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This guide walks you through building Windows Calculator from source code using Visual Studio and MSBuild.

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Prerequisites

Before you can build Calculator, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
Your computer must be running Windows 11, build 22000 or newer to build and run Calculator.
1

Install Visual Studio

Download and install the latest version of Visual Studio. The free Community edition is sufficient.During installation, make sure to install:
  • Universal Windows Platform Development workload
  • C++ Universal Windows Platform tools component (optional)
  • Latest Windows 11 SDK Visual Studio Installation
2

Install XAML Styler Extension

Install the XAML Styler Visual Studio extension for consistent XAML formatting.
3

Clone the Repository

Get the Calculator source code from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/Microsoft/calculator.git
cd calculator

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Building with Visual Studio

The simplest way to build Calculator is using the Visual Studio IDE:
1

Open the Solution

Open src/Calculator.sln in Visual Studio.
2

Select Platform and Configuration

Choose your target platform from the toolbar:
  • x64 - For 64-bit Intel/AMD processors
  • x86 - For 32-bit Intel/AMD processors
  • ARM64 - For ARM-based devices
Select the build configuration:
  • Debug - For development with debugging symbols
  • Release - For optimized production builds
3

Build the Solution

Press F7 or select Build > Build Solution from the menu.The build output will appear in the Output window. A successful build will show:
========== Build: 11 succeeded, 0 failed, 0 up-to-date, 0 skipped ==========
4

Run Calculator

Press F5 to build and run Calculator with the debugger attached, or Ctrl+F5 to run without debugging.

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Building with MSBuild

For command-line builds or CI/CD pipelines, use MSBuild directly:
1

Restore NuGet Packages

nuget restore ./src/Calculator.sln
2

Build with MSBuild

msbuild ./src/Calculator.sln `
  -p:Platform=x64 `
  -p:Configuration=Release `
  -maxCpuCount
3

Publish the Application

To create a deployment package:
msbuild ./src/Calculator.sln `
  -p:Platform=x64 `
  -p:Configuration=Release `
  -p:GenerateProjectSpecificOutputFolder=true `
  -maxCpuCount `
  -t:Publish `
  -p:PublishDir=./output/publish/

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Solution Structure

The Calculator solution contains multiple projects:
ProjectTypeDescription
CalculatorC# UWP AppMain application UI and entry point
CalcManagerC++ LibraryCore calculation engine
CalcViewModelC++ LibraryView models for MVVM pattern
GraphControlC++ LibraryGraphing calculator controls
GraphingImplC++ LibraryMock graphing engine implementation
CalculatorUnitTestsC++ TestUnit tests for core components
CalculatorUITestsC# TestUI automation tests
CalculatorUITestFrameworkC# LibraryTest framework and utilities

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Platform Support

Calculator supports three platforms: 
Debug|x64
Release|x64

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Build Configurations

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Debug Configuration

  • Includes debugging symbols
  • Minimal optimization
  • Assertions enabled
  • Diagnostic data disabled by default

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Release Configuration

  • Full optimization
  • No debugging symbols
  • Assertions disabled
  • Diagnostic data disabled in developer builds
Diagnostic data collection can be enabled with the SEND_DIAGNOSTICS build flag, but is disabled by default in development builds.

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Continuous Integration

The Calculator project uses GitHub Actions for CI/CD. The workflow:
  1. Defines builds - Determines which platforms to build based on PR vs. main branch
  2. Builds - Compiles for x64, x86, and ARM64 (x64 only for PRs)
  3. Runs unit tests - Executes CalculatorUnitTests on x64 and x86
  4. Runs UI tests - Executes CalculatorUITests on x64
View the CI workflow configuration for details.

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Troubleshooting

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Build Errors

Missing Windows SDK 
Error: Windows SDK version not found
Install the latest Windows 11 SDK through Visual Studio Installer. NuGet restore failed 
Error: Unable to find package
Ensure you have internet connectivity and run: 
nuget restore ./src/Calculator.sln -Force
Platform toolset not found 
Error: The build tools for v143 cannot be found
Install the “C++ Universal Windows Platform tools” component in Visual Studio.

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Performance Tips

  • Use -maxCpuCount with MSBuild to enable parallel compilation
  • Build only the platform you need during development (typically x64)
  • Use incremental builds when making small changes
  • Consider using a RAM disk for faster builds on systems with sufficient memory

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Next Steps

Running Tests

Learn how to run unit tests and UI tests

Debugging

Set up debugging tools and techniques

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