Dev-C++ is a free full-featured integrated development environment (IDE) distributed under the GNU General Public License for programming in C and C++. It was originally developed by Colin Laplace and was first โ€ฆ Wikipedia
Ratings
Factsheet
Original author Colin Laplace (Bloodshed Software) 1998-2005
Developer Johan Mes (Orwell) 2011-2020, Embarcadero since 2020
Initial release 1998; 28 years ago (1998)
Factsheet
Original author Colin Laplace (Bloodshed Software) 1998-2005
Developer Johan Mes (Orwell) 2011-2020, Embarcadero since 2020
Initial release 1998; 28 years ago (1998)
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Visual Studio
visualstudio.microsoft.com โ€บ vs โ€บ features โ€บ cplusplus
Visual Studio C/C++ IDE and Compiler for Windows - Microsoft
December 5, 2025 - Download free Visual Studio IDE to build cross-platform apps for Linux, iOS, Android, IoT, and Windows devices using latest, standards-compliant C and C++.
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Dev-cpp
dev-cpp.com
Home | Dev-C++ Official Website
Dev-C++ is a full-featured C and C++ Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Windows platforms. Millions of developers, students and researchers use Dev-C++ since the first version was released in 1998. Dev-C++ 5.0 beta 9.2 (4.9.9.2) with Mingw/GCC 3.4.2 compiler and GDB 5.2.1 debugger. Download
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Softonic
en.softonic.com โ€บ downloads โ€บ c-compiler
Download C Compiler - Best Software & Apps
Download C Compiler. Free and safe download. Download the latest version of the top software, games, programs and apps in 2026.
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SourceForge
sourceforge.net โ€บ projects โ€บ orwelldevcpp
Dev-C++ download | SourceForge.net
3 weeks ago - Dev-C++ for Windows 10/8/7 ยท A fast, portable, simple, and free C/C++ IDE ยท Dev-C++ Open Source C & C++ IDE for Windows ยท Red Panda Dev-C++ A powerful and lightweighted C/C++ IDE ยท Geany ยท A fast and lightweight IDE ยท WinCMOC (M6809 C Compiler) A C Compiler/Editor for Retro 6809 Machines (Colour Computer/Dragon) Top Searches ยท dev c++ 5.11 ยท dev-c++ dev c++ dev ยท c++ devc++ dev c 5.11 ยท dev-c ยท download installer ยท
Rating: 4.5 โ€‹ - โ€‹ 141 votes
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WinLibs
winlibs.com
WinLibs - GCC+MinGW-w64 compiler for Windows
The combination of these results in a free C/C++ compiler for Windows. Even though GCC and MinGW-w64 can be used on other platforms (e.g. Linux) to generate Windows executables, the WinLibs project only focusses on building versions that run natively on Windows. ... This is a standalone build, which means this download offers a complete compiler environment for Windows.
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DigitalOcean
digitalocean.com โ€บ community โ€บ tutorials โ€บ c-compiler-windows-gcc
Install C/GCC Compiler for Windows | DigitalOcean
August 3, 2022 - In other words, CodeBlocks is a free C/C++ IDE that comes with the built-in compiler. Download codeblocks from www.codeblocks.org/downloads/binaries for your respective Operating System. Windows users should choose download file which has โ€œmingwโ€ in its name, for example, codeblocks-17...
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SourceForge
sourceforge.net โ€บ projects โ€บ embarcadero-devcpp
Dev-C++ for Windows 10/8/7 download | SourceForge.net
Download Dev-C++ for Windows 10/8/7 for free. A fast, portable, simple, and free C/C++ IDE. Coding Boot Camp Learning to program? Check out the free boot camp from Embarcadero which runs from Monday, August 22nd to Friday, August 26th.
Rating: 4.8 โ€‹ - โ€‹ 24 votes
Find elsewhere
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Developer Insider
developerinsider.co โ€บ download-and-install-borland-c-compiler-on-windows-10
Download and Install Borland C++ Compiler on Windows 10 & 11
August 31, 2022 - You can watch following video to check how to download and install Borland C++ Compiler for Windows 10 -
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Quora
quora.com โ€บ Which-compiler-is-good-for-the-C-language-and-how-do-I-download-it-for-free-on-Windows-10
Which compiler is good for the C language, and how do I download it for free on Windows 10? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): If youโ€™re trying to learn C, not C++ or C# or any other family member, you probably want a compiler that supports C11 well, or at the very least C99. That kind of rules out Microsoftโ€™s own C compiler; they havenโ€™t been too great about updating it.
Top answer
1 of 4
3

"Is there a single official C compiler, and how do I install it?"

