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Specify which MSBuild target to build first

MSBuild project files can contain one or more targets that define how the project is built. MSBuild builds the first target it finds, and any dependencies, unless:

  • The Project element contains an InitialTargets attribute.
  • The Project element contains a DefaultTargets attribute.
  • The MSBuild command has a -target switch that specifies a target.

Use the InitialTargets attribute

The InitialTargets attribute of the Project element specifies the initial target that runs first. It overrides any targets that you specify with MSBuild on the command line or in the DefaultTargets attribute of the Project element.

Specify a single initial target

Specify the default target in the InitialTargets attribute of the Project element. For example:

<Project InitialTargets="Clean">

Specify multiple initial targets

You can specify more than one initial target in the InitialTargets attribute of the Project element. List the targets in order and use a semicolon to separate each target. The targets in the list are run sequentially.

For example, to run the Clean target and then the Compile target, enter:

<Project InitialTargets="Clean;Compile">

Use the DefaultTargets attribute

The DefaultTargets attribute of the Project element specifies which target or targets are built if a target isn't specified explicitly on the command line.

If targets are specified in both the InitialTargets and DefaultTargets attributes of the Project element, and no target is specified on the command line, MSBuild runs the targets specified in the InitialTargets attribute followed by the targets specified in the DefaultTargets attribute.

Specify a single default target

Specify the default target in the DefaultTargets attribute of the Project element. For example:

<Project DefaultTargets="Compile">`

Specify multiple default targets

You can specify more than one default target in the DefaultTargets attribute of the Project element. List the default targets in order and use a semicolon to separate each target. The targets in the list are run sequentially.

For example, to run the Clean target and then the Compile target, enter:

<Project DefaultTargets="Clean;Compile">

Use the -target switch to override the default target

If a default target isn't defined in the project file, or if you don't want to use the defined default target, you can use the command line switch -target to specify a different target. The target or targets specified with the -target switch are run instead of the targets specified by the DefaultTargets attribute of the Project element. Targets specified in the InitialTargets attribute always run first.

Override the default target with a single target

Specify the target to use as the first target by using the -target command-line switch with a colon (:) and the name of the target. For example:

msbuild file.proj -target:Clean

Override the default target with multiple targets

Specify a list of targets to use as the first targets and separate them by semicolons with the -target command-line switch. For example:

msbuild <file name>.proj -t:Clean;Compile

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