Why Does My C# Console Application Close Immediately After Running?

Keeping Your C# Console Window Open: A Simple Fix

Many C# developers encounter a common problem: their console application closes instantly after running, preventing examination of the output. This happens because the program finishes executing and the console window automatically closes.

The solution is to pause the program's execution until a key is pressed. This can be achieved by adding Console.ReadLine() before the program exits.

Here's how to do it:

Method 1: Simple Pause (Always Pauses)

Add this line of code just before the end of your Main method:

<code class="language-csharp">Console.ReadLine();</code>

This will pause the program until the user presses Enter.

Method 2: Conditional Pause (Pauses Only in Debug Mode)

For a cleaner solution, only pause the program when debugging. Use a preprocessor directive:

<code class="language-csharp">#if DEBUG
    Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
    Console.ReadLine();
#endif</code>

This code only executes when the application is run in debug mode (F5). It's a better approach because it doesn't affect the release version of your application.

Method 3: Pause in finally Block (Handles Exceptions)

If you need to ensure the console window stays open even if an exception occurs, use a try...finally block:

<code class="language-csharp">#if DEBUG
    try
    {
        // Your code here...
    }
    finally
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Press any key to exit...");
        Console.ReadLine();
    }
#endif</code>

This guarantees the Console.ReadLine() will always execute, allowing you to see any error messages or output before the window closes. Remember to choose the method that best suits your needs.

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