msvcup

by Jonathan Marler

A standalone tool for installing the MSVC toolchain and Windows SDK without Visual Studio.

Version
20260408
License
MIT
Installer
zip
Architecture
x64
Package ID
JonathanMarler.msvcup
msvcvcvc++visual-c++
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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

How do I install msvcup using winget?
Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell and run: winget install JonathanMarler.msvcup. Winget is built into Windows 10 (version 1809+) and Windows 11 — no separate download required.
What is msvcup?
A standalone tool for installing the MSVC toolchain and Windows SDK without Visual Studio.
Is msvcup free to download?
msvcup is available under the MIT license. Use the winget command above or click the download button to get the installer directly from the publisher.
How do I update msvcup with winget?
Run winget upgrade JonathanMarler.msvcup in Windows Terminal or PowerShell to update msvcup to the latest available version.
What Windows versions support msvcup?
The installer for msvcup targets the x64 architecture. Check the publisher’s documentation for minimum Windows version requirements. Winget itself requires Windows 10 version 1809 or later.