In the "Installation details" panel on the right, verify that "C++ CMake tools for Windows" is checked (this also pulls in the necessary build tools). Alternatively, manually check "MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools" and "Windows 11 SDK" .
Go to Microsoft's "Windows SDK and emulator archive". download nmake for windows
Click Install . Once complete, NMAKE will be located at: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\VC\Tools\MSVC\[version]\bin\Hostx64\x64\nmake.exe Option 2: Visual Studio Community (Full IDE) If you already develop with Visual Studio or prefer a full IDE, install the free Community edition. In the "Installation details" panel on the right,
Unlike standalone tools, . It is distributed as part of several larger development packages. Below is the definitive guide to obtaining and using NMAKE on Windows 10 and 11. Option 1: Visual Studio Build Tools (Recommended) This is the cleanest method if you only need the command-line build tools, including NMAKE, without the full Visual Studio IDE. Click Install
Then in the Developer Command Prompt, run:
NMAKE is Microsoft's classic build utility, used to automate the compilation of programs based on descriptions in a makefile . While modern developers often use MSBuild or CMake, NMAKE remains essential for maintaining legacy C/C++ projects, building older drivers, or following specific SDK examples.
Run the installer and select the "Desktop development with C++" workload.