MSTest v1/v2 -> v3 Migration

Migrate a test project from MSTest v1 (assembly references) or MSTest v2 (NuGet 1.x-2.x) to MSTest v3. MSTest v3 is not binary compatible with v1/v2 -- libraries compiled against v1/v2 must be recompiled.

When to Use

• Project references

  Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.UnitTestFramework.dll

  (MSTest v1)
• Project uses

  MSTest.TestFramework

  /

  MSTest.TestAdapter

  NuGet 1.x or 2.x
• Resolving build errors after updating MSTest packages from v1/v2 to v3
• Replacing

  .testsettings

  with

  .runsettings

• Adopting MSTest.Sdk or in-assembly parallel execution

When Not to Use

• Project already uses MSTest v3 (3.x packages)
• Upgrading v3 to v4 -- use

  migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4

• Migrating between frameworks (MSTest to xUnit/NUnit)

Inputs

.csproj

.sln

.slnx

dotnet build

dotnet test

Breaking Changes Summary

MSTest v3 introduces these breaking changes from v1/v2. Address only the ones relevant to the project:

Assert.AreEqual(object, object)

Assert.AreEqual<T>(expected, actual)

AreNotEqual

AreSame

AreNotSame

DataRow

1

1L

1.0f

DataRow

.testsettings

<LegacySettings>

.testsettings

.runsettings

[Timeout]

Response Guidelines

• Always identify the current version first: Before recommending any migration steps, explicitly state the current MSTest version detected in the project (e.g., "Your project uses MSTest v2 (2.2.10)" or "This is an MSTest v1 project using QualityTools assembly references"). This grounds the migration advice and confirms you've read the project files.
• Focused fix requests (user has specific compilation errors after upgrading): Address only the relevant breaking change from the table above. Show a concise before/after fix. Do not walk through the full migration workflow.
• Specific feature migration (user asks about one aspect like .testsettings, DataRow, or assertions): Address only that specific aspect with a concrete fix. Do not walk through the entire migration workflow or unrelated breaking changes.
• "What to expect" questions (user asks about breaking changes before upgrading): Present only the breaking changes that are clearly relevant to the user's visible code and configuration. For each, give a one-line fix summary. Do not include every possible breaking change -- only the ones that apply. Do not walk through the full workflow.
• Full migration requests (user wants complete migration): Follow the complete workflow below.
• Comparison questions (user asks about v1 vs v2 differences): Explain concisely -- v1 uses assembly references and requires removing them first; v2 uses NuGet and just needs a version bump. Both converge on the same v3 packages and breaking changes.

Migration Paths

• MSTest v1 (assembly reference to QualityTools): Remove the assembly reference (Step 2), add v3 NuGet packages (Step 3), fix breaking changes (Step 5).
• MSTest v2 (NuGet packages 1.x-2.x): Update package versions to 3.x (Step 3), fix breaking changes (Step 5). No assembly reference removal needed.

Both paths converge at Step 3 -- the same v3 packages and breaking changes apply regardless of starting version.

Workflow

Step 1: Assess the project

1. Identify which MSTest version is currently in use:
   • Assembly reference: Look for

     Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.UnitTestFramework

     in project references -> MSTest v1
   • NuGet packages: Check

     MSTest.TestFramework

     and

     MSTest.TestAdapter

     package versions -> v1 if 1.x, v2 if 2.x
2. Check if the project uses a

   .testsettings

   file (indicated by

   <LegacySettings>

   in test configuration)
3. Check if the target framework is dropped in v3 (see Step 4)
4. Run a clean build to establish a baseline of existing errors/warnings

Step 2: Remove v1 assembly references (if applicable)

If the project uses MSTest v1 via assembly references:

1. Remove the reference to

   Microsoft.VisualStudio.QualityTools.UnitTestFramework.dll

   • In SDK-style projects, remove the

     <Reference>

     element from the

     .csproj

   • In non-SDK-style projects, remove via Visual Studio Solution Explorer -> References -> right-click -> Remove
2. Save the project file

