Getting Started with WinForms CommandBar

You can add RadCommandBar either at design time or at run time:

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

To use RadCommandBar when working with NuGet packages, install the Telerik.UI.for.WinForms.AllControls package. The package target framework version may vary.

Read more about NuGet installation in the Install using NuGet Packages article.

With the 2025 Q1 release, the Telerik UI for WinForms has a new licensing mechanism. You can learn more about it here.

Adding Assembly References Manually

When dragging and dropping a control from the Visual Studio (VS) Toolbox onto the Form Designer, VS automatically adds the necessary assemblies. However, if you're adding the control programmatically, you'll need to manually reference the following assemblies:

Telerik.Licensing.Runtime
Telerik.WinControls
Telerik.WinControls.UI
TelerikCommon

The Telerik UI for WinForms assemblies can be install by using one of the available installation approaches.

Defining the RadCommandBar

You can add RadCommandBar either at design time or at run time:

Design Time

To add a RadCommandBar to your form, drag a RadCommandBar from the toolbox onto the surface of the form designer. In order to set up the RadCommandBar at design time you can refer to the Design time help article.
Select the default CommandBarStripElement and in the Properties section of Visual Studio open the Items property.
Add the desired items by choosing the item type in the drop down button.
Click F5 to start the application.

Run Time

To programmatically add a RadCommandBar to a form, create a new instance of a RadCommandBar, and add it to the form Controls collection.

Adding a RadCommandBar at runtime


RadCommandBar radCommandBar = new RadCommandBar();
this.Controls.Add(radCommandBar);
radCommandBar.Dock = DockStyle.Top;
CommandBarRowElement row1 = new CommandBarRowElement();
radCommandBar.Rows.Add(row1);
CommandBarStripElement strip1 = new CommandBarStripElement();
row1.Strips.Add(strip1);
CommandBarButton button1 = new CommandBarButton();
strip1.Items.Add(button1);

Dim radCommandBar As New RadCommandBar()
Me.Controls.Add(radCommandBar)
radCommandBar.Dock = DockStyle.Top
Dim row1 As New CommandBarRowElement()
radCommandBar.Rows.Add(row1)
Dim strip1 As New CommandBarStripElement()
row1.Strips.Add(strip1)
Dim button1 As New CommandBarButton()
strip1.Items.Add(button1)

Getting Started with WinForms CommandBar

Adding Telerik Assemblies Using NuGet

Adding Assembly References Manually

Defining the RadCommandBar

Design Time

Run Time

Adding a RadCommandBar at runtime

Telerik UI for WinForms Learning Resources

Getting Started

Support Resources

Community