diff --git a/src/Accounts/Accounts/Accounts.csproj b/src/Accounts/Accounts/Accounts.csproj
index e514c5754b5f..231fb35d3593 100644
--- a/src/Accounts/Accounts/Accounts.csproj
+++ b/src/Accounts/Accounts/Accounts.csproj
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
   <ItemGroup>
     <PackageReference Include="System.Security.Permissions" Version="4.5.0" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.CSharp" Version="4.4.1" /> <!--needed for newtonsoft.json at compile time-->
   </ItemGroup>
 
   <Target Name="CopyFiles" AfterTargets="Build">
diff --git a/src/Accounts/Accounts/ChangeLog.md b/src/Accounts/Accounts/ChangeLog.md
index e55384f8c14c..ffc42d25ef14 100644
--- a/src/Accounts/Accounts/ChangeLog.md
+++ b/src/Accounts/Accounts/ChangeLog.md
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 -->
 
 ## Upcoming Release
+* Optimized the mechanism for assembly loading.
 * Enabled AzKeyStore with keyring in Linux.
 
 ## Version 2.10.4
diff --git a/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/AssemblyLoading.csproj b/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/AssemblyLoading.csproj
index 29599b8a1209..b9c2e2d65331 100644
--- a/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/AssemblyLoading.csproj
+++ b/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/AssemblyLoading.csproj
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 <Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
-	<PropertyGroup>
-		<PsModuleName>Accounts</PsModuleName>
-	</PropertyGroup>
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <PsModuleName>Accounts</PsModuleName>
+  </PropertyGroup>
 
-	<Import Project="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..\..\Az.props" />
+  <Import Project="$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..\..\Az.props" />
 
-	<PropertyGroup>
-		<AssemblyName>Microsoft.Azure.PowerShell.AssemblyLoading</AssemblyName>
-		<RootNamespace>Microsoft.Azure.PowerShell.AssemblyLoading</RootNamespace>
-	</PropertyGroup>
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <AssemblyName>Microsoft.Azure.PowerShell.AssemblyLoading</AssemblyName>
+    <RootNamespace>Microsoft.Azure.PowerShell.AssemblyLoading</RootNamespace>
+  </PropertyGroup>
 
-	<Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetDirectoryNameOfFileAbove($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory).., build.proj))\src\Az.Post.props" />
+  <Import Project="$([MSBuild]::GetDirectoryNameOfFileAbove($(MSBuildThisFileDirectory).., build.proj))\src\Az.Post.props" />
 </Project>
diff --git a/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/ConditionalAssemblyProvider.cs b/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/ConditionalAssemblyProvider.cs
index 1326790fee0f..23f580c58c3d 100644
--- a/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/ConditionalAssemblyProvider.cs
+++ b/src/Accounts/AssemblyLoading/ConditionalAssemblyProvider.cs
@@ -47,34 +47,30 @@ public static void Initialize(string rootPath, IConditionalAssemblyContext conte
                 CreateAssembly("netcoreapp3.1", "Microsoft.Identity.Client.Extensions.Msal", "2.23.0.0").WithPowerShellCore(),
 
                 CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "Azure.Identity", "1.6.1.0"),
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "Microsoft.Bcl.AsyncInterfaces", "1.0.0.0").WithPowerShellCore(),
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "Microsoft.IdentityModel.Abstractions", "6.22.1.0").WithPowerShellCore(),
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Memory.Data", "1.0.2.0").WithPowerShellCore(),
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Text.Json", "4.0.1.2").WithPowerShellCore(),
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Buffers", "4.0.3.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), // standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Memory", "4.0.1.1").WithWindowsPowerShell(), // standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Net.Http.WinHttpHandler", "4.0.2.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), // standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Private.ServiceModel", "4.7.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.AccessControl", "4.1.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.Permissions", "4.0.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.Principal.Windows", "4.1.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),//standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.ServiceModel.Primitives", "4.7.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //standard
-                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions", "4.2.0.1").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //standard
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "Microsoft.Bcl.AsyncInterfaces", "1.0.0.0"),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "Microsoft.IdentityModel.Abstractions", "6.22.1.0"),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Memory.Data", "1.0.2.0"),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Text.Json", "4.0.1.2"),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Buffers", "4.0.3.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Memory", "4.0.1.1").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Net.Http.WinHttpHandler", "4.0.2.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Private.ServiceModel", "4.7.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.AccessControl", "4.1.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.Permissions", "4.0.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Security.Principal.Windows", "4.1.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.ServiceModel.Primitives", "4.7.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
+                CreateAssembly("netstandard2.0", "System.Threading.Tasks.Extensions", "4.2.0.1").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
 
