Tests not running in Test Explorer

Question

If your projects aren't all AnyCpu then you may also want to check that the following 2 settings match:

1. [Right click test project] -> properties -> Build -> Platform target - e.g. x64

2. [Main Menu] -> Test -> Test Settings -> Default Processor Architecture -> X64

I found that when these didn't match my test project would silently fail to run.

If you are using NUnit rather than MSTest then you will need the NUnit Test Adapter Extension for Visual Studio 2012/2013.

I had to change my async test methods to return Task instead of void.

The tests were then active and runnable in Test Explorer.

I had the same problem in VS 2017. In my case it solved by restarting VS.

TLDR: Update the testing packages, look into the output -> test console

I struggled with this for a day and a half. so here's what I did to solve it:

Symptoms

1. 5 Unit test projects, all discoverable in TestExplorer
2. 2 out of 5 executed properly
3. 3 stating not run at all
4. The problem started after a .net framework update

Investigation

Since all the packages were updated during the .net framework update, I started with the differences between the working and not working projects. The first clue was that all 3 projects were using: MSTest.TestAdapter and MSTest.TestFramework

Naturally I went to the -> Output console -> Test dropdown in VS 2019 and looked at the output. Nothing useful there.

Step one of the solution: Update the MSTest.TestAdapter and MSTest.TestFramework to version 2.0.0

Step two of the solution: Now the Output console -> Test dropdown output started showing one after the other, missing packages and wrong binding redirects

Step three of the solution: Manually add the missing packages. For me those were

1. System.Runtime.Extentions
2. System.Reflection
3. Maybe some more that I'm missing

Step 4 of the solution: Removed/Fixed the unnecessary binding redirects.

I hope this will help someone else.

Check what framework the tests are written against (e.g. nunit, xunit, VS test, etc.) and make sure you've got the correct test adapter/runner extension installed.

For me it was NUnit 3 Test Adapter that was missing and I confirmed the version number required by looking at the nunit.framework dependency version (select the .dll in the Dependencies tree in Solution Explorer and hit F4 to bring up the Properties window).