Installing Make on Windows

Installing Make on Windows: Step-by-Step Guide

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Make is a widely used build automation tool, mostly found on Linux and macOS systems. To use Make on Windows, you need to install some additional tools. This guide walks you through how to install and configure Make on Windows.

1. Install MSYS2

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MSYS2 provides a Unix-like environment for Windows and includes tools like make.

• Step 1: Download MSYS2 from the official website: https://www.msys2.org/

• Step 2: Run the installer and complete the installation.

• Step 3: Launch MSYS2. Upon first launch, update the package database and core system packages:

  pacman -Syu
  pacman -Su
  

  ⚠️ This step might take a few minutes.

2. Install Make

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Run the following command in the MSYS2 terminal to install make:

pacman -S make

This will download and install GNU Make using MSYS2’s pacman package manager.

3. Verify the Installation

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To confirm that make is installed correctly, run:

make --version

You should see an output like:

GNU Make 4.x
...

4. Add Make to System PATH (Optional but Recommended)

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To use make from anywhere in the command line (e.g., PowerShell or CMD), you need to add MSYS2’s bin directory to your system PATH.

• Step 1: Open the “Environment Variables” window via the Start Menu.

• Step 2: Go to System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables.

• Step 3: Under System Variables, find and edit the Path variable.

• Step 4: Click New and add:

  C:\msys64\usr\bin
  

• Step 5: Save and restart your computer.

5. Use Make

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Now, you can open a terminal (CMD or PowerShell) and run:

make --version

You should see the version information of GNU Make, which confirms everything is working properly.

Troubleshooting

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• If make is not recognized, double-check that the Path variable includes the correct MSYS2 path.

• Ensure MSYS2 is up to date:

  pacman -Syu
  

• Restart your system after updating environment variables.