How do I add a Reference to a new Windows Forms Project in Visual Studio 2019

Question

I do not see a way to add a reference to a new Windows Forms project using Visual Studio 2019.

• Right-Click the project
• Add >
• New Item...

And as you see below there is no option to add a reference.

I can load old projects that already have Reference links in them, right-click, and reference more assemblies or projects, but I cannot seem to add references to a new project.

Does anyone know a trick to this? Did I miss something on the install?

= = = = = = = = = SOLVED! = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = SOLVED! = = = = = = = = =
= = = = = = = = = SOLVED! = = = = = = = = =

The accepted answer was not 100% what I wanted, but it showed me how to do it on my own.

What I needed to start with was a Windows Forms App using the .NET Framework instead of .NET Core.

Since Visual Studio 2019 has a new startup screen, I was busy looking for the Windows Forms template and did not notice that I needed to select what platform to build on.

The screenshot above is provided to quickly guide others who come across this same issue.

Answer 1

Visual Studio 2019 supports .NET Core templates for WinForms projects on project creation screen, to add References right click on Dependencies and Manage NuGet Packages then search for the required package.

If you create a .NET Framework WinForms project it still has References in the solution explorer.