What is actually the correct way to download cpp compiler for Windows?
Visual Studio doesn't do magic. It still runs a compiler when you want to compile (msvc). Said compiler can be called independently from command line as well.
If you installed Visual Studio, you already have it, but it isn't added globally to the console. That's to make sure your console isn't cluttered with billion commands. In order to use it, you must open the developer command prompt, which sets up the variables needed to use the compiler. It's in your Visual Studio installation folder, look for "developer command prompt for VS *version*"
Alternatively you can download Microsoft's development tools, which include compilation stuff without the IDE. Look for "Build Tools for Visual Studio 2019" in this page https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/
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/ 29 January 2026
/ 29 January 2026