Your First .NET MAUI App

Let’s walk through the steps to create your first cross-platform mobile/desktop application using .NET MAUI. We'll explore the project structure and build a simple interactive app.

Creating the Project

Open Visual Studio 2022 or later.
Select “Create a new project” → Choose .NET MAUI App.
Name your project and click “Create”.

Visual Studio creates a cross-platform solution with a single project targeting Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS.

Understanding the Project Structure

MainPage.xaml – Your first screen (written in XAML)
MainPage.xaml.cs – Logic behind the UI
Platforms/ – Platform-specific code and assets
Resources/ – Shared fonts, images, raw files
MauiProgram.cs – Startup configuration (services, DI, etc.)

Creating a Simple Counter App

Edit MainPage.xaml:

<VerticalStackLayout Spacing="25" Padding="30">
    <Label x:Name="counterLabel"
           Text="0"
           FontSize="32"
           HorizontalOptions="Center" />

    <Button Text="Click Me"
            Clicked="OnCounterClicked"
            HorizontalOptions="Center" />
</VerticalStackLayout>

Edit MainPage.xaml.cs:

int count = 0;

private void OnCounterClicked(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    count++;
    counterLabel.Text = $"Clicked {count} time(s)";
}

Running the App

Choose a target platform from the device dropdown:

Android Emulator
Windows Machine
iOS Simulator (Mac only)

Click Start to build and launch your app!

You’ve just built your first .NET MAUI app! Next, we’ll explore how to use XAML to build beautiful and responsive UIs that work across all platforms.

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