I cannot get RDLC Report Designer 2022 Extension to appear

Thank you for reaching out. Please follow the steps below.

Why This Happens

You’ve installed the Microsoft RDLC Report Designer extension in Visual Studio, but .rdlc files still don’t open with the Report Designer. Instead, they open as raw XML, and the "Open With" dialog doesn’t list the RDLC designer.

This usually happens due to:

• Missing Workloads → The .NET desktop development workload is not installed.
• Extension Mismatch → Wrong RDLC Designer version (e.g., 2019 vs 2022).
• Cache / Registration Issues → Visual Studio didn’t register the designer correctly.
• Project Type Limitations → RDLC Designer works best in Windows Forms or ASP.NET Web Forms. In .NET Core / .NET 5+, support is limited.
• Corrupted Installation → Partial installs of Visual Studio or the extension.

How to Solve the Issue

Follow these steps in order — each one addresses the most common causes:

1. Update Visual Studio

• Go to Help > Check for Updates
• Install any pending updates
• Restart Visual Studio

2. Install Required Workloads

• Open Visual Studio Installer
• Click Modify on your installed version
• Enable:
  • .NET desktop development (mandatory for RDLC)
  • Optional: ASP.NET and web development (if using RDLC in web projects)
• Click Modify/Repair to install missing components

3. Reinstall the Correct RDLC Designer Extension

• In Visual Studio: Extensions > Manage Extensions
• Uninstall Microsoft RDLC Report Designer
• Restart Visual Studio
• Reinstall the correct version from the Visual Studio Marketplace:
  • RDLC Designer for Visual Studio 2022
    • RDLC Designer for Visual Studio 2019

4. Reset File Association in Visual Studio

• In Solution Explorer, right-click the .rdlc file → choose Open With…
• If “Report Designer” isn’t listed:
  • Click Add…
  • Look for Microsoft.ReportingServices.Designer or similar
  • Select it and click Set as Default

5. Clear Visual Studio Cache

• Close Visual Studio
• Delete this folder:

%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\<your VS version>\ComponentModelCache

• Restart Visual Studio — the cache will rebuild

6. Force Re-Register Visual Studio Editors

• Open Developer Command Prompt for VS as Administrator
• Run these commands:

devenv /setup 
devenv /installvstemplates

7. Test with a New Report

• In your project: Add > New Item > Reporting > RDLC Report
• If the new file opens correctly, your install is fixed
• If not, try running VS in Safe Mode:

devenv /safemode

This helps rule out conflicts with other extensions

Notes

• RDLC Designer does work in Visual Studio Community Edition — no need for Pro/Enterprise.
• You do not need SSDT (SQL Server Data Tools) for RDLC — SSDT is for SSRS (server-side reports).
• RDLC in .NET Core / .NET 5+ / .NET 6+ projects is tricky:
  • Designer works
  • Runtime support requires the Microsoft.ReportingServices.ReportViewerControl.WinForms NuGet package

Final Check

If .rdlc files still don’t open in the designer after all steps:

• Run a Repair from Visual Studio Installer
• Or as a last resort: Uninstall & Reinstall Visual Studio + RDLC Extension

Let us know if you need any further help with this. We’ll be happy to assist further if needed.