esp-idf/docs/en/get-started/windows-setup.rst

***********************************************
Standard Setup of Toolchain for Windows
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:link_to_translation:`zh_CN:[中文]`

.. only:: esp32

    .. note::
        Currently only 64-bit versions of Windows are supported. 32-bit Windows can use the :doc:`Legacy GNU Make Build System<../get-started-legacy/windows-setup>`.

Introduction
============

ESP-IDF requires some prerequisite tools to be installed so you can build firmware for supported chips. The prerequisite tools include Python, Git, cross-compilers, CMake and Ninja build tools.

For this Getting Started we're going to use the Command Prompt, but after ESP-IDF is installed you can use :doc:`Eclipse <eclipse-setup>` or another graphical IDE with CMake support instead.

.. only:: esp32

    .. note::
        Previous versions of ESP-IDF used the :doc:`Legacy GNU Make Build System<../get-started-legacy/windows-setup>` and MSYS2_ Unix compatibility environment. This is no longer required, ESP-IDF can be used from the Windows Command Prompt.

.. note::
    Limitation: the installation path of Python or ESP-IDF must not contain white spaces or parentheses.

    Limitation: the installation path of Python or ESP-IDF should not contain special characters (non-ASCII) unless the operating system is configured with "Unicode UTF-8" support.
    System Administrator can enable the support via Control Panel - Change date, time, or number formats - Administrative tab - Change system locale - check the option "Beta: Use Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support" - Ok and reboot the computer.

.. _get-started-windows-tools-installer:

ESP-IDF Tools Installer
=======================

The easiest way to install ESP-IDF's prerequisites is to download the ESP-IDF Tools installer from this URL:

https://dl.espressif.com/dl/esp-idf-tools-setup-2.4.exe

.. IMPORTANT: Next time this link is updated, please go to get-started/index.rst and rewrite the section under "Alternative File Downloads ... Windows". Then delete this comment.

The installer includes the cross-compilers, OpenOCD, CMake_ and Ninja_ build tool. The installer can also download and run installers for Python_ 3.7 and `Git For Windows`_ if they are not already installed on the computer.

The installer also downloads one of the ESP-IDF release versions, or offers to use an existing one, if already present on your PC. If you don't have one, please choose a directory for downloading ESP-IDF. The recommended directory is ``%userprofile%\esp`` where ``%userprofile%`` is your home directory. If you do not have it yet, please run the following command to create a new one:

.. code-block:: batch

    mkdir %userprofile%\esp


At the end of installation, if you checkout ``Run ESP-IDF Command Prompt (cmd.exe)``, a new Windows Power Shell, i.e. the ESP-IDF Command Prompt will pop up.

.. figure:: ../../_static/esp-idf-installer-screenshot.png
    :align: center
    :alt: Completing the ESP-IDF Tools Setup Wizard with Run ESP-IDF Command Prompt (cmd.exe)
    :figclass: align-center

    Completing the ESP-IDF Tools Setup Wizard with Run ESP-IDF Command Prompt (cmd.exe)

.. figure:: ../../_static/esp-idf-installer-command-prompt.png
    :align: center
    :alt: ESP-IDF Command Prompt
    :figclass: align-center

    ESP-IDF Command Prompt

Using the Command Prompt
========================

For the remaining Getting Started steps, we're going to use the Windows Command Prompt.

ESP-IDF Tools Installer also creates a shortcut in the Start menu to launch the ESP-IDF Command Prompt. This shortcut launches the Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and runs ``export.bat`` script to set up the environment variables (``PATH``, ``IDF_PATH`` and others). Inside this command prompt, all the installed tools are available.

Note that this shortcut is specific to the ESP-IDF directory selected in the ESP-IDF Tools Installer. If you have multiple ESP-IDF directories on the computer (for example, to work with different versions of ESP-IDF), you have two options to use them:

1. Create a copy of the shortcut created by the ESP-IDF Tools Installer, and change the working directory of the new shortcut to the ESP-IDF directory you wish to use.

2. Alternatively, run ``cmd.exe``, then change to the ESP-IDF directory you wish to use, and run ``export.bat``. Note that unlike the previous option, this way requires Python and Git to be present in ``PATH``. If you get errors related to Python or Git not being found, use the first option.

Next Steps
==========

If the ESP-IDF Tools Installer has finished successfully, then the development environment setup is complete. Proceed directly to :ref:`get-started-start-project`.

Related Documents
=================

For advanced users who want to customize the install process:

.. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 1

    windows-setup-update


.. _MSYS2: https://www.msys2.org/
.. _CMake: https://cmake.org/download/
.. _Ninja: https://ninja-build.org/
.. _Python: https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
.. _Git for Windows: https://gitforwindows.org/
.. _Github Desktop: https://desktop.github.com/