Here Comes LINQPad 9: Rapid .NET Development for Windows and macOS
Hey there, fellow .NET enthusiasts! If you’re passionate about streamlining your coding workflows, experimenting with LINQ queries, or diving deep into .NET innovations, you’re in for a treat. The official release date for LINQPad 9 is just around the corner. It’s release will mark a monumental upgrade that brings together the Windows and macOS versions into a fully cross platform application. This isn’t just an update—it’s a complete transformation designed to supercharge your productivity and creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started with .NET, LINQPad 9 delivers powerful tools, a refreshed interface, and cutting-edge AI integrations that make coding feel effortless. Let’s dive into the standout features that make this release a game-changer.
A Fresh, Modern User Interface Built for Efficiency
LINQPad 9 kicks things off with a stunning UI overhaul, ensuring a consistent and contemporary look across both platforms. The dark theme has been meticulously redesigned, covering every corner of the application—from editors to explorers—for an immersive experience that’s easy on the eyes. You can even fine-tune the black point to suit low-light environments or OLED screens, perfect for those late-night coding sessions.
Navigation has never been smoother. The all-new Settings dialog is fully searchable, letting you tweak preferences in seconds. Plus, every command in LINQPad is now centralized and searchable, with customizable keyboard shortcuts that you can share across devices. Need to find a feature fast? The unified search dialog covers commands, help topics, settings, and even open tabs—saving you precious time during intense debugging or query-building marathons.
For multi-monitor setups, LINQPad 9 introduces per-monitor DPI scaling, ensuring crisp visuals no matter your hardware. And with a native trackpad handler optimized for both Windows and macOS, scrolling through code, results, or schemas is buttery smooth. The Data Grid visualizer? Completely rebuilt for glitch-free performance, with enhanced editing capabilities for database tables (now supporting up to 2.5MB text fields) and seamless integration with utilities like Util.Merge. You can even group your database connections in the Schema Explorer for better organization.
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AI-Powered Tools That Elevate Your Coding Game
One of the most exciting aspects of LINQPad 9 is its deep integration with AI, turning it into your ultimate coding companion. The inline AI agent is a standout, capable of querying database schemas, pulling in relevant LINQPad samples and APIs, and even using the compiler to validate and fix code before you run it. Imagine typing a natural-language request like “Show the most popular customer cities with sales volumes, chart the data, and export to Excel”—and watching LINQPad generate a working script on the fly. Press Ctrl+I (or Command-I on macOS) to summon this powerhouse directly in your editor.
Refactoring has reached new heights too. Enable it in the AI Chat window, and proposed changes appear as intuitive red/green diffs right in your code—test them instantly before committing. The system handles multiple diffs across messages, offers an “Apply All” option, and clones seamlessly when you duplicate scripts. LINQPad 9 also supports native integrations with OpenRouter.ai, giving you access to top models like Sonnet, Gemini, and GPT-5 Reasoning without hassle. Customize providers, toggle “Think Deeper” for complex reasoning, or get second opinions by pitting models against each other.
Code completion? Upgraded with advanced outlining, smarter prompts, and automatic modes using efficient models like Gemini 2.5 Flash or GPT Mini. It syncs with member lists for precise suggestions, making LINQPad 9 an indispensable tool for rapid .NET prototyping.
Enhanced Editor and Productivity Boosters
The heart of LINQPad—the editor—has been entirely revamped for modern .NET development. It now supports diagnostic scrollbar indicators, modification trackers, and async completion, helping you spot issues at a glance. Whitespace visibility is toggable (and auto-activates for raw string literals), ensuring clean, error-free code. Multi-cursor support is vastly improved, with Visual Studio-compatible shortcuts for adding cursors, selecting matches, and making rectangular edits—ideal for batch refactoring LINQ queries or .NET scripts.
Console.ReadLine and Util.ReadLine now handle multi-line input effortlessly, while non-.linq files get first-class treatment. Create new text documents with syntax highlighting for JSON, XML, HTML, or CSS right from the File menu, and save them with any extension.
Under-the-Hood Upgrades for Seamless .NET Workflows
LINQPad 9 fully embraces .NET 10 and C# 14 features, including extension members, so you can experiment with the latest language advancements. Security gets a boost with a centralized Password Manager that integrates with Windows Data Protection or macOS Keychain, securely handling connection passwords, API keys, and more—making it easier to sync scripts across machines.
Settings storage is now flexible, defaulting to a dedicated folder for easy synchronization. JavaScript execution is simplified with Util.JS.Eval and Util.JS.Run, returning results or running scripts without fuss. The LINQ-to-SQL driver defaults to Microsoft.Data.SqlClient for better performance, with legacy options available, and includes new query hint extensions like .WithQueryHints for optimizations. EF Core users will appreciate Universal Authentication support for SQL Server.
For developers relying on Entity Framework Core, LINQPad 9 offers full compatibility with the latest versions, including EF Core 9 and previews of EF Core 10, ensuring seamless integration for querying and manipulating databases in your .NET projects. Whether you’re scaffolding models, testing complex LINQ queries against SQL Server, or leveraging advanced features like Universal Authentication, LINQPad Entity Framework Core support makes it easier than ever to prototype and refine your data access layers without leaving the tool. This robust LINQPad EF Core compatibility positions it as the go-to playground for .NET database development, helping you stay ahead with cutting-edge ORM capabilities.
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Why LINQPad 9 is a Must-Have for .NET Developers
LINQPad 9 isn’t just software; it’s a catalyst for innovation in .NET coding. With its unified cross-platform foundation, AI-driven intelligence, and polished UI, it empowers you to write, test, and refine LINQ queries and .NET code faster than ever. Whether you’re building data visualizations, integrating databases, or exploring new .NET features, this release sets a new standard.
Ready to level up? Download LINQPad 9 today and experience the future of .NET development. Share your thoughts in the comments—what’s your favorite new feature? For more tips, tutorials, and LINQPad insights, subscribe to our newsletter and explore learninglinqpad.com. Let’s code smarter together!
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