How do I run msbuild from the command line using Windows SDK 7.1?
I'm setting up .NET 4.0 support on our CI server. I've installed .NET 4.0, and the .NET tools from the Windows 7.1 SDK.
On .NET 2.0 and 3.5, that just worked. With .NET 4, when I run the "Windows SDK 7.1 Command Prompt" from the Start menu, it complains about
The x86 compilers are not currently installed. x86-x86
Please go to Add/Remove Programs to update your installation.
.
Setting SDK environment relative to C:\Program Files\Microsoft
SDKs\Windows\v7.1
\.
Targeting Windows Server 2008 x86 Debug
Then when I try to run msbuild, I get:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.1>msbuild
'msbuild' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.1>
I can't quite believe that installing the runtime and SDK will leave you with a system that can't run msbuild... have I missed some obvious step or obscure Windows Update, or is time to give up and start hacking the system path?
To enable msbuild in Command Prompt, you simply have to add the directory of the msbuild.exe install on your machine to the PATH environment variable.
You can access the environment variables by:
- Right clicking on Computer
- Click Properties
- Then click Advanced system settings on the left navigation bar
- On the next dialog box click Environment variables
- Scroll down to
PATH - Edit it to include your path to the framework (don't forget a ";" after the last entry in here).
For reference, my path was C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319
Path Updates:
As of MSBuild 12 (2013)/VS 2013/.NET 4.5.1+ and onward MSBuild is now installed as a part of Visual Studio.
For VS2015 the path was %ProgramFiles(x86)%\MSBuild\14.0\Bin
For VS2017 the path was %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\<YOUR_VS_EDITION>\MSBuild\15.0\Bin
For VS2019 the path was %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\<YOUR_VS_EDITION>\MSBuild\Current\Bin
where <YOUR_VS_EDITION> matches the Visual Studio edition that you have installed, i.e., Preview, Community, Professional, Enterprise.
From Visual Studio 2013 onwards, MSbuild comes as a part of Visual Studio. Earlier, MSBuild was installed as a part of. NET Framework.
MSBuild is installed directly under %ProgramFiles%. So, the path for MSBuild might be different depending on the version of Visual Studio.
For Visual Studio 2015, Path of MSBuild is "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\MSBuild\14.0\Bin\MSBuild.exe"
For Visual Studio 15 Preview, Path of MSBuild is "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\MSBuild\15.0\Bin\MSBuild.exe"
Also, Some new MSBuild properties has been added and some have been modified. For more information look here
Update 1: VS 2017
The location for the MSBuild has changed again with the release of Visual Studio 2017. Now the installation directory is under the %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\[VS Edition]\MSBuild\15.0\Bin\. Since, i have an Enterprise edition, the MSBuild location for my machine is "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Enterprise\MSBuild\15.0\Bin\MSbuild.exe"
Update 2: VS 2019
Path is C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Enterprise\MSBuild\Current\Bin\MsBuild.exe.
Using the "Developer Command Prompt for Visual Studio 20XX" instead of "cmd" will set the path for msbuild automatically without having to add it to your environment variables.