stackoverflow.com › questions › 40504552 › how-to-install-visual-c-build-tools

I just stumbled onto this issue accessing some Python libraries: Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 is required. Get it with "Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools". The latest link to that is actually here: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/#build-tools-for-visual-studio-2019

When you begin the installer, it will have several "options" enabled which will balloon the install size to 5gb. If you have Windows 10, you'll need to leave selected the "Windows 10 SDK" option as mentioned here, and if you have Windows 11, you'll need to leave selected the "Windows 11 SDK" option.

I hope it helps save others time!

2025/07 Updated Link: https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/#title-build-tools-for-visual-studio-2022

Answer from Aaron Belchamber on Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow

stackoverflow.com › questions › 40504552 › how-to-install-visual-c-build-tools

How to install Visual C++ Build tools? - Stack Overflow

For updated Windows 10 or Windows 11: use the new winget cli

Just copy and paste that command in cmd, powershell or Run (WinKey + R).

Windows 10 SDK

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --force --override "--wait --passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Windows10SDK"

Windows 11 SDK

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --force --override "--wait --passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64 --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Windows11SDK.26100"

The above commands will download and run the installer with the switches passed after --override.

The --add will add specific features when installing, in this case:

Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.x86.x64
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Windows10SDK or
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.Windows11SDK.26100

Within Microsoft's docs you can find the IDs of the features available for the Visual Studio Build Tools and in this section also learn more about other parameters available for the installer.

Visual Studio

visualstudio.microsoft.com › downloads

Visual Studio Build Tools - Microsoft

January 26, 2026 - Supported projects include: ASP.NET, Azure, C++ desktop, ClickOnce, containers, .NET Core, .NET Desktop, Node.js, Office and SharePoint, Python, TypeScript, Unit Tests, UWP, WCF, and Xamarin. Use of this tool requires a valid Visual Studio license, unless you are building open-source dependencies for your project.

Discussions

Is Microsoft C++ Build Tools - Visual Studio free for commercial use

Hello. Please help. We need to use in our organization Microsoft C++ Build Tools - Visual Studio for Python Library usage in Python. This library demands Microsoft C++ Build Tools for usage. Can we use Microsoft C++ Build Tools for free for commercial… More on learn.microsoft.com

learn.microsoft.com

1

0

May 21, 2024

C++ build tools

2022 Community can build C++ just fine. When you install Visual Studio there are four different C++ workloads that can be installed. Desktop Development with C++ Mobile Development with C++ Game Development with C++ Linux and embedded development with C++ Additionally on the Individual Components tab there are a number of C++ addons which include a variety of different build tools bundles going back to at least VS2015 including several which are out of support. More on reddit.com

r/VisualStudio

1

0

March 5, 2024

Visual Studio Build Tools license

Microsoft's own command line walkthrough suggests installing only the build tools as an option.

To complete this walkthrough, you must have installed either Visual Studio and the optional Desktop development with C++ workload, or the command-line Build Tools for Visual Studio...
The Build Tools for Visual Studio installs only the command-line compilers, tools, and libraries you need to build C and C++ programs. It's perfect for build labs or classroom exercises and installs relatively quickly. To install only the command-line tools, look for Build Tools for Visual Studio on the Visual Studio Downloads page.

Videos

04:01

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How to install Microsoft C++ Build Tools - YouTube

March 21, 2024

05:02

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How to install Microsoft Visual C++ Build Tools, the fast way - ...

How to set up C++ in Visual Studio Code - YouTube

October 13, 2023

04:57

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How to Install Microsoft Visual C++ in Windows the easy way - YouTube

visualstudio.microsoft.com › vs › features › cplusplus

Visual Studio C/C++ IDE and Compiler for Windows - Microsoft

2 weeks ago - Build modern C and C++ apps for Windows using tools of your choice, including MSVC, Clang, CMake, and MSBuild · Contains C/C++ components for desktop, mobile, Linux, and game development ...

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › answers › questions › 1683872 › is-microsoft-c-build-tools-visual-studio-free-for

Is Microsoft C++ Build Tools - Visual Studio free for commercial use - Microsoft Q&A

May 21, 2024 - ... Visual Studio Build Tools (VSBT) can now be used for compiling open-source C++ dependencies from source without requiring a Visual Studio license, even when you are working for an enterprise on a commercial or closed-source project.

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › cpp › build › vscpp-step-0-installation

Install C and C++ support in Visual Studio | Microsoft Learn

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 ...

GitHub

github.com › bycloudai › InstallVSBuildToolsWindows

GitHub - bycloudai/InstallVSBuildToolsWindows: Tutorial on how to install Microsoft C++ Build Tools · GitHub

Add MSBuild Tools to your system environment by going to search bar and open Edit the System Environment Variables ... Press New and paste this line: (or version/location u installed your MVS BuildTools at) C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\BuildTools\MSBuild\Current\Bin simple way to check if this is the right path is paste this file path and check if the location exists in your file explorer.

