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Building Dolphin on Windows uses Visual Studio solution files rather than CMake. This guide covers the complete process.

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Prerequisites

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Required Software

  • Visual Studio 2022 (17.2.3 or later) or Build Tools for Visual Studio
  • Git for Windows
  • Windows SDK (latest version)
Dolphin targets the latest MSVC shipped with Visual Studio or Build Tools. Other compilers might work but are not tested or recommended.

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Compiler Requirements

  • MSVC: Version 19.32 or later (Visual Studio 2022 17.2.3+)
  • C++ Standard: C++23 support required

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Step-by-Step Build Instructions

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Clone the Repository
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Clone the Dolphin repository from GitHub:
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git clone https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin.git
cd dolphin
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Initialize Submodules
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Dolphin requires Git submodules to be initialized before building:
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git submodule update --init --recursive
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Skipping this step will cause build failures.
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Open the Solution File
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Open the Visual Studio solution file located at:
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Source/dolphin-emu.sln
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You can open it by:
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  • Double-clicking the file in File Explorer
  • Using File > Open > Project/Solution in Visual Studio
  • Running from command line: start Source/dolphin-emu.sln
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    Select Build Configuration
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    Visual Studio provides two main build configurations:
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    Release Configuration
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  • Includes performance optimizations
  • Best for normal use and testing
  • Provides the best user experience
  • Makes debugging more difficult
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    Debug Configuration
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  • Significantly slower execution
  • More verbose output
  • Less permissive (catches more errors)
  • Easier to debug with breakpoints and inspectors
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    Select the desired configuration from the dropdown menu in the Visual Studio toolbar.
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    Select Target Architecture
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    Choose the appropriate architecture for your system:
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  • x64: For 64-bit Intel/AMD processors (most common)
  • ARM64: For ARM64 Windows devices
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    Build Dolphin
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    Build the solution using one of these methods:
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    Visual Studio
    Build > Build Solution (or press Ctrl+Shift+B)
    MSBuild Command Line
    msbuild Source/dolphin-emu.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 /m
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    Locate Output Files
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    After a successful build, binaries are located in:
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  • x64 builds: Binary/x64/
  • ARM64 builds: Binary/ARM64/
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    The main executable is Dolphin.exe.

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    Advanced Build Options

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    Command-Line Builds

    You can build from the command line using MSBuild: 
    # Build Release configuration for x64
msbuild Source/dolphin-emu.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 /m

# Build Debug configuration for x64
msbuild Source/dolphin-emu.sln /p:Configuration=Debug /p:Platform=x64 /m

# Build for ARM64
msbuild Source/dolphin-emu.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=ARM64 /m
    The /m flag enables parallel compilation for faster builds.

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    Clean Builds

    To perform a clean build (remove all previous build artifacts): 
    Build > Clean Solution
Then: Build > Build Solution

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    Building Specific Projects

    To build only specific components:
    1. Right-click the project in Solution Explorer
    2. Select Build
    Common projects:
    • Dolphin: Main Qt GUI application
    • DolphinNoGUI: Command-line variant
    • DolphinTool: CLI utility for disc image management

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    Architecture Support

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    x64 (x86-64)

    • Most common architecture
    • Full feature support
    • Best performance and compatibility

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    ARM64

    • For Windows on ARM devices
    • Surface Pro X, ARM-based laptops
    • OpenGL backend not available on Windows ARM64

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    Compiler Flags and Options

    Dolphin’s Windows build uses the following MSVC options:

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    Optimization Flags

    • /Gy - Enable function-level linking
    • /Oi - Generate intrinsic functions
    • /GS- - Disable buffer security checks (Release only)
    • /Zc:inline - Remove unreferenced inline functions/data
    • /OPT:REF /OPT:ICF - Eliminate dead code and data (linker)

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    Standards Compliance

    • /std:c++23 - C++23 standard
    • /Zc:__cplusplus,enumTypes,externConstexpr,preprocessor,templateScope,throwingNew - Strict conformance
    • /volatile:iso - ISO C++ volatile semantics
    • /fp:precise - Precise floating-point model

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    Code Quality

    • /W4 - Warning level 4 (highest)
    • /WX - Treat warnings as errors
    • /GR- - Disable RTTI
    • /EHsc - Exception handling model

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    Troubleshooting

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    Missing Windows SDK

    Error: Cannot find Windows SDK Solution: Install the latest Windows SDK through Visual Studio Installer:
    1. Open Visual Studio Installer
    2. Click Modify on your Visual Studio installation
    3. Under Individual Components, select the latest Windows SDK
    4. Click Modify to install

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    Submodules Not Initialized

    Error: Missing header files or libraries from Externals Solution: Initialize submodules: 
    git submodule update --init --recursive

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    Build Errors After Git Pull

    Solution: Perform a clean build:
    1. Close Visual Studio
    2. Delete the Binary/ directory
    3. Run git submodule update --init --recursive
    4. Reopen the solution and build

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    Out of Memory During Build

    Solution: Reduce parallel compilation:
    • In Visual Studio: Tools > Options > Projects and Solutions > Build and Run
    • Set Maximum number of parallel project builds to a lower value (e.g., 2-4)

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    Linker Errors

    Error: LNK errors about missing symbols Solution:
    1. Ensure submodules are initialized
    2. Try a clean build
    3. Verify you’re using a supported MSVC version (19.32+)

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    Next Steps

    After building:
    • The executable is in Binary/x64/ or Binary/ARM64/
    • Copy the Data/Sys folder to Binary/x64/Sys if it’s not already present
    • Run Dolphin.exe to start the emulator
    For development builds, Visual Studio will automatically copy necessary files to the output directory.