSharp JScript VB
helpviewer_keywords	remote debugging, setup
author	mikejo5000
ms.author	mikejo
ms.subservice	debug-diagnostics

Remote Debugging a C# or Visual Basic project in Visual Studio

To debug a Visual Studio application that has been deployed on a different computer, install and run the remote tools on the computer where you deployed your app, configure your project to connect to the remote computer from Visual Studio, and then run your app.

For information about remote debugging Universal Windows Apps (UWP), see Debug an Installed App Package.

Requirements

The remote debugger is supported on Windows 7 and newer and on versions of Windows Server starting with Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2. For a complete list of requirements, see Requirements.

Note

Debugging between two computers connected through a proxy isn't supported. Debugging over a high latency or low bandwidth connection, such as dialup Internet, or over the Internet across countries/regions isn't recommended and may fail or be unacceptably slow.

Download and Install the remote tools

[!INCLUDE remote-debugger-download]

Tip

In some scenarios, it can be most efficient to run the remote debugger from a file share. For more information, see Run the remote debugger from a file share.

Set up the remote debugger

After you install the remote debugger, follow these steps.

[!INCLUDE remote-debugger-configuration]

Note

If you need to add permissions for additional users, change the authentication mode, or port number for the remote debugger, see Configure the remote debugger.

Remote debug the project

The debugger can't deploy Visual C# or Visual Basic desktop applications to a remote machine, but you can still debug them remotely as follows. The following procedure assumes that you want to debug it on a computer named MJO-DL, as shown in the illustration below.

1. Create a WPF project named MyWpf.

   If you're trying to remote debug a MAUI app instead of WPF, see Remote debug a .NET MAUI app on Windows.

2. Set a breakpoint somewhere in the code that is easily reached.

   For example, you might set a breakpoint in a button handler. To do this, open MainWindow.xaml, and add a Button control from the Toolbox, then double-click the button to open its handler.

3. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Properties.

4. On the Properties page, choose the Debug tab.

   ::: moniker range="visualstudio" For C# projects targeting .NET Core or .NET 5+, starting in Visual Studio 2022, choose the Debug launch profiles UI from the Debug tab to configure settings for remote debugging.

   

   Otherwise, for .NET Framework, you change remote debug settings directly in the Debug tab.

   ::: moniker-end

   ::: moniker range="vs-2022" For C# projects targeting .NET Core or .NET 5+, starting in Visual Studio 2022, choose the Debug launch profiles UI from the Debug tab to configure settings for remote debugging.

   

   Otherwise, for .NET Framework, you change remote debug settings directly in the Debug tab.

   ::: moniker-end

5. Make sure the Working directory text box is empty.

6. Choose Use remote machine, and type yourmachinename:port in the text box. The port number is shown in the remote debugger window.

   In this example, use: ::: moniker range=">=vs-2022" MJO-DL:4026 on Visual Studio 2022 or later ::: moniker-end

7. Make sure that Enable native code debugging isn't selected.

8. Build the project.

9. Create a folder on the remote computer that is the same path as the Debug folder on your Visual Studio computer: <source path>\MyWPF\MyWPF\bin\Debug.

10. Copy the executable that you just built from your Visual Studio computer to the newly created folder on the remote computer.

    [!CAUTION] Don't make changes to the code or rebuild (or you must repeat this step). The executable you copied to the remote machine must exactly match your local source and symbols.

    You can copy the project manually, use XCopy, Robocopy, PowerShell, or other options.

11. Make sure the remote debugger is running on the target machine (If it's not, search for Remote Debugger in the Start menu). The remote debugger window looks like this.

    ::: moniker range="visualstudio" ::: moniker-end

    ::: moniker range="vs-2022" ::: moniker-end

12. In Visual Studio, start debugging (Debug > Start Debugging, or F5).

13. If prompted, enter network credentials to connect to the remote machine.

    The required credentials vary depending on your network's security configuration. For example, on a domain computer, you can enter your domain name and password. On a non-domain machine, you might enter the machine name and a valid user account name, like MJO-DL\name@something.com, along with the correct password.

    You should see that the WPF application's main window is open on the remote computer.

14. If necessary, take action to hit the breakpoint. You should see that the breakpoint is active. If it isn't, the symbols for the application haven't loaded. Retry, and if that doesn't work, get information about loading symbols and how to troubleshoot them at Understanding symbol files and Visual Studio's symbol settings.

15. On the Visual Studio machine, you should see that execution has stopped at the breakpoint.

    If you have any non-code files that need to be used by the application, you need to include them in the Visual Studio project. Create a project folder for the additional files (in the Solution Explorer, click Add > New Folder). Then add the files to the folder (in the Solution Explorer, click Add > Existing Item, then select the files). On the Properties page for each file, set Copy to Output Directory to Copy always.

Remote debug a .NET MAUI app on Windows

.NET MAUI apps are packaged apps that need to be registered when deployed, not just copied to a remote machine. To remote debug, you can deploy an unpackaged version of the app.

Use one of the following methods to remote debug:

• Publish the app to the remote device as an unpackaged app using the steps described in Use the CLI to publish unpackaged .NET MAUI apps for Windows, and then follow the steps in this article to remote debug. (Skip the steps to copy the app.)

• Follow the steps in this article, including steps to create a Debug Launch profile for the project. Before you start debugging, manually edit the launchSettings.json file, replacing the commandName Project value with MsixPackage, as shown here.

  "Remote Profile": {
    "commandName": "MsixPackage",
    "remoteDebugEnabled": true,
    "remoteDebugMachine": "170.200.20.22",
    "authenticationMode": "None"
  }

  When you start debugging, this method first deploys an unpackaged version of the app and starts it.

  [!NOTE] You can't edit launchSettings.json in the Debug Launch profile dialog box once you change the value to MsixPackage.

Set Up Debugging with Remote Symbols

[!INCLUDE remote-debugger-symbols]

Related content

• Debugging in Visual Studio
• First look at the debugger
• Configure the Windows Firewall for Remote Debugging
• Remote Debugger Port Assignments
• Remote Debugging ASP.NET on a Remote IIS Computer
• Remote Debugging Errors and Troubleshooting