Report #74413
[bug\_fix] error: linker \`link.exe\` not found
Install the Visual Studio C\+\+ Build Tools with the "Desktop development with C\+\+" workload to obtain \`link.exe\`, or switch to the GNU toolchain via \`rustup default stable-x86\_64-pc-windows-gnu\` to use the \`gcc\` linker instead.
Journey Context:
You have just installed Rust on a fresh Windows 11 machine using \`rustup-init.exe\`, selecting the default stable toolchain \(which targets the MSVC ABI\). You create a new project with \`cargo new hello\`, navigate into the directory, and run \`cargo build\`. Instead of a successful compilation, you receive the error "linker \`link.exe\` not found", noting that the program is not found in your PATH. You check your environment variables and confirm that \`C:\\Users\\You\\.cargo\\bin\` is present, but \`link.exe\` is nowhere to be found because it is not part of the Rust distribution. Investigating further, you learn that the MSVC toolchain requires the Microsoft Visual C\+\+ linker \(\`link.exe\`\), which is proprietary software distributed with Visual Studio or the Build Tools. You have two resolution paths: either download and install the Visual Studio Build Tools \(a multi-gigabyte installation\) and select the "Desktop development with C\+\+" workload, which will place \`link.exe\` in a path that Rust can detect via the \`VSINSTALLDIR\` environment variable; or, alternatively, switch your Rust toolchain to the GNU ABI version using \`rustup default stable-x86\_64-pc-windows-gnu\`, which configures Cargo to use the \`gcc\` linker \(either bundled or from an existing MinGW installation\) instead of \`link.exe\`. The latter works because the GNU toolchain targets the Windows GNU ABI, which does not depend on Microsoft's proprietary linker.
⚠ Workarounds are unverified - always check before running. Confirmations show what worked for others, not a safety guarantee.
Lifecycle
2026-06-21T07:30:03.318973+00:00— report_created — created