How to Copy an Assembly From the GAC to the File System

Sometimes you need a local copy of an assembly from the GAC and here is a quick tip on how to do it.  The GAC can be found in the c:\windows\assembly directory, but if you try to browse it, the following custom shell extension appears:

 

I use command prompt to demonstrate this.

But i suggest you to use powershell to copy a assembly(dll) from GAC

Since "copy-item" is not recognized in the command prompt.

u can follow the same steps in powershell

u can refer the screenshot here

  

copy-item Microsoft.VisualStudio.dll c:\temp

"c:\temp" is the destination folder where you want to copy the assembly to

Reference

Nice Article by John Powell

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/johnwpowell/archive/2009/01/14/how-to-copy-an-assembly-from-the-gac.aspx