Create a DevExpress-powered .NET App for WinForms with Design-Time Support

Jun 25, 2025
4 minutes to read

DevExpress Project Templates

Use the DevExpress Template Kit to quickly create DevExpress-powered projects that target .NET 8+.

Install Template Kit

Download a VSIX extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
Double click the .vsix file to install the DevExpress Template Kit.

Install the DevExpress Template Kit in Visual Studio

In Visual Studio, select Extensions → Manage Extensions… to run Extension Manager. Type DevExpress Template Kit for Visual Studio in the search box and click Install (close the Visual Studio and follow instructions in the VSIX installer):

Create a DevExpress-powered .NET Project

Follow the steps below to create a DevExpress-powered .NET application for WinForms based on a template:

In Visual Studio, select File → New → Project….
In the Create a new project window, select DevExpress 25.2 Template Kit and click Next :
Click Create to run the Template Kit.
Click the WinForms platform:
Select the project template and configure its settings (for example, the target framework, MVVM support, etc.), and click Create Project.

Tip

The DevExpress project template adds the DevExpress.Win.Design NuGet package to Package References in the project file (*.csproj) to enhance the design-time experience in Visual Studio for DevExpress-powered WinForms applications. The DevExpress Unified Component Installer creates a pre-configured local NuGet feed with DevExpress .NET packages and registers this feed in your Visual Studio IDE as a package source.
Install the DevExpress.Win NuGet package if you do not need design-time customization/features.

Add DevExpress Controls to an Existing .NET App for WinForms

In the Solution Explorer, right-click the project and select Manage NuGet Packages from the drop-down menu.
Select the DevExpress package source (you can add DevExpress packages from a local or remote/online feed):
Open project properties. Ensure that the Target OS setting is set to Windows.
Install required DevExpress NuGet packages. The following techniques enable customization of all or specific DevExpress WinForms UI controls in the Visual Studio designer. This includes grid designers, property editors, and other design-time enhancements that streamline the development process when working with DevExpress UI controls.
Build the project.