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Configura

support.configura.com › hc › en-us › articles › 10774678374295-Building-C-C-Code

Building C/C++ Code – Configura Help Center

December 7, 2022 - SDK: Windows SDK 10.0.14393.0 or later – Included with Visual Studio 2015 Update 3 or as separate download. Install Microsoft C++ Build Tools 2015 with Update 3 (VC14) + Windows SDK 10.0.14393

Find elsewhere

Google Bing Mojeek

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › cpp › build › building-on-the-command-line

Use the Microsoft C++ Build Tools from the command line | Microsoft Learn

Use the Microsoft C++ (MSVC) Build Tools from the command line outside of the Visual Studio IDE.

Visual Studio Code

code.visualstudio.com › docs › cpp › config-msvc

Configure VS Code for Microsoft C++

November 3, 2021 - If you have g++ or WSL installed, you might need to change compilerPath to match the preferred compiler for your project. For Microsoft C++, the path should look something like this, depending on which specific version you have installed: "C:/Program Files (x86)/Microsoft Visual Studio/2017/BuildTools/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.16.27023/bin/Hostx64/x64/cl.exe".

Microsoft Learn

learn.microsoft.com › en-us › visualstudio › install › workload-component-id-vs-build-tools

Visual Studio Build Tools workload and component IDs | Microsoft Learn

November 11, 2025 - Description: Build modern C++ apps for Windows using tools of your choice, including MSVC, Clang, CMake, or MSBuild. ID: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VisualStudioExtensionBuildTools · Description: Tools for building add-ons and extensions ...

GitHub

github.com › kivy › kivy › wiki › Using-Visual-C---Build-Tools-instead-of-Visual-Studio-on-Windows

Using Visual C Build Tools instead of Visual Studio on Windows

September 19, 2021 - Get Visual C++ Build Tools (~5GB total size) and install the following components from the "visual c++ build tools" section: "Windows 10 SDK (version)", "Visual C++ tools for CMake", "C++/CLI support", "VC++ 2015.3 v14.00 (v140) toolset for desktop)".

Author kivy

reddit.com › r/visualstudio › c++ build tools

r/VisualStudio on Reddit: C++ build tools

March 5, 2024 -

I am using a program which requires the c++ build tools from visual studio but it does not seem the have it in the community version for 2022. Is there an older version or somewhere else i can get the build tools from?

Top answer

1 of 1

1

2022 Community can build C++ just fine. When you install Visual Studio there are four different C++ workloads that can be installed. Desktop Development with C++ Mobile Development with C++ Game Development with C++ Linux and embedded development with C++ Additionally on the Individual Components tab there are a number of C++ addons which include a variety of different build tools bundles going back to at least VS2015 including several which are out of support.

Microsoft

devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › c++ team blog › microsoft c++ (msvc) build tools v14.51 preview released: how to opt in

Microsoft C++ (MSVC) Build Tools v14.51 Preview Released: How to Opt In - C++ Team Blog

February 19, 2026 - Today we are releasing the first preview of the Microsoft C++ (MSVC) Build Tools version 14.51. This update, shipping in the latest Visual Studio 2026 version 18.4 Insiders release, introduces many C++23 conformance changes, bug fixes, and runtime performance improvements.

Python

wiki.python.org › moin › WindowsCompilers

WindowsCompilers - Python Wiki

This is a standalone version of Visual C++ 14.1 compiler, you don't need to install Visual Studio 2017. Install Microsoft Build Tools for Visual Studio 2017.

Microsoft

devblogs.microsoft.com › dev blogs › c++ team blog › updates to visual studio build tools license for c and c++ open-source projects

Updates to Visual Studio Build Tools license for C and C++ Open-Source projects - C++ Team Blog

August 31, 2022 - Visual Studio Build Tools (VSBT) can now be used for compiling open-source C++ dependencies from source without requiring a Visual Studio license, even when you are working for an enterprise on a commercial or closed-source project.

Quora

quora.com › What-are-Microsoft-C-build-tools

What are Microsoft C++ build tools? - Quora

Install via interactive installer or silent/unattended command-line with workload and component selection (Workloads: “Desktop development with C++”, individual components like MSVC toolset, Windows SDK, CMake). Redistributable runtime libraries (VC redistributables) must be deployed with built binaries or targeted using static CRT linking when appropriate. ... Local developer: Install to compile libraries or native apps without full IDE. CI agent: Install in build images or VM to compile projects from scripts using msbuild, cl, or CMake generator "Visual Studio".

Developer Community

developercommunity.visualstudio.com › content › problem › 822777 › where-could-i-find-visual-c-build-tools-for-visual.html

Where could I find Visual C++ Build Tools for Visual Studio ...

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reddit.com › r/rust › visual studio build tools license

r/rust on Reddit: Visual Studio Build Tools license

April 4, 2021 -

The default installation options when installing Rust on Windows require the Visual Studio Build Tools. I read the license for the Build Tools and noticed section 1, which says:

You may install and use any number of copies of the software to use solely with Visual Studio Community, Visual Studio Professional, and Visual Studio Enterprise, to develop and test your applications.

Does this mean that I have to install Visual Studio, or does it mean something else?