Why does dotnet CLI fail to locate WiX targets for my WiX 3.14 installation?

The problem is that when you use the dotnet CLI (and its MSBuild from the .NET SDK), the WiX targets aren’t being found. In your wixproj file the import logic looks for either a WixTargetsPath (which is empty) or a default location within MSBuildExtensionsPath32. In your case, MSBuildExtensionsPath32 is pointing to a .NET SDK folder (C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\9.0.101) that doesn’t contain the WiX targets. Visual Studio’s build uses a different (Visual Studio–integrated) MSBuild that finds the WiX extension installed by the WiX v3 Visual Studio 2022 extension, so you only see the error with dotnet CLI commands.

How to Fix It

You have a couple of options to resolve this issue:

1. Specify the WiX Targets Path Explicitly

   One solution is to set the WixTargetsPath property when you run dotnet build. For example, if your WiX Toolset 3.14 is installed (typically under Program Files (x86)), update the WixTargetsPath property to point to the expected targets file. You can pass it via the command line:

   BASHCopied
   dotnet build /p:WixTargetsPath="C:\Program Files (x86)\WiX Toolset v3.14\bin\Wix.targets"

   Make sure that the specified path actually contains the correct targets file.

2. Adjust Your Project File to Look in the Correct Location

   Alternatively, you can update your wixproj file so that the import for the WiX targets looks for the toolset in the path where WiX 3.14 is installed. For example, replace or extend the current logic:

   XMLCopied
   <PropertyGroup>
     <!-- Optionally define a default wix targets path -->
     <WixTargetsPath Condition=" '$(WixTargetsPath)' == '' ">C:\Program Files (x86)\WiX Toolset v3.14\bin\Wix.targets</WixTargetsPath>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <Import Project="$(WixTargetsPath)" Condition="Exists('$(WixTargetsPath)')" />

   This way, if WixTargetsPath wasn’t set externally, it uses the WiX Toolset v3.14 installed location.

3. Use Visual Studio’s MSBuild for Building WiX Projects

   Since the Visual Studio build/rebuild works correctly (because it locates the WiX targets via its own MSBuild installation), another workaround is to build your WiX projects inside Visual Studio or use the MSBuild from Visual Studio (instead of the dotnet CLI). For example, using the full MSBuild.exe might avoid these issues.

Summary

The error occurs because dotnet CLI’s MSBuild doesn’t automatically detect the WiX Toolset installation and the targets aren’t imported. The fix is to either explicitly specify the correct WixTargetsPath property when building or modify the project file to point to the WiX targets in their actual installed location.

By ensuring that the WiX targets are correctly imported, you’ll prevent the "WiX Toolset v3.11 build tools must be installed..." error when using dotnet CLI commands.