Как установить c в visual studio

Среды разработки для С

Одной из распространенных сред разработки для программирования на Windows является Visual Studio . В данном случае мы будем использовать бесплатную и полнофункциональную среду Visual Studio 2019 Community, которую можно найти по адресу https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/ru/vs/community/.

После загрузки и запуска установщика Visual Studio в нем необходимо отметить пункт Разработка классических приложений на C++ :

Выбрав все необходимые пункты, нажмем ОК для запуска установки. После установки Visual Studio создадим первый проект. Для этого откроем Visual Studio. На стартовом экране выберем тип Empty Project для языка C++:

На следующем экране в поле для имени проекта дадим проекту имя HelloApp и также можно указать расположение проекта. И затем нажмем на Create для создания проекта.

После этого Visual Studio создаст пустой проект. Добавим в него текстовый файл для набора исходного кода. Для этого в окне Solution Explorer (Обозреватель решений) нажмем правой кнопкой мыши на узел Source Files и в контекстом меню выберем Add -> New Item. :

Затем нам откроется окно для добавления нового элемента:

Здесь нам надо выбрать пункт C++ File(.cpp) , а внизу окна укажем для файла имя hello.c . Как правило, исходные файлы на Си имеют расширение .с . Оно указывает, что этот файл содержит исходный код на языке С, и он будет обрабатываться соответствующим компилятором.

Настройка проекта

После добавления файла изменим опции проекта. Для этого перейдем к пункту меню Project -> Properties

В окне свойств проекта в левой части перейдем к секции С/С++ и далее к пункту Advanced :

В правой части окна для поля Compile As установим значение Compile as C Code (/TC) . Тем самым мы говорим, чтобы по умолчанию исходный код компилировался именно как код С, а не С++.

После установки этого значения нажмем на кнопку «Применить», чтобы новые настройки конфигурации вступили в силу.

Для работы с языком Си может быть полезна еще одна настройка — установка стандарта языка. Перейдем к пункту С/С++ -> Language . Здесь в поле C Language Standard мы можем установить один из доступных стандартов для языка Си, который будет применяться для компиляции:

Правда, в данном случае он не играет значения, поэтому оставим для этого параметра настройку по умолчанию.

Определение кода программы

После добавления файла >hello.c проект будет иметь следующую структуру:

Вкратце пробежимся по этой структуре. Окно Solution Explorer содержит в решение. В данном случае оно называется HelloApp. Решение может содержать несколько проектов. По умолчанию у нас один проект, который имеет то же имя — HelloApp. В проекте есть ряд узлов:

External Dependencies : отображает файлы, которые используются в файлах исходного кода, но не являются частью проекта

Header Files : предназначена для хранения заголовочных файлов с расширением .h

Resource Files : предназначена для хранения файлов ресурсов, например, изображений

Source Files : хранит файлы с исходным кодом

Теперь определим в файле hello.c простейший код, который будет выводить строку на консоль:

Здесь использован весь тот код, который был рассмотрен в предыдущих темах про компиляцию с помощью GCC.

Теперь запустим программу. Для этого в Visual Studio нажмем на сочетание клавиш Ctrl+F5 или выберем пункт меню Debug -> Start Without Debugging :

И в итоге Visual Studio передаст исходный код компилятору, который скомпилирует из кода исполняемый файл exe, который потом будет запущен на выполнение. И мы увидим на запущенной консоли наше сообщение:

Затем в проекте в папке x64/Debug мы можем увидеть скомпилированный файл exe, который мы можем запускать независимо от Visual Studio:

C/C++ for Visual Studio Code

C/C++ support for Visual Studio Code is provided by a Microsoft C/C++ extension to enable cross-platform C and C++ development on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Install the extension

1. Open VS Code.
2. Select the Extensions view icon on the Activity bar or use the keyboard shortcut ( ⇧⌘X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X ) ).
3. Search for ‘C++’ .
4. Select Install.

