====== 2025.03.14 Building Zed Editor on Windows ======

Building Zed Editor for Windows


===== 1. Install Rust =====

To download and install: [[https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install]]

<code>
winget install Rustlang.Rustup
</code>

===== 2. Install MSVC =====

MSVC (Microsoft Visual C++)

Use Build Tools for Visual Studio

<code>
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools
</code>


==== Add C++ Toolset ====

Add from Visual Studio Installer

  - Press Win + S, type "Visual Studio Installer", and open it.
    * Select "Visual Studio Build Tools"
  - Click the "Modify" button.
    * Add the "Desktop development with C++" workload
  - Check the workload that includes the C++ compiler and build tools.
    * Click the "Modify" button to start the installation
  - Click the "Modify" button to start the installation
    * Restart your PC once the installation is complete.

==== MSVC Spectre-mitigated Libraries are also required ====

  - Select Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022 in the Visual Studio Installer.
  - Open the Individual components tab.
  - Search for and check "MSVC v143 Spectre-mitigated Libraries (x86/x64)".
  - Click Apply changes to complete the installation.

==== cmake is also required ====

<code>
winget install Kitware.CMake
</code>
===== 3. Install wasm toolchain =====


A set of development tools for compiling and running code for WebAssembly (WASM).
It usually includes a compiler, runtime, debugger, linker, etc.
<code>
rustup target add wasm32-wasip1
</code>

===== 4. Clone the source =====

<code>
git clone https://github.com/zed-industries/zed.git
</code>

==== Modify rust-toolchain.toml ====

<code>
targets = [
    "x86_64-apple-darwin",
    "aarch64-apple-darwin",
    "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu",
    "x86_64-pc-windows-msvc",
    "wasm32-wasip1", # extensions
    "x86_64-unknown-linux-musl", # remote server
]

↓

targets = [ "stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc" ]
</code>

===== 5. Compile =====

<code>
cd zed
rustup override set stable-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
cargo build --release
</code>

===== 6. Launch =====


After compilation is complete, zed.exe will be created in the following location:

  target\release\zed.exe


===== Error Collection =====


==== cmake is missing ====

<code>
error: failed to run custom build command for `aws-lc-sys v0.27.0`

Caused by:
  process didn't exit successfully: `C:\Users\s-matsui\zed\target\release\build\aws-lc-sys-e3261c7b861cf150\build-script-main` (exit code: 101)
  --- stdout
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_NO_PREFIX
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_PREGENERATING_BINDINGS
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_EXTERNAL_BINDGEN
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_NO_ASM
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_CFLAGS
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_PREBUILT_NASM
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_C_STD
  cargo:rustc-cfg=x86_64_pc_windows_msvc
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_CMAKE_BUILDER
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_STATIC
  default_for Target: 'x86_64-pc-windows-msvc'
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=AWS_LC_SYS_STATIC
  cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=CMAKE

  --- stderr
  Missing dependency: cmake

  thread 'main' panicked at C:\Users\s-matsui\.cargo\registry\src\index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f\aws-lc-sys-0.27.0\builder\main.rs:382:40:
  called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: "Required build dependency is missing. Halting build."
  note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace
warning: build failed, waiting for other jobs to finish...
</code>

=== Solution ===
[[#cmake is also required]]


==== link.exe is missing ====

<code>
error: linker link.exe not found
  |
  = note: program not found

note: the msvc targets depend on the msvc linker but link.exe was not found

note: please ensure that Visual Studio 2017 or later, or Build Tools for Visual Studio were installed with the Visual C++ option.

note: VS Code is a different product, and is not sufficient.

   Compiling cc v1.2.12
error: could not compile windows_x86_64_msvc (build script) due to 1 previous error
warning: build failed, waiting for other jobs to finish...
error: could not compile typeid (build script) due to 1 previous error
error: could not compile serde (build script) due to 1 previous error
error: could not compile proc-macro2 (build script) due to 1 previous error
</code>

=== Solution ===

[[#Add C++ Toolset]]

==== msvc_spectre_libs is missing ====

<code>
 Compiling clap_builder v4.5.32
warning: msvc_spectre_libs@0.1.2: No spectre-mitigated libs were found. Please modify the VS Installation to add these.
error: failed to run custom build command for msvc_spectre_libs v0.1.2

Caused by:
  process didn't exit successfully: C:\Users\s-matsui\zed\target\release\build\msvc_spectre_libs-362ba44b58252040\build-script-build (exit code: 101)
  --- stdout
  cargo:warning=No spectre-mitigated libs were found. Please modify the VS Installation to add these.

  --- stderr

  thread 'main' panicked at C:\Users\s-matsui\.cargo\registry\src\index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f\msvc_spectre_libs-0.1.2\build.rs:37:13:
  No spectre-mitigated libs were found. Please modify the VS Installation to add these.
  note: run with RUST_BACKTRACE=1 environment variable to display a backtrace
warning: build failed, waiting for other jobs to finish...
</code>

=== Solution ===
[[#MSVC Spectre-mitigated Libraries are also required]]

==== Out of memory ====

<code>
   Compiling assistant_slash_commands v0.1.0 (C:\Users\s-matsui\zed\crates\assistant_slash_commands)
   Compiling aws-smithy-xml v0.60.9
   Compiling language_model_selector v0.1.0 (C:\Users\s-matsui\zed\crates\language_model_selector)
rustc-LLVM ERROR: out of memory
Allocation failed
error: could not compile `editor` (lib)
</code>

=== Solution ===

Limit parallel execution
<code>
set CARGO_BUILD_JOBS=1
</code>

Try rebuilding with this setting.



{{tag>Diary Editor Zed}}