When that moment comes, simply download the official installer from Microsoft, run it, and let your apps work as intended.

dotnet --list-runtimes Look for an entry like:

Even though mainstream support has ended, many enterprises and developers still use .NET 6 for stable, production-grade applications. For users, this means you will encounter .NET 6 Desktop Runtime requirements for several years as companies transition to .NET 8 or newer. This is the most common point of confusion. Here’s a simple breakdown: