📦 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• .NET 10 SDK (or .NET 9 for previous versions)
• Platform-specific tools:
  • Android: Android SDK (installed via Visual Studio or Android Studio)
  • iOS/macOS: Xcode (Mac required)
  • Windows: Windows App SDK

Installation

Install the .NET MAUI workload:

dotnet workload install maui

Create a New Project

Create a new .NET MAUI app using the CLI:

dotnet new maui -n MyMauiApp
cd MyMauiApp

Or create with sample content including Community Toolkit and Syncfusion Toolkit:

dotnet new maui -n MyMauiApp -sc

Run Your App

Run on Android:

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-android

Run on iOS (Mac only):

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-ios

Run on Mac Catalyst (Mac only):

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-maccatalyst

Run on Windows:

dotnet build -t:Run -f net10.0-windows10.0.19041.0

💡 Quick Start Example

Here's a simple .NET MAUI page to get you started:

<ContentPage xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/dotnet/2021/maui"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml">
    <VerticalStackLayout Padding="30" Spacing="25">
        <Label Text="Hello, .NET MAUI!"
               FontSize="32"
               HorizontalOptions="Center" />
        <Button Text="Click Me" 
                Clicked="OnButtonClicked" />
        <Label x:Name="CounterLabel"
               Text="Button not clicked yet"
               HorizontalOptions="Center" />
    </VerticalStackLayout>
</ContentPage>

Learn more:

• Build your first app - Complete tutorial with UI examples
• XAML basics - Learn XAML fundamentals
• Create a multi-page app - Build a note-taking app

🎯 Key Features

MVVM and Data Binding

.NET MAUI fully supports the Model-View-ViewModel (MVVM) pattern with powerful data binding:

<Label Text="{Binding UserName}" />
<Entry Text="{Binding Email, Mode=TwoWay}" />

Learn more:

• Data binding fundamentals - Complete guide with examples
• MVVM pattern - Implementing MVVM
• .NET MAUI Community Toolkit - MVVM helpers
• MVVM Toolkit - Source generators and commands

XAML Enhancements

.NET MAUI includes powerful XAML features for cleaner, more efficient code:

<!-- Simplified property syntax -->
<Button Text="Click Me" Clicked="OnClicked" />

<!-- Markup extensions -->
<Label Text="{Binding Title}" 
       TextColor="{StaticResource PrimaryColor}" />

Learn more:

• XAML compilation and source generation - Better performance
• XAML markup extensions - Extend capabilities
• XAML hot reload - Instant updates during development

Shell Navigation

Shell provides a structured, performant navigation experience:

<Shell>
    <TabBar>
        <ShellContent Title="Home" 
                      Icon="home.png"
                      ContentTemplate="{DataTemplate local:HomePage}" />
        <ShellContent Title="Settings" 
                      Icon="settings.png"
                      ContentTemplate="{DataTemplate local:SettingsPage}" />
    </TabBar>
</Shell>

Learn more:

• Shell overview - Getting started with Shell
• Shell navigation - Navigation patterns
• Shell tabs - Create tabbed interfaces

Collections and Lists

Display lists and collections with CollectionView:

<CollectionView ItemsSource="{Binding Items}">
    <CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
        <DataTemplate>
            <Grid Padding="10">
                <Label Text="{Binding Name}" 
                       FontSize="18" />
            </Grid>
        </DataTemplate>
    </CollectionView.ItemTemplate>
</CollectionView>

Learn more:

• CollectionView - High-performance lists
• CarouselView - Scrollable carousel

Responsive Layouts

Build adaptive UIs that work across different screen sizes:

<Grid RowDefinitions="Auto,*" 
      ColumnDefinitions="*,*">
    <Label Grid.ColumnSpan="2" 
           Text="Header" />
    <BoxView Grid.Row="1" 
             Grid.Column="0" 
             Color="Blue" />
    <BoxView Grid.Row="1" 
             Grid.Column="1" 
             Color="Green" />
</Grid>

Learn more:

• Layouts - Overview of all layout types
• Grid layout - Flexible grid system
• FlexLayout - CSS flexbox-style layout
• Adaptive layouts - Multi-screen design

📚 Documentation and Resources

Official Documentation

• .NET MAUI Documentation - Complete guide to building apps
• API Reference - Detailed API documentation
• Controls Documentation - All available controls
• What's New in .NET 10 - Latest features and improvements

Learning Resources

• .NET MAUI Samples - Official sample applications
• .NET MAUI Workshop - Hands-on learning workshop
• Microsoft Learn - Free training modules
• .NET MAUI Blog - Latest news and updates

Community Resources

• .NET MAUI Community Toolkit - Additional controls, behaviors, and converters
• Awesome .NET MAUI - Curated list of resources
• Stack Overflow - Community Q&A

💬 Feedback and Support

We welcome your feedback and contributions!

Getting Help

• Documentation: Check the official documentation
• Q&A: Ask questions on Stack Overflow with the .net-maui tag
• Discussions: Join GitHub Discussions for community conversations

Reporting Issues

• Bug Reports: File bugs at GitHub Issues
• Feature Requests: Suggest new features in GitHub Issues
• Security Issues: Report security vulnerabilities via Microsoft Security Response Center

Community

• Discord: Join the .NET Discord server or the MAUIverse Discord (community-driven, not Microsoft official)
• X (formerly Twitter): Follow @dotnet
• YouTube: Watch tutorials on .NET YouTube channel

🤝 Contributing

We encourage contributions from the community! .NET MAUI is an open-source project.

• Contributing Guide: Read our Contributing Guidelines
• Development Guide: See the Development Guide for building locally
• Code of Conduct: Review our Code of Conduct
• Good First Issues: Find good first issues to start contributing

🔧 Related Packages

.NET MAUI consists of several packages that work together:

📄 License

.NET MAUI is licensed under the MIT License.

🎉 Acknowledgements

.NET MAUI is the evolution of Xamarin.Forms, building on years of mobile and cross-platform development experience. We thank the community for their continued support and contributions.

Get Started with .NET MAUI | Documentation | Samples | GitHub