After you install the extension, when you open or create a *.cpp file, you will have syntax highlighting (colorization), smart completions and hovers (IntelliSense), and error checking.

Install a compiler

C++ is a compiled language meaning your program’s source code must be translated (compiled) before it can be run on your computer. VS Code is first and foremost an editor, and relies on command-line tools to do much of the development workflow. The C/C++ extension does not include a C++ compiler or debugger. You will need to install these tools or use those already installed on your computer.

There may already be a C++ compiler and debugger provided by your academic or work development environment. Check with your instructors or colleagues for guidance on installing the recommended C++ toolset (compiler, debugger, project system, linter).

Some platforms, such as Linux or macOS, have a C++ compiler already installed. Most Linux distributions have the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) installed and macOS users can get the Clang tools with Xcode.

Check if you have a compiler installed

Make sure your compiler executable is in your platform path ( %PATH on Windows, $PATH on Linux and macOS) so that the C/C++ extension can find it. You can check availability of your C++ tools by opening the Integrated Terminal ( ⌃` (Windows, Linux Ctrl+` ) ) in VS Code and trying to directly run the compiler.

Checking for the GCC compiler g++ :

Checking for the Clang compiler clang :

Note: If you would prefer a full Integrated Development Environment (IDE), with built-in compilation, debugging, and project templates (File > New Project), there are many options available, such as the Visual Studio Community edition.

If you don’t have a compiler installed, in the example below, we describe how to install the Minimalist GNU for Windows (MinGW) C++ tools (compiler and debugger). MinGW is a popular, free toolset for Windows. If you are running VS Code on another platform, you can read the C++ tutorials, which cover C++ configurations for Linux and macOS.

Example: Install MinGW-x64

We will install Mingw-w64 via MSYS2, which provides up-to-date native builds of GCC, Mingw-w64, and other helpful C++ tools and libraries. You can download the latest installer from the MSYS2 page or use this link to the installer.

Follow the Installation instructions on the MSYS2 website to install Mingw-w64. Take care to run each required Start menu and pacman command.

You will need to install the full Mingw-w64 toolchain ( pacman -S —needed base-devel mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain ) to get the gdb debugger.

Add the MinGW compiler to your path

Add the path to your Mingw-w64 bin folder to the Windows PATH environment variable by using the following steps:

1. In the Windows search bar, type ‘settings’ to open your Windows Settings.
2. Search for Edit environment variables for your account.
3. Choose the Path variable in your User variables and then select Edit.
4. Select New and add the Mingw-w64 destination folder path, with \mingw64\bin appended, to the system path. The exact path depends on which version of Mingw-w64 you have installed and where you installed it. If you used the settings above to install Mingw-w64, then add this to the path: C:\msys64\mingw64\bin .
5. Select OK to save the updated PATH. You will need to reopen any console windows for the new PATH location to be available.

Check your MinGW installation

To check that your Mingw-w64 tools are correctly installed and available, open a new Command Prompt and type:

If you don’t see the expected output or g++ or gdb is not a recognized command, make sure your PATH entry matches the Mingw-w64 binary location where the compiler tools are located.

If the compilers do not exist at that PATH entry, make sure you followed the instructions on the MSYS2 website to install Mingw-w64.

Hello World

To make sure the compiler is installed and configured correctly, we’ll create the simplest Hello World C++ program.

Create a folder called "HelloWorld" and open VS Code in that folder ( code . opens VS Code in the current folder):

The "code ." command opens VS Code in the current working folder, which becomes your "workspace". Accept the Workspace Trust dialog by selecting Yes, I trust the authors since this is a folder you created.

Now create a new file called helloworld.cpp with the New File button in the File Explorer or File > New File command.

Add Hello World source code

Now paste in this source code:

Now press ⌘S (Windows, Linux Ctrl+S ) to save the file. You can also enable Auto Save to automatically save your file changes, by checking Auto Save in the main File menu.

