.SLNX File Extension
Visual Studio Solution XML File
| Developer | Microsoft |
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What is an SLNX file?
An SLNX file is a solution file used by Microsoft Visual Studio, an IDE used to develop, debug, and manage software applications for Windows, web, mobile, and cloud platforms. It describes how a group of related projects fit together, defining which projects belong to a solution, where they are located, and how they are organized, similar to a traditional .SLN file. Unlike SLN files, which use a plain-text format, SLNX files store solution information in a structured (XML-based) format that improves readability, extensibility, and compatibility.
More Information
The SLNX format was first introduced as a preview feature in Visual Studio 2022 version 17.10 Preview 3 (2024) and became more broadly supported in Visual Studio 17.14 and later. It is also supported by the .NET SDK 9.0.200 and later, allowing developers to work with SLNX files using dotnet CLI tools.
SLNX files help Visual Studio to load large or complex solutions more efficiently. The file format stores cached metadata about projects, dependencies, and solution structure so the IDE can open solutions faster without re-parsing every project file each time. This helps developers better manage complex solutions with multiple projects, dependencies, and configurations.
How to open an SLNX file
SLNX files are not meant to be opened. Instead, Microsoft Visual Studio (version 17.14 and later) generates and maintains them automatically in the background. Because the format is XML-based, you can open SLNX files with any text editor, though modifying them outside Visual Studio is not recommended.