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "Azure.Core", "1.25.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
-                CreateAssembly("netfx", "Microsoft.Bcl.AsyncInterfaces", "1.1.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), // can use standard?
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "Microsoft.Identity.Client", "4.46.2.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "Microsoft.Identity.Client.Extensions.Msal", "2.23.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
-                CreateAssembly("netfx", "Microsoft.IdentityModel.Abstractions", "6.22.1.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //can use standard?
-                CreateAssembly("netfx", "Newtonsoft.Json", "10.0.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //double check; 12.0.0
+                CreateAssembly("netfx", "Newtonsoft.Json", "12.0.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Diagnostics.DiagnosticSource", "4.0.4.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
-                CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Memory.Data", "1.0.2.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //can use standard?
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Numerics.Vectors", "4.1.4.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Reflection.DispatchProxy", "4.0.4.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Runtime.CompilerServices.Unsafe", "4.0.6.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Security.Cryptography.Cng", "4.3.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Text.Encodings.Web", "4.0.5.1").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
-                CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Text.Json", "4.0.1.2").WithWindowsPowerShell(), //can use standard?
                 CreateAssembly("netfx", "System.Xml.ReaderWriter", "4.1.0.0").WithWindowsPowerShell(),
                 #endregion
             };
diff --git a/src/Accounts/AuthenticationAssemblyLoadContext/AzAssemblyLoadContext.cs b/src/Accounts/AuthenticationAssemblyLoadContext/AzAssemblyLoadContext.cs
index 24eb2dca01af..8e3e2dab975e 100644
--- a/src/Accounts/AuthenticationAssemblyLoadContext/AzAssemblyLoadContext.cs
+++ b/src/Accounts/AuthenticationAssemblyLoadContext/AzAssemblyLoadContext.cs
@@ -29,6 +29,14 @@ internal class AzAssemblyLoadContext : AzAssemblyLoadContextBase
 
         private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, AssemblyLoadContext> DependencyLoadContexts = new ConcurrentDictionary<string, AssemblyLoadContext>();
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Get an ALC for a certain directory that contains assemblies.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <remarks>
+        /// There are two types of possible value for <paramref name="directoryPath"/>:
+        /// 1. <see cref="AzSharedAssemblyLoadContext.Key"/> which will create if not exist and return an ALC for shared libraries.
+        /// 2. A directory in a service module that contains the assemblies to be loaded into the ALC of the service module.
+        /// </remarks>
         internal static AssemblyLoadContext GetForDirectory(string directoryPath)
         {
             return DependencyLoadContexts.GetOrAdd(directoryPath, path => path.Equals(AzSharedAssemblyLoadContext.Key) ? new AzSharedAssemblyLoadContext() : (AssemblyLoadContext)new AzAssemblyLoadContext(directoryPath));
diff --git a/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.12.0.3.dll b/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.12.0.3.dll
deleted file mode 100644
index e4a63399d0d9..000000000000
Binary files a/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.12.0.3.dll and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.dll b/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.dll
index 77a5d89e605c..e4a63399d0d9 100644
Binary files a/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.dll and b/src/lib/netfx/Newtonsoft.Json.dll differ
diff --git a/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.Test.targets b/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.Test.targets
index df5cada97d66..3cbf834d54bb 100644
--- a/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.Test.targets
+++ b/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.Test.targets
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     <PackageReference Include="xunit.runner.console" Version="2.4.0" />
     <PackageReference Include="System.Reflection.TypeExtensions" Version="4.5.0" />
     <Reference Include="System.Net.Http" />
-    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" version="10.0.3" />
+    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="12.0.3" />
     <PackageReference Include="Microsoft.Extensions.Primitives" Version="2.2.0" />
   </ItemGroup>
 
diff --git a/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.targets b/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.targets
index 0a6d42bd55ff..40056e2abf41 100644
--- a/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.targets
+++ b/tools/Common.Netcore.Dependencies.targets
@@ -39,6 +39,6 @@
     <StorageToolsPath>$(NugetPackageRoot)\microsoft.azure.powershell.storage\1.3.67-preview\tools\</StorageToolsPath>
   </PropertyGroup>
   <ItemGroup Condition="'$(OmitJsonPackage)' != 'true'">
-    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="10.0.3"/>
+    <PackageReference Include="Newtonsoft.Json" Version="12.0.3"/>
   </ItemGroup>
 </Project>