Cross compiling for Windows on ARM

[byronhawkins]

I have a tablet PC with an ARM processor running Windows 10, and I'd like to compile programs for it, but I want to run the compiler on a different machine. Compilers are never available natively for ARM, including Visual Studio, and emulation is super slow. I would especially like to avoid MinGW if at all possible.

1. Is it possible to run Visual Studio Code on Linux and produce an executable compatible with Windows on ARM?
2. Would it be simpler to run Visual Studio on Windows (x86) and produce an executable compatible with Windows on ARM?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[toyboat1000]

I believe there is a download button for ARM x64 and ARM x32 on visual studio code download website. I hope that is what you are looking for.

[George P]

Personally I'd lean towards 2, using a Windows PC and Visual Studio (not Visual Studio Code) to test Windows apps. ARM or not. That way you can write, compile, debug and fix without having to move the executable to another machine.

Here's a meta-search link you might find useful:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=can+visual+studio+create+Windows+ARM+apps&t=ffsb&ia=web

[freddie1]

The last ARM code I produced was through Visual Studio 2008 which came preconfigured to create and run such code. There was an emulator involved which I sometimes used. Was actually pretty neat. But it was all Windows SDK Win32 code I produced. It was for Windows Mobile, an operating system which I despise. Earlier I used Microsoft's eMbedded C++ 3.0 then later 4.0 to build Windows CE apps, which I loved to do. Most enjoyable coding I had ever done. There were a lot of extra downloads involved with the VStudio 2008 setup. I think you may also need one of the paid for editions. I had the Professional Edition.

I really don't have any idea how one would go about this with Microsoft's latest editions. Maybe toyboat1000 has an idea.

[George P]

Compilers are never available natively for ARM, including Visual Studio

Uhhh, not true. Even Visual Studio 2017 has support available. Whether someone wants to nit-pick if that is "native support" is a moot issue IMO.

This article talks about how to add ARM/ARM64 build tools to VS 2017:
https://pete.akeo.ie/2017/05/compiling-desktop-arm-applications-with.html

I just now checked VS 2019 & VS 2022, it has the capability to install the build tools for ARM as well.*

FYI, just like the stdlib C++ build tools adding ARM build capability is not something installed by default, it has to be manually selected. Either when initially installed or modifying what's installed later.

MS has made it easier to support different CPUs and OSes with Visual Studio.

*If'n I wanted to do ARM programming I'd add the VS support and hack away.

I don't have Windows ARM, or access to a machine that does, so I have no real need for it. I am a self-taught, still learning programming hobbyist.