How to view the Folder and Files in GAC?

Question

Install:

gacutil -i "path_to_the_assembly"

View:

Open in Windows Explorer folder

• .NET 1.0 - NET 3.5: c:\windows\assembly (%systemroot%\assembly)
• .NET 4.x: %windir%\Microsoft.NET\assembly

OR gacutil –l

When you are going to install an assembly you have to specify where gacutil can find it, so you have to provide a full path as well. But when an assembly already is in GAC - gacutil know a folder path so it just need an assembly name.

MSDN:

• How to: Install an Assembly into the Global Assembly Cache
• How to: View the Contents of the Global Assembly Cache

I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one. If you want to view the folder structure of the GAC in Windows Explorer, you can do this by using the registry:

1. Launch regedit.
2. Navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Fusion
3. Add a DWORD called DisableCacheViewer and set the value to 1.

For a temporary view, you can substitute a drive for the folder path, which strips away the special directory properties.

1. Launch a Command Prompt at your account's privilege level.
   • If you elevate your privileges, you might not see the drive in Windows 7.
2. Type SUBST Z: C:\Windows\assembly
   • Z can be any free drive letter.
3. Open My Computer and look in the new substitute directory.
4. To remove the virtual drive from Command Prompt, type SUBST Z: /D

As for why you'd want to do something like this, I've used this trick to compare GAC'd DLLs between different machines to make sure they're truly the same.

Launch the program "Run" (Windows Vista/7/8: type it in the start menu search bar) and type: C:\windows\assembly\GAC_MSIL

Then move to the parent folder (Windows Vista/7/8: by clicking on it in the explorer bar) to see all the GAC files in a normal explorer window. You can now copy, add and remove files as everywhere else.

To view the files just browse them from the command prompt (cmd), eg.:

c:\>cd \Windows\assembly\GAC_32
c:\Windows\assembly\GAC_32> dir

To add and remove files from the GAC use the tool gacutil