How to compile x64 code with Visual Studio in command line?

Question

I want to compile a simple hello-world-style program using the Windows command line.

cl file_name.c

is easy enough. Now I want to do the same thing in 64 Bit. What should I do?

Solution 1

You need to use a version of the cl.exe compiler which emits x64 code. Which one depends a bit on your setup.

Let's consider the case you're on a 64 bit machine. For this you'll need to use the compiler which lives at

c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft visual Studio 10.0\VC\bin\amd64\cl.exe

If you're on a 32 bit machine you'll need to use the cross compiler located at

c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\bin\x86_amd64\cl.exe

Solution 2

Run cl from a Visual Studio x64 Command Prompt.

Solution 3

You can also use the batch file "Vcvarsall.bat" (By default, the full path for this file is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\VC\Vcvarsall.bat for VS2005).

If no arguments are provided, this batch file configures the necessary environment variables for using the x86 32-bit compiler. But it can be used to configure any of the 64-bit compilers, for example to use the native 64-bit compiler pass "amd64" as argument. Then just run cl.exe.

Solution 4

Kyle is right. It is just a matter of setting the PATH environment variable properly. The regular x86 compiler lives in the vc\bin subdirectory. There are two 64-bit compilers, a 32-bit compiler that generates 64-bit code in vc\bin\x86_amd64 and a 64-bit compiler that generates 64-bit code in vc\bin\amd64.

The default Visual Studio setup always uses the 32-bit compiler to generate 64-bit code.

Note that the 64-bit compilers are not installed by default. You'll have to re-run setup.exe if you didn't use the custom install option. And re-run the SP1 installer.

Solution 5

Run cl from a "Visual Studio x64 Command Prompt" or something similar like "x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2017". Run where cl to see the path of which "cl" you're running. Something like "x64" or "amd64" should be in the path.

The start menu search can be unhelpful at times. Try typing "vs20xx" or "vs 20xx" instead of "visual studio" to find it. The name of the prompt changes over releases. If it does not say "64", then it will set up a 32 bit environment.

The 64 prompt tends to just call "Vcvarsall.bat" with a 64 argument, but the argument changes over time and may not be backwards compatible.

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