Build Hello World

Now that we have a simple C++ program, let’s build it. Select the Terminal > Run Build Task command ( ⇧⌘B (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+B ) ) from the main menu.

This will display a dropdown with various compiler task options. If you are using a GCC toolset like MinGW, you would choose C/C++: g++.exe build active file.

This will compile helloworld.cpp and create an executable file called helloworld.exe , which will appear in the File Explorer.

Run Hello World

From a command prompt or a new VS Code Integrated Terminal, you can now run your program by typing ".\helloworld".

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the output "Hello World".

This has been a very simple example to help you get started with C++ development in VS Code. The next step is to try one of the tutorials listed below on your platform (Windows, Linux, or macOS) with your preferred toolset (GCC, Clang, Microsoft C++) and learn more about the Microsoft C/C++ extension’s language features such as IntelliSense, code navigation, build configuration, and debugging.

Tutorials

Get started with C++ and VS Code with tutorials for your environment:

Documentation

You can find more documentation on using the Microsoft C/C++ extension under the C++ section of the VS Code website, where you’ll find topics on:

Remote Development

VS Code and the C++ extension support Remote Development allowing you to work over SSH on a remote machine or VM, inside a Docker container, or in the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

To install support for Remote Development:

1. Install the VS Code Remote Development Extension Pack.
2. If the remote source files are hosted in WSL, use the WSL extension.
3. If you are connecting to a remote machine with SSH, use the Remote — SSH extension.
4. If the remote source files are hosted in a container (for example, Docker), use the Dev Containers extension.

Enhance completions with AI

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool that helps you write code faster and smarter. You can use the GitHub Copilot extension in VS Code to generate code, or to learn from the code it generates.

GitHub Copilot provides suggestions for numerous languages and a wide variety of frameworks, and it works especially well for Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, C# and C++.

You can learn more about how to get started with Copilot in the Copilot documentation.

Feedback

If you run into any issues or have suggestions for the Microsoft C/C++ extension, please file issues and suggestions on GitHub. If you haven’t already provided feedback, please take this quick survey to help shape this extension for your needs.

Установка поддержки C++ в Visual Studio Code (VSCode)

Для разработки программ на языке c++ вы можете использовать среду разработки Visual Studio Code (VSCode).

Сегодня мы рассмотрим установку поддержки языка программирования с++ в этой IDE.

Выбор компилятора

Перед установкой расширения для поддержки с++ в VSCode нам нужно сначала определиться какой компилятор использовать.

Под Windows существует несколько возможностей:

• Вы можете использовать Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) и установив в виртуальной машине все необходимые пакеты компилировать программы с помощью специального расширения для VSCode.
• Вы можете установить MinGW или MSYS2 и использовать их компиляторы.
• Вы можете установить компилятор Microsoft C++ compiler (MSVC)

Сегодня мы рассмотрим самый простой способ – установку Microsoft C++ compiler (MSVC).

Установка Microsoft C++ compiler (MSVC)

Для начала скачаем установщик по ссылке:

Скачиваем файл, в моем случае он называется:

Запускаем, откроется окно:

Нажимаем «Продолжить» и ждем, пока не закончиться скачивание файлов:

После этого откроется окно:

Поставьте галочку рядом с Разработка классических приложений на C++

К сожалению, нет способа не ставить саму IDE.

Снимите галочки с:

• Live Share
• С++ AddressSanitizer
• Адаптер тестов для Boost.Test
• Адаптер тестов для Google Test

Ожидайте окончания установки.

После окончания загрузок перезагрузите ваш ПК

Проверка доступности компилятора

После перезагрузки проверим доступен ли компилятор, для этого запустите cmd.exe скопируйте и вставьте в консоль строку

Будет запущена консоль разработчика:

Компилятор успешно установлен и доступен.

Теперь пришло время установить расширение для поддержки с++ в VSCode.

Установка расширения для поддержки С++ в VSCode

Откроется панель Extensions: Marketplace – это каталог, из которого мы можем скачать все необходимые расширения и темы, достаточно знать их название.

