How Can I Ensure My WPF Application Runs Only as a Single Instance?

How to Build a Single-Instance WPF Application in C# and .NET

In C#/.NET WPF development, limiting your application to a single running instance is often desirable. This is efficiently accomplished using a mutex (mutual exclusion).

A mutex is a synchronization primitive that controls access to shared resources across multiple threads or processes. In the context of WPF, it ensures only one application instance runs simultaneously.

Implementing this single-instance behavior involves creating a static Mutex object within your application's main class. The Mutex constructor accepts two arguments: a boolean indicating whether to create a new mutex or open an existing one, and the mutex's name (a unique identifier).

After creating the mutex, use the WaitOne() method to attempt acquisition. If another instance already holds the mutex, WaitOne() returns false, preventing the new instance from launching.

For enhanced functionality, such as notifying the running instance of a new launch attempt, consider using Windows messages or other inter-process communication techniques. For example, register a custom Windows message and send it to the existing instance upon a second instance's initialization.

This mutex-based approach guarantees only one WPF application instance runs at a time, preventing resource conflicts and improving the user experience by avoiding redundant application windows.

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