I've been programming on Linux for a while but decided to switch to Windows 11 for various reasons. As I'm getting back into programming and want to focus on C, I'm finding it quite confusing to set up a proper development environment here. I'm hoping to use the Zed text editor for my coding. Can anyone share the best methods or tools to set up a C development environment on Windows 11?
5 Answers
I've been using Cygwin on Windows for ages. It does what I need, including running an X server. WSL is an option, but Cygwin has served me well.
Have you thought about using a Docker development container in VS Code? It can simplify dependencies and environment setup.
A great option is to use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It allows you to run a Linux environment directly on Windows, and you can install tools like gcc easily.
WSL is solid, but I've had trouble with Zed freezing up sometimes, even with WSLg set up. That part can be tricky!
To set up your environment, try these steps: 1. Install the Microsoft C/C++ SDK using `winget install --interactive --id Microsoft.VisualStudio.2026.BuildTools`. 2. Get CMake with `winget install --id Kitware.CMake`. 3. Create a cmakelists.txt file for your project. 4. Use CMake to build your project.
Why not start with WSL or a virtual machine with your preferred Linux distro? It gives you a more familiar environment which can help if you're coming from Linux!
I find WSL super handy too! I have an Ansible script that helps me set it up from scratch whenever I need to rebuild my environment.