System.Drawing.Common Alternatives (.NET 7 & Non-Windows)

Curtis Chau

Updated: May 9, 2026

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  # System.Drawing.Common Alternatives (.NET 7 & Non-Windows) ## Workarounds to Avoid "System.Drawing.Common is not supported on this platform" 1. Implementing **System.Drawing.Common** is not possible on Linux and macOS platforms for .NET 6 and .NET 7. 2. You will receive an exception message indicating "System.Drawing.Common is not supported on this platform." 3. Set the **System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport** runtime configuration to **true** for .NET 6. 4. Note that support is no longer available in .NET 7 as well. 5. Use the **IronSoftware.Drawing** open-source library to replace **System.Drawing.Common** for .NET 7. In .NET 6 and .NET 7, Microsoft has stopped supporting **System.Drawing.Common** on Linux and macOS. The library will only work on Windows platforms as per the [official documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/compatibility/core-libraries/6.0/system-drawing-common-windows-only). - On non-Windows operating systems, a `TypeInitializationException` is thrown with `PlatformNotSupportedException` as the inner exception. - In .NET 6, the platform analyzer emits compile-time warnings when code referencing **System.Drawing.Common** is compiled for non-Windows operating systems. Additionally, the following runtime exception is thrown unless a configuration option is set: ```plaintext System.TypeInitializationException : The type initializer for 'Gdip' threw an exception. --- System.PlatformNotSupportedException : System.Drawing.Common is not supported on non-Windows platforms. ``` ### Temporary Work-around in .NET 6: Enable support for non-Windows platforms by setting the `System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport` runtime configuration switch to `true` in the `runtimeconfig.json` file: ```json { "runtimeOptions": { "configProperties": { "System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport": true } } } ``` Add the following code to the beginning of your code to programmatically enable Unix support: ```csharp // Enables Unix support for System.Drawing in .NET 6. This setting is ignored in .NET 7. System.AppContext.SetSwitch("System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport", true); ``` ## .NET 7 With the release of .NET 7, Microsoft has removed the workaround, completely removing support for **System.Drawing.Common** on Linux and macOS. Iron Software has released an open-source replacement for **System.Drawing.Common**, called **IronSoftware.Drawing**. You can find it on [NuGet](https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronSoftware.System.Drawing) and [GitHub](https://github.com/iron-software/IronSoftware.System.Drawing). To learn more, you can visit the documentation page: [Iron Software Drawing Documentation](https://ironsoftware.com/open-source/csharp/drawing/docs/)

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Workarounds to Avoid "System.Drawing.Common is not supported on this platform"

1. Implementing System.Drawing.Common is not possible on Linux and macOS platforms for .NET 6 and .NET 7.
2. You will receive an exception message indicating "System.Drawing.Common is not supported on this platform."
3. Set the System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport runtime configuration to true for .NET 6.
4. Note that support is no longer available in .NET 7 as well.
5. Use the IronSoftware.Drawing open-source library to replace System.Drawing.Common for .NET 7.

In .NET 6 and .NET 7, Microsoft has stopped supporting System.Drawing.Common on Linux and macOS. The library will only work on Windows platforms as per the official documentation.

• On non-Windows operating systems, a TypeInitializationException is thrown with PlatformNotSupportedException as the inner exception.
• In .NET 6, the platform analyzer emits compile-time warnings when code referencing System.Drawing.Common is compiled for non-Windows operating systems. Additionally, the following runtime exception is thrown unless a configuration option is set:

System.TypeInitializationException : The type initializer for 'Gdip' threw an exception. --- System.PlatformNotSupportedException : System.Drawing.Common is not supported on non-Windows platforms.

System.TypeInitializationException : The type initializer for 'Gdip' threw an exception. --- System.PlatformNotSupportedException : System.Drawing.Common is not supported on non-Windows platforms.

Temporary Work-around in .NET 6:

Enable support for non-Windows platforms by setting the System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport runtime configuration switch to true in the runtimeconfig.json file:

{
  "runtimeOptions": {
    "configProperties": {
      "System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport": true
    }
  }
}

{
  "runtimeOptions": {
    "configProperties": {
      "System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport": true
    }
  }
}

Add the following code to the beginning of your code to programmatically enable Unix support:

// Enables Unix support for System.Drawing in .NET 6. This setting is ignored in .NET 7.
System.AppContext.SetSwitch("System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport", true);

// Enables Unix support for System.Drawing in .NET 6. This setting is ignored in .NET 7.
System.AppContext.SetSwitch("System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport", true);

' Enables Unix support for System.Drawing in .NET 6. This setting is ignored in .NET 7.
System.AppContext.SetSwitch("System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport", True)

' Enables Unix support for System.Drawing in .NET 6. This setting is ignored in .NET 7.
System.AppContext.SetSwitch("System.Drawing.EnableUnixSupport", True)

.NET 7

With the release of .NET 7, Microsoft has removed the workaround, completely removing support for System.Drawing.Common on Linux and macOS.

Iron Software has released an open-source replacement for System.Drawing.Common, called IronSoftware.Drawing. You can find it on NuGet and GitHub.

To learn more, you can visit the documentation page: Iron Software Drawing Documentation

Curtis Chau

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Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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