Выберите указанный пункт и нажмите install

Будет начато скачивание дополнительных компонентов. После окончания загрузок расширение будет готово к использованию.

Настройка VSCode для использования компилятора MSVC

Для того, чтобы протестировать работу компилятора создадим тестовый проект.

Для нормального функционирования компилятора MSVC нужно установить несколько переменных окружения. Чтобы упростить задачу воспользуемся Visual Studio 2019 Developer Command Prompt.

Запустите его из меню Пуск введя слово developer, откроется консоль:

Допустим, наши проекты буду находится в папке d:\cpp

Создадим данную папку и перейдем в нее:

Создадим папку для проекта test

Запустим VSCode из этой папки

Откроется окно VSCode

Обратите внимание наша папка уже открыта.

Добавим новый файл для этого нажмите на кнопку:

В появившееся поле введите имя файла main.cpp

Введите текст программы и не забудьте сохранить результат:

Настройка компилятора для проекта

Теперь у нас есть программа, осталось её скомпилировать, давайте настроим задачу сборки для проекта.

Настройка задачи сборки (Build Task)

Выберите пункт меню Terminal –> Configure Default Build Task…

В окне выберите – cl.exe

Будет создан файл сборки:

Закройте вкладку с файлом tasks.json

Откройте файл main.cpp и нажмите

Сборка успешно завершена.

Щёлкните мышкой по терминалу и нажмите пробел, чтобы закрыть результаты сборки.

Введите main.exe и нажмите Enter

Поздравляю, мы успешно настроили среду разработки VSCode для работы с языком программирования C++.

Заключение

Сегодня мы добавили поддержку языка программирования C++ в среду разработки VSCode.

Нами был установлен компилятор Microsoft C++ compiler (MSVC) и проверена его работоспособность.

Мы добавили тестовый проект и настроили задачу сборки Build Task для нашего проекта.

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Install C and C++ support in Visual Studio

If you haven’t downloaded and installed Visual Studio and the Microsoft C/C++ tools yet, here’s how to get started.

Visual Studio 2022 Installation

Welcome to Visual Studio 2022! In this version, it’s easy to choose and install just the features you need. And because of its reduced minimum footprint, it installs quickly and with less system impact.

[!NOTE] This topic applies to installation of Visual Studio on Windows. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight, cross-platform development environment that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. The Microsoft C/C++ for Visual Studio Code extension supports IntelliSense, debugging, code formatting, auto-completion. Visual Studio for Mac doesn’t support Microsoft C++, but does support .NET languages and cross-platform development. For installation instructions, see Install Visual Studio for Mac.

Want to know more about what else is new in this version? See the Visual Studio release notes.

Ready to install? We’ll walk you through it, step-by-step.

Step 1 — Make sure your computer is ready for Visual Studio

Before you begin installing Visual Studio:

Check the system requirements. These requirements help you know whether your computer supports Visual Studio 2022.

Apply the latest Windows updates. These updates ensure that your computer has both the latest security updates and the required system components for Visual Studio.

Reboot. The reboot ensures that any pending installs or updates don’t hinder the Visual Studio install.

Free up space. Remove unneeded files and applications from your %SystemDrive% by, for example, running the Disk Cleanup app.

For questions about running previous versions of Visual Studio side by side with Visual Studio 2022, see the Visual Studio 2022 Platform Targeting and Compatibility page.

Step 2 — Download Visual Studio

Next, download the Visual Studio bootstrapper file. To do so, choose the following button to go to the Visual Studio download page. Select the edition of Visual Studio that you want and choose the Free trial or Free download button.

Step 3 — Install the Visual Studio installer

Run the bootstrapper file you downloaded to install the Visual Studio Installer. This new lightweight installer includes everything you need to both install and customize Visual Studio.

From your Downloads folder, double-click the bootstrapper that matches or is similar to one of the following files:

• vs_community.exe for Visual Studio Community
• vs_professional.exe for Visual Studio Professional
• vs_enterprise.exe for Visual Studio Enterprise

If you receive a User Account Control notice, choose Yes to allow the bootstrapper to run.

