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ABI Selection

Windows has two prominent ABIs (Application Binary Interfaces):

MSVC ABI

Native Windows ABI
  • Used by Visual Studio
  • Best for Windows-specific development
  • Interoperates with MSVC-built libraries
  • Recommended for most users

GNU ABI

MinGW/GCC Toolchain
  • Uses GNU toolchain (GCC)
  • Better for cross-platform code
  • Interoperates with MinGW-built libraries
  • Good for Unix-style development on Windows
Choose the ABI based on which C/C++ libraries you need to interoperate with. You can build both if needed.

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Available Build Triples

  • i686-pc-windows-gnu (32-bit)
  • x86_64-pc-windows-gnu (64-bit)
Specify the build triple using: 
python x.py build --build=x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
Or in bootstrap.toml: 
[build]
build = "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"

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Building with MSVC

1

Install Dependencies

Install required tools using winget (Windows Package Manager):
winget install -e Python.Python.3
winget install -e Kitware.CMake
winget install -e Git.Git
After installation, add CMake to your system PATH: C:\Program Files\CMake\binSee this guide for instructions on editing PATH.
2

Install Visual Studio

Install Visual Studio 2022 or later with C++ build tools:
  1. Download Visual Studio
  2. Run the installer
  3. Select “Desktop development with C++” workload
  4. Include Windows 10 or 11 SDK
Do NOT select “C++ CMake tools for Windows” under Individual Components - use the standalone CMake installed via winget instead.
Visual Studio 2019 may work but is not actively tested. Visual Studio 2022 or later is recommended.
3

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/rust-lang/rust.git
cd rust
4

Configure the Build

Run the interactive setup:
python x.py setup user
Or create bootstrap.toml manually:
bootstrap.toml
[build]
build = "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"
extended = true
tools = ["cargo", "clippy", "rustfmt"]

[llvm]
# Highly recommended - skip building LLVM
download-ci-llvm = true
5

Build Rust

Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:
python x.py build
The first build can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on your hardware.

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Troubleshooting MSVC Builds

If bootstrap doesn’t detect your Visual Studio version, manually call the vcvars script:
CALL "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars64.bat"
python x.py build
For Visual Studio 2019:
CALL "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars64.bat"
python x.py build
Several tips to improve build speed:
  1. Disable Windows Defender Real-Time Protection (temporarily)
    • Note: It will re-enable automatically after some time
  2. Use native Windows Python instead of MSYS2 Python
    • Can help with LLVM build issues
  3. Use Git for Windows instead of MSYS2 Git
    • Often much faster for git operations
  4. Download pre-built LLVM: 
    [llvm]
download-ci-llvm = true
If you encounter linker errors, ensure:
  1. Visual Studio is properly installed with C++ tools
  2. Windows SDK is installed
  3. You’re running from a Visual Studio command prompt, or vcvars is called

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Building with MinGW (MSYS2)

1

Install MSYS2

  1. Download the latest MSYS2 installer
  2. Run the installer and follow the instructions
  3. Complete the installation to C:\msys64 (default)
2

Install Git for Windows

Download and install Git for Windows:
  1. Install Git for Windows
  2. Ensure it’s in your Windows PATH
  3. Edit C:\msys64\mingw64.ini (or mingw32.ini for 32-bit)
  4. Uncomment: MSYS2_PATH_TYPE=inherit
You could use MSYS2’s git via pacman, but it’s very slow and not recommended.
3

Install Build Tools

Start a MINGW64 or MINGW32 shell (from start menu or by running C:\msys64\mingw64.exe).Update package mirrors:
pacman -Sy pacman-mirrors
Install build tools:
pacman -S make \
  diffutils \
  tar \
  mingw-w64-x86_64-python \
  mingw-w64-x86_64-cmake \
  mingw-w64-x86_64-gcc \
  mingw-w64-x86_64-ninja
Do NOT use the python2, cmake, and ninja packages from the msys2 subsystem. Use the mingw-w64-* versions instead. Builds are known to fail with msys2 subsystem packages.
4

Clone and Build

In the MINGW64/MINGW32 shell:
# Clone (or navigate to existing clone)
git clone https://github.com/rust-lang/rust.git
cd rust

# Setup and build
python x.py setup dist
python x.py build
python x.py install

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MinGW Build Tips

If you experience issues with LLVM builds, try using native Windows Python and CMake:
  1. Install Python and CMake for Windows (via winget)
  2. Remove them from the pacman command above
  3. Ensure Windows Python/CMake are in PATH (following step 2’s MSYS2_PATH_TYPE setting)

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Advanced Configuration

Build for both MSVC and GNU targets:
bootstrap.toml
[build]
build = "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"
target = [
  "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc",
  "x86_64-pc-windows-gnu",
]
Build with:
python x.py build --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
bootstrap.toml
[build]
build = "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc"
extended = true
tools = ["cargo", "clippy", "rustfmt", "rust-analyzer"]

# Use all CPU cores
jobs = 0

[llvm]
# Download instead of building
download-ci-llvm = true

# If building LLVM, use Ninja
ninja = true

[rust]
channel = "dev"
debug-assertions = true

# Enable incremental compilation
incremental = true
To use GNU ABI from PowerShell or MSVC ABI from MINGW:
# From any environment
python x.py build --build=x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
# or
python x.py build --build=x86_64-pc-windows-msvc

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Building Documentation

Build Rust documentation: 
python x.py doc
Documentation will be generated in: 
build\x86_64-pc-windows-msvc\doc
Or for GNU builds: 
build\x86_64-pc-windows-gnu\doc

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Testing Your Build

python x.py check

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Common Issues

Ensure Python is in your PATH:
# Check Python
python --version

# If not found, add to PATH or use full path
C:\Python312\python.exe x.py build
Update submodules:
git submodule update --init --recursive
Windows has a 260-character path limit by default. Enable long paths:
  1. Run as Administrator:
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem" `
  -Name "LongPathsEnabled" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
  1. Or use Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc):
    • Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Filesystem
    • Enable “Enable Win32 long paths”
Reduce parallel jobs:
python x.py build -j 1
Or limit LLVM linker jobs:
[llvm]
link-jobs = 1

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Next Steps

Configuration Options

Explore all available build configuration options

Dependencies Reference

Detailed dependency information

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