diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
index 5656640d21..24f5ff8959 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.ObjectModel/RunSettings/RunConfiguration.cs
@@ -487,6 +487,11 @@ public bool ResultsDirectorySet
         /// </summary>
         public bool CollectSourceInformationSet { get; private set; } = false;
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Path to dotnet executable to be used to invoke testhost.dll. Specifying this will skip looking up testhost.exe and will force usage of the testhost.dll. 
+        /// </summary>
+        public string DotnetHostPath { get; private set; }
+
         #endregion
 
         /// <inheritdoc/>
@@ -571,6 +576,13 @@ public override XmlElement ToXml()
                 root.AppendChild(targetDevice);
             }
 
+            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.DotnetHostPath))
+            {
+                XmlElement dotnetHostPath = doc.CreateElement(nameof(DotnetHostPath));
+                dotnetHostPath.InnerXml = this.DotnetHostPath;
+                root.AppendChild(dotnetHostPath);
+            }
+
             return root;
         }
 
@@ -867,6 +879,11 @@ public static RunConfiguration FromXml(XmlReader reader)
                             runConfiguration.TargetDevice = reader.ReadElementContentAsString();
                             break;
 
+                        case "DotNetHostPath":
+                            XmlRunSettingsUtilities.ThrowOnHasAttributes(reader);
+                            runConfiguration.DotnetHostPath = reader.ReadElementContentAsString();
+                            break;
+
                         default:
                             // Ignore a runsettings element that we don't understand. It could occur in the case
                             // the test runner is of a newer version, but the test host is of an earlier version.
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManager.cs b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManager.cs
index 0552944438..324e40be31 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManager.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManager.cs
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ public class DotnetTestHostManager : ITestRuntimeProvider
 
         private bool isVersionCheckRequired = true;
 
+        private string dotnetHostPath;
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="DotnetTestHostManager"/> class.
         /// </summary>
@@ -156,6 +158,7 @@ public void Initialize(IMessageLogger logger, string runsettingsXml)
 
             var runConfiguration = XmlRunSettingsUtilities.GetRunConfigurationNode(runsettingsXml);
             this.architecture = runConfiguration.TargetPlatform;
+            this.dotnetHostPath = runConfiguration.DotnetHostPath;
         }
 
         /// <inheritdoc/>
@@ -218,10 +221,16 @@ public virtual TestProcessStartInfo GetTestHostProcessStartInfo(
 
             var runtimeConfigDevPath = Path.Combine(sourceDirectory, string.Concat(sourceFile, ".runtimeconfig.dev.json"));
             string testHostPath = string.Empty;
+            bool useCustomDotnetHostpath = !string.IsNullOrEmpty(this.dotnetHostPath);
 
-            // If testhost.exe is available use it
+            if (useCustomDotnetHostpath)
+            {
+                EqtTrace.Verbose("DotnetTestHostmanager: User specified custom path to dotnet host: '{0}'.", this.dotnetHostPath);
+            }
+
+            // If testhost.exe is available use it, unless user specified path to dotnet.exe, then we will use the testhost.dll
             bool testHostExeFound = false;
-            if (this.platformEnvironment.OperatingSystem.Equals(PlatformOperatingSystem.Windows))
+            if (!useCustomDotnetHostpath && this.platformEnvironment.OperatingSystem.Equals(PlatformOperatingSystem.Windows))
             {
                 var exeName = this.architecture == Architecture.X86 ? "testhost.x86.exe" : "testhost.exe";
                 var fullExePath = Path.Combine(sourceDirectory, exeName);
@@ -257,17 +266,21 @@ public virtual TestProcessStartInfo GetTestHostProcessStartInfo(
 
             if (!testHostExeFound)
             {
-                var currentProcessPath = this.processHelper.GetCurrentProcessFileName();
-
                 if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(testHostPath))
                 {
                     testHostPath = this.GetTestHostPath(runtimeConfigDevPath, depsFilePath, sourceDirectory);
                 }
 
+                var currentProcessPath = this.processHelper.GetCurrentProcessFileName();
+                if (useCustomDotnetHostpath)
+                {
+                    startInfo.FileName = this.dotnetHostPath;
+                }
+
                 // This host manager can create process start info for dotnet core targets only.
                 // If already running with the dotnet executable, use it; otherwise pick up the dotnet available on path.
                 // Wrap the paths with quotes in case dotnet executable is installed on a path with whitespace.
-                if (currentProcessPath.EndsWith("dotnet", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+                else if (currentProcessPath.EndsWith("dotnet", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)
                    || currentProcessPath.EndsWith("dotnet.exe", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
                 {
                     startInfo.FileName = currentProcessPath;
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider.UnitTests/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManagerTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider.UnitTests/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManagerTests.cs
index 6922852c0c..2cf1a8889d 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider.UnitTests/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManagerTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.TestPlatform.TestHostProvider.UnitTests/Hosting/DotnetTestHostManagerTests.cs
@@ -279,6 +279,18 @@ public void GetTestHostProcessStartInfoShouldUseTestHostExeIfPresentOnWindows()
             StringAssert.Contains(startInfo.FileName, testhostExePath);
         }
 
+        [TestMethod]
+        public void GetTestHostProcessStartInfoShouldUseDotnetHostPathFromRunsettings()
+        {
+            var dotnetHostPath = @"C:\dotnet.exe";
+            this.mockFileHelper.Setup(ph => ph.Exists("testhost.dll")).Returns(true);
+            this.mockEnvironment.Setup(ev => ev.OperatingSystem).Returns(PlatformOperatingSystem.Windows);
+            this.dotnetHostManager.Initialize(this.mockMessageLogger.Object, $"<RunSettings><RunConfiguration><DotNetHostPath>{dotnetHostPath}</DotNetHostPath></RunConfiguration></RunSettings>");
+            var startInfo = this.GetDefaultStartInfo();
+
+            StringAssert.Contains(startInfo.FileName, dotnetHostPath);
+        }
+
         [TestMethod]
         public void GetTestHostProcessStartInfoShouldUseTestHostExeFromNugetIfNotFoundInSourceLocation()
         {