Is .NET Framework 4.8 supported on Windows 7 Embedded? Can VS2022-built apps run on Windows 7?

Question

Is .NET Framework 4.8 supported on Windows 7 Embedded? Can VS2022-built apps run on Windows 7?

Sujili Sundaramoorthy 0

We are trying to confirm compatibility between Microsoft technologies and Windows 7 Embedded.

Specifically, we would like to know:

Is .NET Framework 4.8 officially supported on Windows 7 Embedded editions ?

Can applications built using Visual Studio 2022, targeting .NET Framework 4.8, run on Windows 7 Embedded?

If these are not supported, is there any official Microsoft documentation or statement confirming the limitations?

We’re looking for an official answer or link that we can reference internally and with customers.

Thank you.

RLWA32 49,306 Reputation points

2025-06-12T10:21:36.4166667+00:00

As far as "support" goes all Windows 7 Embedded editions are well past End of Life. Refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/?terms=Windows%207%20Embedded
Sujili Sundaramoorthy 0 Reputation points

2025-06-13T06:24:49.6766667+00:00
We understand that Windows 7 is out of support. However, for internal documentation and customer communication, we are looking for an official Microsoft statement or documentation that clearly confirms:

Whether .NET Framework 4.8 is officially supported or compatible with Windows 7 Embedded editions (e.g., Standard, POSReady).

Whether applications built using Visual Studio 2022, targeting .NET Framework 4.8, are expected to run on Windows 7 Embedded.

We are not requesting support for these platforms, but rather a referenceable Microsoft source (e.g., documentation, blog post, lifecycle policy) that explicitly states the compatibility or lack thereof.

We have reviewed the following:

.NET Framework support policy

Windows Embedded lifecycle

.NET Framework 4.8 update for Windows Embedded 7 Standard (KB5023823)

We would appreciate a clear confirmation or pointer to an official Microsoft source that we can cite.
RLWA32 49,306 Reputation points

2025-06-13T07:24:13.57+00:00

Well, I posted references to Microsoft sources in my Answer. It seems clear to me from those references that, at a minimum, the .Net Framework 4.8 is compatible with Windows 7 Embedded Standard. I did not conduct an extensive search and have not seen anything that specifically addresses .Net Framework 4.8 compatibility with the Compact and POSReady editions.

A limited search of the Microsofft Update Catalog indicated that it contained .Net Framework 4.8 Updates only for the Windows 7 Embedded Standard edition.

The posted Microsoft references also indicate that Microsoft will not support .Net Framework 4.8 installed on a Windows 7 Embedded system (any edition).

3 answers

Your answer

RLWA32 49,306 Reputation points

2025-06-12T10:21:36.4166667+00:00

As far as "support" goes all Windows 7 Embedded editions are well past End of Life. Refer to https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/?terms=Windows%207%20Embedded
Sujili Sundaramoorthy 0 Reputation points

2025-06-13T06:24:49.6766667+00:00

We understand that Windows 7 is out of support. However, for internal documentation and customer communication, we are looking for an official Microsoft statement or documentation that clearly confirms:

Whether .NET Framework 4.8 is officially supported or compatible with Windows 7 Embedded editions (e.g., Standard, POSReady).

Whether applications built using Visual Studio 2022, targeting .NET Framework 4.8, are expected to run on Windows 7 Embedded.

We are not requesting support for these platforms, but rather a referenceable Microsoft source (e.g., documentation, blog post, lifecycle policy) that explicitly states the compatibility or lack thereof.

We have reviewed the following:

.NET Framework support policy

Windows Embedded lifecycle

.NET Framework 4.8 update for Windows Embedded 7 Standard (KB5023823)

We would appreciate a clear confirmation or pointer to an official Microsoft source that we can cite.
RLWA32 49,306 Reputation points

2025-06-13T07:24:13.57+00:00

Well, I posted references to Microsoft sources in my Answer. It seems clear to me from those references that, at a minimum, the .Net Framework 4.8 is compatible with Windows 7 Embedded Standard. I did not conduct an extensive search and have not seen anything that specifically addresses .Net Framework 4.8 compatibility with the Compact and POSReady editions.

A limited search of the Microsofft Update Catalog indicated that it contained .Net Framework 4.8 Updates only for the Windows 7 Embedded Standard edition.

The posted Microsoft references also indicate that Microsoft will not support .Net Framework 4.8 installed on a Windows 7 Embedded system (any edition).

Answer 1

Following are a couple of Microsoft documents that speak to Windows 7 Embedded and .Net Framework 4.8

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/windowsembedded/microsoft-net-framework-versions-supported-by-windows-embedded-products/286129

and

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/february-17-2023-update-for-net-framework-4-8-for-windows-embedded-7-standard-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1-kb5023823-34caca3e-da6d-49be-ba4f-342187e7ffca

Microsoft's support policy for The NET framework can be seen at https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/platform/support/policy/dotnet-framework. It states "Beginning with version 4.5.2 and later, .NET Framework is defined as a component of the Windows operating system (OS). Components receive the same support as their parent products, therefore, .NET Framework 4.5.2 and later follows the lifecycle policy of the underlying Windows OS on which it is installed." So the Microsoft documents referenced earlier are more relevant to compatibility with Windows 7 embedded as opposed to support for which there is none since Windows 7 embedded has passed its end of life. With respect to VS2022 -

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2022/compatibility#build-apps-that-run-on-windows-embedded-devices

Answer 2

Bruce (SqlWork.com) 77,476 Volunteer Moderator

as Windows 7 embedded is out of support, there is no official support policy for any runtime or code. That is, if any .net 4.8 security patch broke windows 7 embedded support, and MS would not fix.

while you have no support, .net 4.8 is pretty mature and gets few updates. you probably should create a build server / container with the tools that still work. you can then create historical builds with this configuration. and use more modern tool on the dev boxes.

to get support you need to upgrade the windows 7 targets.

Sujili Sundaramoorthy 0 Reputation points

2025-06-13T06:25:59.7566667+00:00
Thank you for your response,
We know Windows 7 is out of support, but we need an official Microsoft document or statement for internal and customer reference.

Specifically:

Is .NET Framework 4.8 officially supported or compatible with Windows 7 Embedded?

Can apps built with Visual Studio 2022, targeting .NET 4.8, run on Windows 7 Embedded?

Just a clear Microsoft source confirming compatibility or limitations.
Bruce (SqlWork.com) 77,476 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2025-06-13T20:53:45.2533333+00:00

as Windows 7 Embedded is out of support, no software running on it is supported, and there is no supported for any tool that targets it. That is, the tool may have support, but building an application that targets Windows 7 Embedded is not supported.

so, if you had an issue with the targeted application, you would need to reproduce the issue on a supported O/S. If you can not reproduce on a supported platform, then there is no support available.

You should be able to create .net 4.8 applications for Windows 7 Embedded, but the main limitation is there is no support. You will need to handle any workarounds required yourself.

Answer 3

Bhanu Prakash 0

asp.net tutorial which depend on .net using c# which help you create dynamic web application and website also include SQL Server.

Share via

Is .NET Framework 4.8 supported on Windows 7 Embedded? Can VS2022-built apps run on Windows 7?

3 answers

Your answer