Install via Winget
Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell and run the command above. Winget is built into Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11.
About msvcup
msvcup is a standalone tool for installing the MSVC toolchain and Windows SDK without Visual Studio. The Visual Studio Installer manages thousands of components, modifies the registry, and can take hours to configure. msvcup treats the toolchain as a versioned asset rather than global system state. The build environment is defined by code, not a GUI. - Fast: Runs in milliseconds when already installed. Put it at the start of every build script. - Reproducible: Lock file ensures everyone gets the same toolchain. - Isolated: Every package is installed to its own versioned directory. No registry modifications. No conflicts. - Cross-compilation: Target x64, arm64, or x86 out of the box. - Minimal: Download only what's needed to get a working native toolchain/SDK.
Frequently Asked Questions
winget install JonathanMarler.msvcup. Winget is built into Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11.winget upgrade JonathanMarler.msvcup in Windows Terminal or PowerShell to update msvcup to the latest available version.