Step 3: Update packages to MSTest v3

Choose one of these approaches:

Option A -- Install the MSTest metapackage (recommended):

Remove individual

MSTest.TestFramework

MSTest.TestAdapter

MSTest

<PackageReference Include="MSTest" Version="3.8.0" />

Also ensure

Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk

MSTest.TestFramework

MSTest.TestAdapter

Option B -- Use MSTest.Sdk (SDK-style projects only):

Change

<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">

<Project Sdk="MSTest.Sdk/3.8.0">

Important: MSTest.Sdk defaults to Microsoft.Testing.Platform (MTP) instead of VSTest. For VSTest compatibility (e.g.,

vstest.console

in CI), add

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk" Version="17.13.0" />

.

When switching to MSTest.Sdk, remove these (SDK provides them automatically):

• Packages:

  MSTest

  ,

  MSTest.TestFramework

  ,

  MSTest.TestAdapter

  ,

  MSTest.Analyzers

  ,

  Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk

• Properties:

  <EnableMSTestRunner>

  ,

  <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>

  ,

  <IsPackable>false</IsPackable>

  ,

  <IsTestProject>true</IsTestProject>

Step 4: Update target frameworks if needed

MSTest v3 supports .NET 6+, .NET Core 3.1, .NET Framework 4.6.2+, .NET Standard 2.0, UWP 16299+, and WinUI 18362+. If the project targets a dropped framework version, update to a supported one:

Note: .NET 6, .NET 8, and .NET 9 are all supported by MSTest v3. Do not change TFMs that are already supported.

Step 5: Resolve build errors and breaking changes

Run

dotnet build

Assertion overloads -- MSTest v3 removed

Assert.AreEqual(object, object)

Assert.AreNotEqual(object, object)

// Before (v1/v2)                           // After (v3)
Assert.AreEqual(expected, actual);        -> Assert.AreEqual<MyType>(expected, actual);
Assert.AreNotEqual(a, b);                -> Assert.AreNotEqual<MyType>(a, b);
Assert.AreSame(expected, actual);         -> Assert.AreSame<MyType>(expected, actual);

DataRow strict type matching -- argument types must exactly match parameter types. Implicit conversions that worked in v2 fail in v3:

// Error: 1L (long) won't convert to int parameter -> fix: use 1 (int)
// Error: 1.0 (double) won't convert to float parameter -> fix: use 1.0f (float)

Timeout behavior -- unified across .NET Core and .NET Framework. Verify

[Timeout]

Step 6: Replace .testsettings with .runsettings

The

.testsettings

<LegacySettings>

.testsettings

.runsettings

Key mappings:

TestTimeout

<MSTest><TestTimeout>30000</TestTimeout></MSTest>

<MSTest><DeploymentEnabled>true</DeploymentEnabled></MSTest>

<DataCollectionRunSettings><DataCollectors>

Important: Map timeout to

<MSTest><TestTimeout>

(per-test), not

<TestSessionTimeout>

(session-wide). Remove

<LegacySettings>

entirely.

Step 7: Verify

1. Run

   dotnet build

   -- confirm zero errors and review any new warnings
2. Run

   dotnet test

   -- confirm all tests pass
3. Compare test results (pass/fail counts) to the pre-migration baseline
4. Check that no tests were silently dropped due to discovery changes

Validation

• MSTest v3 packages (or MSTest.Sdk) correctly referenced; v1/v2 references removed
• Project builds with zero errors
• All tests pass (

  dotnet test

  ) -- compare pass/fail counts to pre-migration baseline

• .testsettings

  replaced with

  .runsettings

  (if applicable)

Next Step

After v3 migration, use

migrate-mstest-v3-to-v4

Common Pitfalls

Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk

vstest.console

Microsoft.NET.Test.Sdk