We’ll ask you to acknowledge the Microsoft License Terms and the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Choose Continue.

Step 4 — Choose workloads

After the installer is installed, you can use it to customize your installation by selecting the workloads, or feature sets, that you want. Here’s how.

Find the workload you want in the Installing Visual Studio screen.

For core C and C++ support, choose the «Desktop development with C++» workload. It comes with the default core editor, which includes basic code editing support for over 20 languages, the ability to open and edit code from any folder without requiring a project, and integrated source code control.

Additional workloads support other kinds of development. For example, choose the «Universal Windows Platform development» workload to create apps that use the Windows Runtime for the Microsoft Store. Choose «Game development with C++» to create games that use DirectX, Unreal, and Cocos2d. Choose «Linux development with C++» to target Linux platforms, including IoT development.

The Installation details pane lists the included and optional components installed by each workload. You can select or deselect optional components in this list. For example, to support development by using the Visual Studio 2017 or 2015 compiler toolsets, choose the MSVC v141 or MSVC v140 optional components. You can add support for MFC, the experimental Modules language extension, IncrediBuild, and more.

After you choose the workload(s) and optional components you want, choose Install.

Next, status screens appear that show the progress of your Visual Studio installation.

[!TIP] At any time after installation, you can install workloads or components that you didn’t install initially. If you have Visual Studio open, go to Tools > Get Tools and Features. which opens the Visual Studio Installer. Or, open Visual Studio Installer from the Start menu. From there, you can choose the workloads or components that you wish to install. Then, choose Modify.

Step 5 — Choose individual components (Optional)

If you don’t want to use the Workloads feature to customize your Visual Studio installation, or you want to add more components than a workload installs, you can do so by installing or adding individual components from the Individual components tab. Choose what you want, and then follow the prompts.

Step 6 — Install language packs (Optional)

By default, the installer program tries to match the language of the operating system when it runs for the first time. To install Visual Studio in a language of your choosing, choose the Language packs tab from the Visual Studio Installer, and then follow the prompts.

Change the installer language from the command line

Another way that you can change the default language is by running the installer from the command line. For example, you can force the installer to run in English by using the following command: vs_installer.exe —locale en-US . The installer will remember this setting when it’s run the next time. The installer supports the following language tokens: zh-cn, zh-tw, cs-cz, en-us, es-es, fr-fr, de-de, it-it, ja-jp, ko-kr, pl-pl, pt-br, ru-ru, and tr-tr.

Step 7 — Change the installation location (Optional)

You can reduce the installation footprint of Visual Studio on your system drive. You can choose to move the download cache, shared components, SDKs, and tools to different drives, and keep Visual Studio on the drive that runs it the fastest.

[!IMPORTANT] You can select a different drive only when you first install Visual Studio. If you’ve already installed it and want to change drives, you must uninstall Visual Studio and then reinstall it.

Step 8 — Start developing

After Visual Studio installation is complete, choose the Launch button to get started developing with Visual Studio.

On the start window, choose Create a new project.

In the search box, enter the type of app you want to create to see a list of available templates. The list of templates depends on the workload(s) that you chose during installation. To see different templates, choose different workloads.

You can also filter your search for a specific programming language by using the Language drop-down list. You can filter by using the Platform list and the Project type list, too.

Visual Studio opens your new project, and you’re ready to code!

Visual Studio 2019 Installation

Welcome to Visual Studio 2019! In this version, it’s easy to choose and install just the features you need. And because of its reduced minimum footprint, it installs quickly and with less system impact.

[!NOTE] This topic applies to installation of Visual Studio on Windows. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight, cross-platform development environment that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. The Microsoft C/C++ for Visual Studio Code extension supports IntelliSense, debugging, code formatting, auto-completion. Visual Studio for Mac doesn’t support Microsoft C++, but does support .NET languages and cross-platform development. For installation instructions, see Install Visual Studio for Mac.

