Install Dot Net Framework 3.5 offline using Windows 10 ISO

Last Updated on March 23, 2018

Windows 10 by default has the Dot Net framework 4.5 installed. But if you install a lot of applications and games, you might have realized that most the applications in the wild require the Dot Net framework 3.5 for working correctly. While using those apps, Windows often prompts you to install the v3.5 separately. Sometimes this happens repeatedly.

While using those apps, Windows often prompts you to install the v3.5 separately. Sometimes this happens repeatedly.

On its own, the Dot Net framework 3.5 is a few hundred megabytes and doesn’t provide any installer specific for installation on multiple systems. If you are one of those people who frequently mess up your OS or reinstall apps on it, you will find it a chore to download it from the internet repeatedly.

In this post, I’ll be showing you a simple method to install and use the Net framework 3.5 on your Windows 10 PC without downloading it from the internet again and again.

Offline installer for Dot Net Framework 3.5 using Windows 10 OS Disk

What I am going to do is use the Windows 10 disk or ISO file to extract the Dot Net Framework 3.5 installer hidden in it. That’s right. The whole setup file is just hidden inside the Windows DVD / ISO file, but you won’t find it while browsing the disk.

You will need the Windows 10 DVD or ISO file which you can download from the official Windows website. I have previously written on how to download the Windows ISO file so you can check that out.

• Download the Windows 10 ISO file from MS’s official website. Once downloaded, right click on the iso file and go to Open with > Windows Explorer. This will mount the ISO file in This PC. You can also use the DVD if you have one for this purpose.
• Press Windows + X to open the Start menu context menu. Now, press A to open the Command Prompt (Admin).

• In this Administrator Command Prompt, copy and paste the following command and press Enter. It will look something like the image above.

Dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:NetFX3 /All /Source:XX:\sources\sxs /LimitAccess

Note: Make sure to replace the XX with the drive letter name that the ISO file mounts with. 

• After the completion of installation, the command prompt should show Enabling feature 100% completed like the image below.

Now restart your PC to make sure that all the changes are applied to Windows. Now if you install any of the older apps on Windows which require Dot Net Framework 3.5 to work, you will not get prompted to download updates from the internet repeatedly.