However, the .NET runtime itself – garbage collector, low-level type system, exception handling, reflection stubs, and interop helpers – cannot be fully AOT-compiled per app without massive duplication. The solution: installed once on the system, which all .NET Native apps link against.
Nevertheless, hundreds of existing Store apps (Spotify, Netflix’s older UWP client, many line-of-business apps) still depend on version 1.7. It will remain in Windows servicing for the supported lifetime of Windows 10/11 (likely through 2030+ for LTSC editions). microsoft.net.native.framework.1.7 is a fascinating artifact of Microsoft’s attempt to reconcile managed code productivity with C++ performance in the sandboxed UWP world. It is a shared, native, OS-provided runtime – a hybrid between the old .NET Framework and a modern app-local runtime. For developers and system administrators, it’s a critical dependency to recognize when debugging app installation or startup failures. microsoft.net.native.framework.1.7
<PackageDependency Name="Microsoft.Net.Native.Framework.1.7" MinVersion="1.7.25531.0" /> If that package is absent, installation fails. This is why older apps may refuse to run on a clean Windows install without Store updates. Do not confuse microsoft.net.native.framework.1.7 with: However, the
| Component | Purpose | |-----------|---------| | microsoft.net.native.compiler | The compile-time toolchain (IL to native). Not runtime. | | microsoft.net.native.runtime | Older, app-local runtime (deprecated). | | Microsoft.NETCore.UniversalWindowsPlatform | NuGet package for SDK references, not runtime. | | .NET 5+ (Self-contained) | Uses CoreCLR, not .NET Native. | It will remain in Windows servicing for the