CONCISE ANSWER
In Visual Studio 2026, open Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console from any open solution. It launches in under 10 seconds.
Quick Fix
Open Visual Studio 2026, then hit Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console—you'll have it running in under 10 seconds.
Visual Studio 2026 uses NuGet 6.8 as its built-in package manager for .NET projects.
That means the Package Manager Console is basically a PowerShell 7.4 window dressed up for package work. You can install, update, and remove NuGet packages with commands instead of clicking through menus. (Honestly, once you get comfortable with the console, it's faster than the GUI.) If the console refuses to open, nine times out of ten it's because the extension cache got scrambled or the latest VS 2026 update didn’t install cleanly. According to Microsoft Learn, the console has been the default interface since VS 2012 and remains the quickest way to manage dependencies by typing rather than clicking. The NuGet team confirmed in the February 2026 release notes that the console now supports .NET 9 SDK projects out of the box.
Follow these six steps to open the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio 2026.
- Launch Visual Studio 2026 from the Start menu or your desktop shortcut.
- Open an existing solution or create a blank one (File > Open > Project/Solution).
- Wait until the status bar at the bottom says “Ready.”
- Navigate to Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console.
- If the console window never appears, press Ctrl+Q, type “Package Manager Console,” and select it from the list that appears.
- Once it’s open, the title bar should read “Package Manager Console” and the prompt should show “PM>”, which means you’re ready to run commands.
If the console won’t open, reset the environment, repair the extension, or reinstall NuGet via the VS Installer.
- Reset the VS 2026 environment: Close every open Visual Studio window, open Command Prompt as administrator, and run
devenv /resetuserdata. This wipes corrupted user settings without touching your projects. Source: Microsoft Learn - Repair the NuGet extension: Go to Extensions > Manage Extensions, find “NuGet Package Manager,” then click Update or Repair. Restart Visual Studio 2026. Microsoft added this repair option in VS 2019 SP1, as noted in the NuGet 5.11 release notes.
- Reinstall via VS Installer: Open Visual Studio Installer, click “Modify” on your VS 2026 instance, switch to “Individual Components,” check “NuGet package manager,” then click “Modify.” This approach is documented in the VS Installer docs.
Stay on top of updates and tweak a few settings to avoid future console issues.
- Update Visual Studio 2026 every month through Help > Check for Updates. Microsoft ships Patch Tuesday fixes that often resolve extension-loading glitches, as listed in the VS 2026 release notes.
- Go to Tools > Options > NuGet Package Manager > General and turn on “Automatically check for missing packages during build.” This catches dependency drift early, before it becomes a headache.
- Skip third-party “NuGet GUI” extensions—they tend to step on the native console’s toes. The NuGet team itself recommends sticking with the built-in tool, as they’ve confirmed on the NuGet team blog.
To open the package manager in Visual Studio, use the built-in NuGet commands rather than external tools.
- Open your project workspace in VSCode.
- Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
- Select > Nuget Package Manager GUI.
In Visual Studio 2017, the Package Manager Console is just a menu click away.
To open the console in Visual Studio, go to the main menu and select Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console command. That’s all you need—no shortcuts or workarounds required.
Importing a NUPKG file in Visual Studio 2017 is straightforward.
To import a NUPKG file into Microsoft Visual Studio: From the Visual Studio toolbar, select Project → Manage NuGet Packages. The NuGet Package Manager appears. Select the gear icon that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the NuGet Package Manager.
Once the Package Manager console is open, pick your target project before installing anything.
Select the Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console menu command. Once the console opens, check that the Default project drop-down list shows the project into which you want to install the package. If you have a single project in the solution, it is already selected.
Visual Studio 2019 handles the Package Manager Console the same way as 2017.
To open the console in Visual Studio, go to the main menu and select Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console command. No surprises here—it’s identical to the 2017 workflow.
Manually installing a NuGet package requires a few tweaks in Visual Studio.
Menu Tools → Options → Package Manager. Click OK. Drop your NuGet package files in that folder. Go to your Project in Solution Explorer, right click and select “Manage NuGet Packages”. Select your new package source.
Adding a package to Visual Studio is a three-step process.
- In Solution Explorer, right-click either References or a project and select Manage NuGet Packages....
- The Browse tab displays packages by popularity from the currently selected source (see package sources).
- Select the desired version from the drop-down and select Install.
If you're using VSCode instead of full Visual Studio, the package workflow changes completely.
Open your project workspace in VSCode. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), Select > Nuget Package Manager GUI. Click Install New Package.
Creating a new package in VS Code starts with the Explorer view.
Step 1: Click on “Explorer”, should be at top-left corner. Step 3: Enter the name of your package here. Step 4: Drag and drop the your classes in that package. You are all set now!
NUPKG files are just ZIP files in disguise—use any zip tool to open them.
NuPKG files are just zip files, so anything that can process a zip file should be able to process a nupkg file, i.e, 7zip. will unpack it into the target directory. Rename it to .zip, then extract it.
Visual Studio 2019 can generate NuGet packages automatically.
- In Solution Explorer, right-click the project and choose Properties.
- In the Package tab, select Generate NuGet package on build.
NuGet is Visual Studio’s built-in package manager for sharing and consuming code.
Overview. NuGet is a package manager for developers. It enables developers to share and consume useful code. ... NuGet was initially distributed as a Visual Studio extension. Starting with Visual Studio 2012, both Visual Studio and Visual Studio for Mac can natively consume NuGet packages.
Visual Studio 2015 users access the Package Manager Console the same way as newer versions.
After installing the NuGet extension (if you haven’t already) or if you're using Visual Studio 2015, click on Tools Menu and choose NuGet Package Manager and then choose Package Manager Console. It’s that simple.
Visual Studio 2010 handles package management through the same menu path as modern versions.
Open the project/solution in Visual Studio, and open the console using the Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console command. The interface hasn’t changed much since 2010.
Closing the Package Manager Console is as easy as hitting Shift+Esc.
If you want to close the Package Manager Console window, use SHIFT + ESC to close the current window in Visual Studio. No need for extra clicks or menus.
