Where should I store links to DLL files in my visual studio solution

Question

When writing programs (C # .NET), I usually use external libraries that I downloaded from various sites, such as WinForm user controls or other libraries. Even if the source is available, I usually prefer to reference the compiled DLLs and then create another whole project in my solution for a third-party library or control.

So my question is, where will people usually store external DLL files like this in a solution? Link to the project folder? Solution folder? Another folder?

Answer 1

I always create a lib folder at the same level of the src folder and place all external DLLs there. They are referenced through a relative path.