Want to know more about what else is new in this version? See the Visual Studio release notes.

Ready to install? We’ll walk you through it, step-by-step.

Step 1 — Make sure your computer is ready for Visual Studio

Before you begin installing Visual Studio:

Check the system requirements. These requirements help you know whether your computer supports Visual Studio 2019.

Apply the latest Windows updates. These updates ensure that your computer has both the latest security updates and the required system components for Visual Studio.

Reboot. The reboot ensures that any pending installs or updates don’t hinder the Visual Studio install.

Free up space. Remove unneeded files and applications from your %SystemDrive% by, for example, running the Disk Cleanup app.

For questions about running previous versions of Visual Studio side by side with Visual Studio 2019, see the Visual Studio 2019 Platform Targeting and Compatibility page.

Step 2 — Download Visual Studio

Next, download the Visual Studio bootstrapper file. To do so, choose the following button to go to the Visual Studio download page. Choose the Download button, then you can select the edition of Visual Studio that you want.

Step 3 — Install the Visual Studio installer

Run the bootstrapper file you downloaded to install the Visual Studio Installer. This new lightweight installer includes everything you need to both install and customize Visual Studio.

From your Downloads folder, double-click the bootstrapper that matches or is similar to one of the following files:

• vs_community.exe for Visual Studio Community
• vs_professional.exe for Visual Studio Professional
• vs_enterprise.exe for Visual Studio Enterprise

If you receive a User Account Control notice, choose Yes to allow the bootstrapper to run.

We’ll ask you to acknowledge the Microsoft License Terms and the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Choose Continue.

Step 4 — Choose workloads

After the installer is installed, you can use it to customize your installation by selecting the workloads, or feature sets, that you want. Here’s how.

Find the workload you want in the Installing Visual Studio screen.

For core C and C++ support, choose the «Desktop development with C++» workload. It comes with the default core editor, which includes basic code editing support for over 20 languages, the ability to open and edit code from any folder without requiring a project, and integrated source code control.

Additional workloads support other kinds of development. For example, choose the «Universal Windows Platform development» workload to create apps that use the Windows Runtime for the Microsoft Store. Choose «Game development with C++» to create games that use DirectX, Unreal, and Cocos2d. Choose «Linux development with C++» to target Linux platforms, including IoT development.

The Installation details pane lists the included and optional components installed by each workload. You can select or deselect optional components in this list. For example, to support development by using the Visual Studio 2017 or 2015 compiler toolsets, choose the MSVC v141 or MSVC v140 optional components. You can add support for MFC, the experimental Modules language extension, IncrediBuild, and more.

After you choose the workload(s) and optional components you want, choose Install.

Next, status screens appear that show the progress of your Visual Studio installation.

[!TIP] At any time after installation, you can install workloads or components that you didn’t install initially. If you have Visual Studio open, go to Tools > Get Tools and Features. which opens the Visual Studio Installer. Or, open Visual Studio Installer from the Start menu. From there, you can choose the workloads or components that you wish to install. Then, choose Modify.

Step 5 — Choose individual components (Optional)

If you don’t want to use the Workloads feature to customize your Visual Studio installation, or you want to add more components than a workload installs, you can do so by installing or adding individual components from the Individual components tab. Choose what you want, and then follow the prompts.

Step 6 — Install language packs (Optional)

By default, the installer program tries to match the language of the operating system when it runs for the first time. To install Visual Studio in a language of your choosing, choose the Language packs tab from the Visual Studio Installer, and then follow the prompts.

Change the installer language from the command line

Another way that you can change the default language is by running the installer from the command line. For example, you can force the installer to run in English by using the following command: vs_installer.exe —locale en-US . The installer will remember this setting when it’s run the next time. The installer supports the following language tokens: zh-cn, zh-tw, cs-cz, en-us, es-es, fr-fr, de-de, it-it, ja-jp, ko-kr, pl-pl, pt-br, ru-ru, and tr-tr.

