Why is System.Web.Mvc not listed in Add References?

user_33225 0
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Using C#, Visual Studio 2010.

There is a namespace called System.Web.Mvc documented on MSDN. The documentation for all the types in that namespace says that they are in System.Web.Mvc.dll.

However, when I go to Add Reference, “.NET” tab, this assembly is missing from the list. Why?

assembly-references visual-studio .net
14 Answers

I had the same issue and wasn't able to locate the System.Web.MVC reference assembly.

Finally found out and it was located inside the following location.

Note if your VS was installed in C: (Sometimes the MVC.dll is not in the default location which everybody talk about, i mean the "Reference Assemblies" folder located in the C: drive.)

if its not there, it should definitely be in here:

\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft ASP.NET\ASP.NET MVC 2\Assemblies\System.Web.Mvc.dll

So add the dll through navigating or the browse tab in the add reference menu.

Admin1

Check these step:

  1. Check MVC is installed properly.
  2. Check the project's property and see what is the project Target Framework. If the target framework is not set to .Net Framework 4, set it.

Note: if target framework is set to .Net Framework 4 Client Profile, it will not list MVC reference on references list. You can find different between .Net Framework 4 and .Net Framework 4 Client Profile here.

The .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is a subset of the .NET Framework 4 that is optimized for client applications. It provides functionality for most client applications, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and ClickOnce features. This enables faster deployment and a smaller install package for applications that target the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile.

user_3818190

I didn't get System.Web.Mvc in VS 2012 but I got it in VS 2013. Using AddReference Dialog, enter image description here

Or, You can find this in your project path,

YourProjectName\packages\Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.5.0.0\lib\net45\System.Web.Mvc.dll

user_42119470

If you got this problem in Visual Studio 2017, chances are you're working with an MVC 4 project created in a previous version of VS with a reference hint path pointing to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft ASP.NET. Visual Studio 2017 does not install this directory anymore.

We usually solve this by installing a copy of Visual Studio 2015 alongside our 2017 instance, and that installs the necessary libraries in the above path. Then we update all the references in the affected projects and we're good to go.

user_39867900
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