Trouble Installing and Running C Programs in VS Code

[youssef394948]

Select Topic Area

Question

Body

Hi everyone,
I'm having trouble setting up C programming in Visual Studio Code. I have installed VS Code, but I'm not sure how to properly install the C compiler or configure the environment to compile and run C programs. Whenever I try to run my C code, I get errors or nothing happens.

[ourhouchmohamed97]

Hi everyone, I'm having trouble setting up C programming in Visual Studio Code. I have installed VS Code, but I'm not sure how to properly install the C compiler or configure the environment to compile and run C programs. Whenever I try to run my C code, I get errors or nothing happens.

Hi @youssef394948
To set up C programming in VS Code on Windows, a great solution is to install MinGW (Minimalist GNU for Windows). Start by downloading and installing MinGW from MinGW, and make sure to add its bin directory to your system's PATH environment variable. After that, install the C/C++ extension by Microsoft in VS Code for features like IntelliSense and debugging. This will allow you to compile and run C programs smoothly.

[youssef394948]

Thanks a lot! This solution is really helpful and worked perfectly for me. The steps were clear and easy to follow, and now I can compile and run C programs in VS Code without any issues. I appreciate you sharing this!

[RamezCh]

https://youtu.be/1PBD5qFWdq8

[M-INDN-SEDTA]

Sure! Here's a plain text version you can directly paste into the GitHub Discussions post—clear, concise, and discussion-style:

---

Hi @youssef394948,

To properly set up C programming in Visual Studio Code on Windows, follow these steps:

1. Install a C Compiler (MinGW):

   • Download MinGW from https://osdn.net/projects/mingw/releases/
   • During setup, make sure to install mingw32-gcc-g++
   • Add the MinGW bin folder (e.g. C:\MinGW\bin) to your system PATH
   • Verify it works by running gcc --version in your command prompt

2. Install the C/C++ Extension in VS Code:

   • Open the Extensions tab (Ctrl+Shift+X)
   • Search for and install "C/C++" by Microsoft

3. (Optional but Recommended) Install Code Runner Extension:

   • It allows you to quickly run C code without setting up tasks manually

4. Update VS Code Settings to Support Input in the Terminal:
   Code Runner by default does not support scanf() or user input unless configured to use the terminal.

   • Open File > Preferences > Settings
   • Search for "code runner run in terminal" and enable it
   • Then click the {} icon in the top-right to edit settings.json directly
   • Add the following lines:

"code-runner.runInTerminal": true,
"code-runner.executorMap": {
    "c": "gcc \"$fileName\" -o \"$fileNameWithoutExt\" && \"$fileNameWithoutExt\""
},
"code-runner.saveFileBeforeRun": true

This makes sure:

• The file is saved before running
• Your code compiles
• It runs inside the terminal, so scanf() and other inputs work properly

5. Try a simple test code:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int x;
    printf("Enter a number: ");
    scanf("%d", &x);
    printf("You entered: %d\n", x);
    return 0;
}