CMake does not find Visual C++ compiler

Question

After installing Visual Studio 2015 and running CMake on a previous project, CMake errors stating that it could not find the C compiler.

The C compiler ident         


        

Answer 1

Those stumbling with this on Visual Studio 2017: there is a feature related to CMake that needs to be selected and installed together with the relevant compiler toolsets. See the screenshot below.

Answer 2

Because CMake is not able to find your Visual Studio compiler. Start any project which will download the required compilers and CMake must be able to find it then.

Answer 3

A couple of tips:

• Try to set the path manually by checking 'advanced' and modifying CMAKE_LINKER and CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM
• Delete the cache - in the CMake with GUI go to: File → Delete Cache.

My problem was a combination of previously stated: I have set the compiler version to 15 instead of 14 and when corrected, I had to delete the cache.

I also started the Visual Studio command prompt as an administrator and from there I ran the cmake-gui.exe

Then everything worked as it was supposed to.

Answer 4

None of the previous solutions worked for me. However I noticed that although I installed Visual Studio version 15 (not to be confused with Visual Studio 2015) the directory created on my computer was for Visual Studio 14.

When I specified Visual Studio 14 when I pressed the configuration button it worked.

Answer 5

Check name folder too long or not.

Answer 6

In my case I could see in the CMakeError.log that CMake could not find the Windows SDK (MSB8003: Could not find WindowsSDKDir variable from the registry).

The version can be specified on the commandline on the first CMake run using:

-DCMAKE_VS_WINDOWS_TARGET_PLATFORM_VERSION=

I got further after setting that, but I hit more issues later (so I assume my environment is messed up somehow), but maybe it will help someone with this issue.