In this article I will explain with an example, how to populate (bind) DataGridView using Entity Framework in Windows Forms (WinForms) Application using C# and VB.Net.
Note: For configuring Entity Framework and connecting it to SQL Server database in Windows Forms Application, please refer my article Connect and configure Entity Framework step by step in Windows Forms Application.
 
 

Database

Here I am making use of Microsoft’s Northwind Database. You can download it from here.
Download and install Northwind Database
 
 

Form Design

The following form consists of:
DataGridView – For displaying data.
Populate (Bind) DataGridView using Entity Framework in Windows Forms Application using C# and VB.Net
 
 

Namespaces

You will need to import the following namespaces.
C#
using System.Data;
using System.Linq;
 
VB.Net
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Linq
 
 

Populating DataGridView using Entity Framework with C# and VB.Net

Inside the Form Load event handler, an object of NorthwindEntities class is created and records from the Customers Table are fetched using Entity Framework and are assigned to the DataSource property of the DataGridView control.
C#
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    NorthwindEntities entities = new NorthwindEntities();
    var customers = from p in entities.Customers
                    select new
                    {
                        CustomerId = p.CustomerID,
                        ContactName = p.ContactName,
                        Country = p.Country
                    };
    dataGridView1.DataSource = customers.ToList();
}
 
VB.Net
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
    Dim entities As NorthwindEntities = New NorthwindEntities()
    Dim customers = From p In entities.Customers _
                    Select New With {.CustomerId = p.CustomerID, _
                                     .ContactName = p.ContactName, _
                                     .Country = p.Country}
    dataGridView1.DataSource = customers.ToList()
End Sub
 
 

Screenshot

Populate (Bind) DataGridView using Entity Framework in Windows Forms Application using C# and VB.Net
 
 

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