Windows Local Setup

Install the native Windows tools first. You will use them for local projects before you add WSL.

Install the compiler and Make

Download the GCC 15 MinGW archive. (We are installing the 64-bit version of GCC 15.2.0 with POSIX threading, SEH, and the UCRT runtime.)

Windows 11 can extract .7z archives. On older systems, install 7-Zip first.

  1. Extract the archive to C:\.

  2. Confirm that C:\mingw64\bin contains g++.exe and mingw32-make.exe.

  3. Open the Start menu and search for Edit the system environment variables.

    Search for the Windows environment-variable settings

  4. Open the result, select the Advanced tab, and select Environment Variables.

    Open Environment Variables from System Properties

  5. Select Path under User variables, then select Edit.

    Select the Path environment variable

  6. Select New, enter C:\mingw64\bin, and select OK until all the settings windows close.

    Add a folder to the Windows Path

  7. Close and reopen any terminal windows.

Open PowerShell and test both tools:

g++ --version
mingw32-make --version

This demonstration shows how to extract MinGW and add its bin folder to the Windows Path. Follow the folder names and compiler version in the written steps above if they differ from the video:

Install VS Code and extensions

Install Visual Studio Code. Then open the Extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X and install:

ms-vscode.cpptools
cschlosser.doxdocgen
usernamehw.errorlens
ascholer.chemeketa-gitdoc
davidkaiser.kaiser-project-zip

Install and configure Git

Install the 64-bit version of Git for Windows. Choose Visual Studio Code when the installer asks for a default text editor.

Choose Visual Studio Code as Git's default editor

Open a new PowerShell window and verify the installation:

git --version

Then configure your Git identity.

Verify the complete setup

Create or download a fresh Basic Project and open its entire folder in VS Code.

  1. Open Run and Debug.
  2. Select Run Program.
  3. Start the program.

The template should run mingw32-make, create program.exe, and open the program in the debugger. If it does not, see Troubleshooting.