The first hurdle: . He opened an old WinForms project and noticed the DX splash screen pop up. The installer was quietly registering over 100 custom controls: GridControl, ChartControl, RibbonControl... it was like a candy store for a UI developer.

Ensure you have the compatible version of the .NET Framework or .NET Core/.NET 6+ installed.

On the Welcome page, click Start . Enter your DevExpress.com login credentials . If you don't have an account, there is a link provided to create one.

You will be prompted to create a free DevExpress account. This is necessary to manage your trial period and access technical support.

DevExpress releases major updates twice a year (e.g., v23.2, v24.1). Always download the . The trial includes all features of the full Universal subscription for 30 days.