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install command (NuGet CLI)

  • Article

Applies to: package consumption • Supported versions: all

Downloads and installs a package into a project, defaulting to the current folder, using specified package sources.

Tip

To download a package directly outside the context of a project, visit the package's page on nuget.org and select the Download link.

If no sources are specified, those listed in the global configuration file, %appdata%\NuGet\NuGet.Config (Windows) or ~/.nuget/NuGet/NuGet.Config (Mac/Linux), are used. See Common NuGet configurations for additional details.

If no specific packages are specified, install installs all packages listed in the project's packages.config file, making it similar to restore.

The install command does not modify a project file or packages.config; in this way it's similar to restore in that it only adds packages to disk but does not change a project's dependencies.

To add a dependency, either add a package through the Package Manager UI or Console in Visual Studio, or modify packages.config and then run either install or restore.

Usage

nuget install <packageID | configFilePath> [options]

where <packageID> names the package to install (using the latest version), or <configFilePath> identifies the packages.config file that lists the packages to install. You can indicate a specific version with the -Version option.

Options

  • -ConfigFile

    The NuGet configuration file to apply. If not specified, %AppData%\NuGet\NuGet.Config (Windows), or ~/.nuget/NuGet/NuGet.Config or ~/.config/NuGet/NuGet.Config (Mac/Linux) is used.

  • -DependencyVersion

    (4.4+) The version of the dependency packages to use, which can be one of the following:

    • Lowest (default): the lowest version
    • HighestPatch: the version with the lowest major, lowest minor, highest patch
    • HighestMinor: the version with the lowest major, highest minor, highest patch
    • Highest: the highest version
    • Ignore: No dependency packages will be used

  • -DirectDownload

    Download directly without populating any caches with metadata or binaries.

  • -DisableParallelProcessing

    Disables installing multiple packages in parallel.

  • -x|-ExcludeVersion

    Installs the package to a folder named with only the package name and not the version number.

  • -FallbackSource

    (3.2+) A list of package sources to use as fallbacks in case the package isn't found in the primary or default source.

  • -ForceEnglishOutput

    (3.5+) Forces nuget.exe to run using an invariant, English-based culture.

  • -Framework

    (4.4+) Target framework used for selecting dependencies. Defaults to 'Any' if not specified.

  • -?|-help

    Displays help information for the command.

  • -NoHttpCache

    Prevents NuGet from using http cached packages. See Managing the global packages and cache folders.

  • -NonInteractive

    Suppresses prompts for user input or confirmations.

  • -OutputDirectory

    Specifies the folder in which packages are installed. If no folder is specified, the current folder is used.

  • -PackageSaveMode

    Specifies the types of files to save after package installation: one of nuspec, nupkg, or nuspec;nupkg.

  • -PreRelease

    Allows prerelease packages to be installed. This flag is not required when restoring packages with packages.config.

  • -RequireConsent

    Verifies that restoring packages is enabled before downloading and installing the packages. For details, see Package Restore.

  • -SolutionDirectory

    Specifies root folder of the solution for which to restore packages.

  • -Source

    Specifies the list of package sources (as URLs) to use. If omitted, the command uses the sources provided in configuration files, see Common NuGet configurations.

  • -Verbosity [normal|quiet|detailed]

    Specifies the amount of detail displayed in the output: normal (the default), quiet, or detailed.

  • -Version

    Specifies the version of the package to install.

Also see Environment variables

Examples

nuget install elmah

nuget install packages.config

nuget install ninject -OutputDirectory c:\proj