No, there is no compiler provided by the C standard and thus no way to install it.

You have to use a third-party compiler. The most common for Linux and macOS are called GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) and Clang.

Since you ask for Windows, there are several C compilers available.

Take a look at the answers and comments to this question of mine a while ago:

Has Windows an integrated built-in C/C++ compiler package?

There you can find the at least many options.

The way to install you can find in the respective documentations and isn't object to be defined here as this would explode the frame.

My personal recommendation is GCC with the MingW_64 package. How you install it, you can find, as said, in the documentation.

2 of 4
1

Is there a single official C compiler? No.

Are you sure that you insist on the "official" one (which is not even clearly defined as the other comment pointed out)?
In your situation I would look for a "convenient" installation.

This more or less leads to the answer to "How to install it?"
The selection and indirectly the way to install it, is most wisely based on asking your friends/colleagues/fellows, because you will have questions and they are primarily best answered by any human you can directly ask. StackOverflow is only second place.
If that does not help you selecting one, I recommend to use yoru favorite search engine on "install gcc". In mine, the 10th result is my favorite.

Maybe go one step further towards "convenient" and search for "free IDE C" my favorite is the 6th result.
But of course this is not to tell you my favorite in a hidden way. You just look at the results, check the first few out and decide based on what you like best.

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Standard C++
isocpp.org โ€บ get-started
Get Started! : Standard C++
Download one that suits your platform: Gnu Compiler Collection: Includes g++, a popular C++ compiler. A build for Windows is available here, builds for other platforms are likely available via your platform's package manager, or you can build it yourself using instructions here.
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Guru99
guru99.com โ€บ home โ€บ c programming โ€บ how to download and install gcc compiler in c for windows pc
How to Download and Install GCC Compiler in C for Windows PC
August 8, 2024 - We will use an open-source Integrated ... GNU), editor and debugger in a neat package. ... Go to https://www.codeblocks.org/downloads/ and click Binary Release....
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GNU
gcc.gnu.org
GCC, the GNU Compiler Collection - GNU Project
The GNU Compiler Collection includes front ends for C, C++, Objective-C, Objective-C++, Fortran, Ada, Go, D, Modula-2, COBOL, Rust, and Algol 68 as well as libraries for these languages (libstdc++,...). GCC was originally written as the compiler for the GNU operating system.
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SourceForge
sourceforge.net โ€บ projects โ€บ gcc-win64
gcc-win64 download | SourceForge.net
Download gcc-win64 for free. x64 build of GCC for Windows. x64 C/C++ compiler for Windows using (unofficial build): - gmp - mpfr - mpc - isl - cloog - mingw-w64 - gcc - seh You need at least core2 command set support to run this application. Note that every version with bundled gdb needs at ...
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CNET
download.cnet.com โ€บ c-free โ€บ 3000-2212_4-10311060.html
C-Free for Windows - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download
August 20, 2025 - Download C-Free latest version for Windows. C-Free latest update: August 20, 2025
Rating: 4 โ€‹ - โ€‹ 14 votes
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Visual Studio Code
code.visualstudio.com โ€บ docs โ€บ languages โ€บ cpp
C/C++ for Visual Studio Code
November 3, 2021 - Select the Extensions view icon on the Activity Bar or use the keyboard shortcut (โ‡งโŒ˜X (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+X)). Search for 'C++'. Select Install. C++ is a compiled language meaning your program's source code must be translated (compiled) before it can be run on your computer.
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Upgrad
upgrad.com โ€บ home โ€บ tutorials โ€บ software & tech โ€บ c compiler for windows
Best C Compiler for Windows: Complete Guide
July 9, 2025 - The Digital Mars C/C++ Compiler is a set of compilers for the C and C++ programming languages developed by Digital Mars. It is a closed-source compiler, but it is available as a free download for personal and non-commercial use.