Step 7 — Change the installation location (Optional)

You can reduce the installation footprint of Visual Studio on your system drive. You can choose to move the download cache, shared components, SDKs, and tools to different drives, and keep Visual Studio on the drive that runs it the fastest.

[!IMPORTANT] You can select a different drive only when you first install Visual Studio. If you’ve already installed it and want to change drives, you must uninstall Visual Studio and then reinstall it.

Step 8 — Start developing

After Visual Studio installation is complete, choose the Launch button to get started developing with Visual Studio.

On the start window, choose Create a new project.

In the search box, enter the type of app you want to create to see a list of available templates. The list of templates depends on the workload(s) that you chose during installation. To see different templates, choose different workloads.

You can also filter your search for a specific programming language by using the Language drop-down list. You can filter by using the Platform list and the Project type list, too.

Visual Studio opens your new project, and you’re ready to code!

Visual Studio 2017 Installation

In Visual Studio 2017, it’s easy to choose and install just the features you need. And because of its reduced minimum footprint, it installs quickly and with less system impact.

A broadband internet connection. The Visual Studio installer can download several gigabytes of data.

A computer that runs Microsoft Windows 7 or later versions. We recommend the latest version of Windows for the best development experience. Make sure that the latest updates are applied to your system before you install Visual Studio.

Enough free disk space. Visual Studio requires at least 7 GB of disk space, and can take 50 GB or more if many common options are installed. We recommend you install it on your C: drive.

For details on the disk space and operating system requirements, see Visual Studio Product Family System Requirements. The installer reports how much disk space is required for the options you select.

Download and install

To download the latest Visual Studio 2017 installer for Windows, go to the Microsoft Visual Studio Older downloads page. Expand the 2017 section, and choose the Download button.

[!Tip] The Community edition is for individual developers, classroom learning, academic research, and open source development. For other uses, install Visual Studio 2017 Professional or Visual Studio 2017 Enterprise.

Find the installer file you downloaded and run it. The downloaded file may be displayed in your browser, or you may find it in your Downloads folder. The installer needs Administrator privileges to run. You may see a User Account Control dialog asking you to give permission to let the installer make changes to your system; choose Yes. If you’re having trouble, find the downloaded file in File Explorer, right-click on the installer icon, and choose Run as Administrator from the context menu.

The installer presents you with a list of workloads, which are groups of related options for specific development areas. Support for C++ is now part of optional workloads that aren’t installed by default.

For C and C++, select the Desktop development with C++ workload and then choose Install.

When the installation completes, choose the Launch button to start Visual Studio.

The first time you run Visual Studio, you’re asked to sign in with a Microsoft Account. If you don’t have one, you can create one for free. You must also choose a theme. Don’t worry, you can change it later if you want to.

It may take Visual Studio several minutes to get ready for use the first time you run it. Here’s what it looks like in a quick time-lapse:

Visual Studio starts much faster when you run it again.

When Visual Studio opens, check to see if the flag icon in the title bar is highlighted:

If it’s highlighted, select it to open the Notifications window. If there are any updates available for Visual Studio, we recommend you install them now. Once the installation is complete, restart Visual Studio.

Visual Studio 2015 Installation

To install Visual Studio 2015, go to the Microsoft Visual Studio Older downloads page. Expand the 2015 section, and choose the Download button. Run the downloaded setup program and choose Custom installation and then choose the C++ component. To add C and C++ support to an existing Visual Studio 2015 installation, click on the Windows Start button and type Add Remove Programs. Open the program from the results list and then find your Visual Studio 2015 installation in the list of installed programs. Double-click it, then choose Modify and select the Visual C++ components to install.

In general, we highly recommend that you use the latest version of Visual Studio even if you need to compile your code using the Visual Studio 2015 compiler. For more information, see Use native multi-targeting in Visual Studio to build old projects.

When Visual Studio is running, you’re ready to continue to the next step.