.NET Framework 3.5 is missing from Windows 10 [COMPLETE GUIDE]

▪ January 21, 2018 ▪

8 minute read

Home » Fix » .NET Framework 3.5 is missing from Windows 10 [COMPLETE GUIDE]

.NET Framework 3.5 is an important feature for running many Windows applications, but some users reported that this feature isn’t turned on in Windows 10, or that they have some problems installing it.

The .NET Framework is a crucial part of many applications running on Windows platforms. This feature provides a necessary functionality for these apps to run normally.

Logically, before installing these apps we need to enable .NET Framework on our computer.

What can I do if .NET Framework 3.5 is missing on Windows 10?

.NET Framework 3.5 is an important component of Windows, and if .NET Framework is missing you might experience certain issues. Speaking of .NET Framework, users reported the following problems:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 offline installer – In order to install .NET Framework 3.5, you need to have an active Internet connection, but you can also install this framework using the offline installer.
NET Framework 3.5 error 0x800f0906, 0x800f0922, 0x800f081f – Sometimes you might not be able to install .NET Framework due to various errors. We already covered common .NET Framework 3.5 errors in one of our older articles, so be sure to check it out.
NET Framework 3.5 The following feature couldn’t be installed, The source files could not be found – Sometimes you won’t be able to install .NET Framework due to these messages. However, you might be able to solve that problem using one of our solutions.
.NET Framework 3.5 unable to install – In some cases you might not be able to install ,NET Framework at all. This is is most likely caused by your settings or corrupted files, but you can easily fix that.

Solution 1 – Install .NET Framework 3.5 as a Windows feature

There are a couple of ways to enable the .NET Framework and one of them is enabling it from the Control Panel. To check if .NET Framework is available on your computer, follow these steps:

Press Windows key and R at the same time. Type appwiz.cpl in the Run command box and press Enter or click OK.
In the Programs and Features window, click on the link Turn Windows features on or off.
Check if the .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) option is available in it. If yes, then enable it and then click on OK.
Follow the on-screen instructions, complete the installation and restart the computer, if the process requests that from you.

After doing that, .NET Framework should start working again without any problems.

You can also get .NET Framework 3.5 from Microsoft.

Check out this article to find out more info on how to download and install .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 10.

Solution 2 – Install .NET Framework 3.5 on-demand

Besides installing .NET Framework 3.5 through the Control Panel, you can also install it on-demand.

If a certain app requires the .NET Framework 3.5, but this feature isn’t enabled on your computer, the installation wizard will display the prompt for installing .NET Framework 3.5 on demand.

To install .NET Framework 3.5, in this prompt choose the option Install this feature, and .NET Framework 3.5 will be automatically installed on your computer.

Solution 3 – Use DISM command to install .NET Framework 3.5

But some users have reported that they get a certain error message after they try to install .NET Framework 3.5 through the Control Panel or on-demand.

To avoid this error, try to install .NET Framework 3.5 with the Command Prompt. Before you can do that, you might need a Windows 10 installation media.

Alternatively, you can just mount a Windows 10 ISO. To install .NET Framework 3.5 using Command Prompt, follow these steps:

Press Windows key and R at the same time. Type cmd in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
And enter the following line in the Command Prompt: DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:NetFx3 /All /LimitAccess /Source:X:sourcessxs

In order to run this command, you’ll need to replace X with the letter that represents the drive with installation media. After running this command, you should be able to install .NET Framework 3.5 on your PC without any problems.

Keep in mind that you might get message saying that you need administrative privileges to run this command. If that happens, you need to start Command Prompt as administrator and run this command again.

To see how to do that, be sure to check Step 1 in Solution 5.

If you’re having trouble accessing Command Prompt as an admin, then you better take a closer look on this guide.

Solution 4 – Install the missing updates and try again

If .NET Framework 3.5 is missing and you can’t install it, you might be able to fix the problem by downloading the latest Windows Updates. Sometimes bugs can prevent certain components from installing, but you should be able to fix them by updating Windows 10.

By default, Windows 10 downloads and installs the missing updates automatically, but you can also check for updates manually by doing the following:

Press Windows Key + I to open the Settings app.
When Settings app opens, navigate to Update & Security section.
Now click on Check for updates button. Windows 10 will now check for available updates and download them in the background.

After downloading and installing the latest updates, you should try to install .NET Framework 3.5 again.

If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.

Having trouble updating your Windows 10? Check out this guide that will help you solve them in no time.

Solution 5 – Perform a SFC/DISM scan

Several users reported certain issues and error messages while trying to install .NET Framework 3.5 on their Windows 10 PC. This is most likely caused by file corruption, and in order to fix these problems it’s advised to perform an SFC scan and check if that helps.

To perform an SFC scan, you need to do the following:

Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu and choose Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin) from the menu.
When Command Prompt starts, enter sfc /scannow and press Enter.
SFC scan will now start. Keep in mind that SFC scan can take about 15 minutes to finish, so don’t interrupt it.

scannow command has stopped before the process finished? Don’t worry, we’ve got an easy fix for you.

Once the SFC scan is finished, try to install .NET Framework 3.5 again. If it doesn’t work, you might have to perform DISM scan as well. To do that, just follow these steps:

Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Now enter DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter to run it.
DISM scan will now start. The scan can take more than 15 minutes to complete, so be sure not to interrupt it.

Once you complete the DISM scan, try to install .NET Framework 3.5 again. Users reported that DISM scan worked for them, but if you still can’t install .NET Framework, repeat the SFC scan and check if that solves the problem.

It seems that everything is lost when DISM fails on Windows 10? Check out this quick guide and get rid of the worries.

Solution 5 – Use lodctr command

If .NET Framework 3.5 is missing and you can’t install it, you might be able to fix the issue using the lodctr command. To do that on Windows 10, just follow these simple steps:

Open Command Prompt as administrator. We showed you how to quickly open Command Prompt in the previous solution, so be sure to check it out.
Once the Command Prompt opens, enter lodctr /r and press Enter to run it.

After the command is executed, the problem should be fixed and you’ll be able to install .NET Framework 3.5 without any issues.

Many users reported that this solution worked for them, so if you have any problems installing .NET Framework, be sure to try this solution.

Solution 6 – Change your Group Policy

If .NET Framework 3.5 is missing and you can’t install it, you might have to change your Group Policy settings. This is rather simple and you can do it by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + R and enter gpedit.msc. Now press Enter or click OK. Keep in mind that this tool is available only on Pro versions of Windows 10, but there’s a way to run Group Policy Editor on the Home version of Windows.
When Group Policy Editor starts, in the left pane go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System. In the right pane, double click on Specify settings for optional component installation and component repair.
New window will now appear. Select Enabled and click on Apply and OK.
Optional: Check Download repair content and optional features directly from Windows Update instead of Windows Server Update Services.

After making these changes, you just need to start Command Prompt as administrator and run gpupdate /force command to apply the changes.

After doing that, you should be able to install .NET Framework without issues.

If you want to learn more about how to edit the Group Policy on Windows 10, check out this handy guide.

Solution 7 – Check your Action Center

Few users reported that they were unable to install .NET Framework 3.5 on their PC. To fix this issue, you might have to check your Action Center. This is rather simple and you can do it by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + S and enter control panel. Choose Control Panel from the list of results.
When Control Panel starts, make sure that Category view is enabled. Now navigate to System and Security section.
Now click on Review your computer’s status and resolve issues.
If you see any warnings, be sure to resolve them.

You can’t open Control Panel on Windows 10? Take a look at this step-by-step guide to find a solution.

Once all issues are resolved, try to install .NET Framework once again.

If you still experience issues with .NET Framework on Windows 10, we recommend that you check out these detailed guides as they may offer a solution to your problem:

One of these steps should solve your problem with .NET Framework 3.5 in Windows 10, but if something doesn’t work for you, or you have some additional questions, please leave your comment in the comments section below.

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 2015 and has been since completely revamped and updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.