Using Rust on Windows

As of release 0.9, Rust still depends on GCC for platform linker and C runtime libraries, so you will need to install one before installing Rust itself. Follow these instructions to set up the environment, then run the installer.

MinGW

The standard way of running Rust on Windows is via the MinGW/MSYS environment:

1. Click "Downloads" at the top of the page, download and run mingw-get-setup.exe.
2. Once package manager window opens, check the "mingw32-base" option.
3. Optionally, check "msys-base" to install MSYS shell.
4. Apply changes (Installation/Apply Changes).
5. If you installed MSYS, launch MSYS shell, <mingw>\msys\1.0\msys.bat, type sh /postinstall/pi.sh, and answer the questions.
6. Use Rust compiler from MSYS shell (bonus: rustc will output colored error messages!). Or, simply add <mingw>\bin to your PATH and use it from the Windows Command Prompt.

For the absolutely minimal installed footprint, don't mark any packages for installation, but simply run mingw-get install gcc from the command prompt.

Alternatives

If you are feeling a bit adventurous, you may also try using a standalone MinGW GCC distribution such as mingw-builds:

1. Download and run mingw-builds-install.exe.
2. Choose installation options: architecture=x32, threads=posix, exceptions=dwarf.
3. Use Rust compiler from mingw-builds terminal (there will be a shortcut in the Start menu), or add <mingw-builds>\mingw32\bin directory to your PATH.

Install Rust

Now just run the installer.