Setting up an editor and compiler

To edit and compile code, you need an editor and a compiler. Visual Studio Code is a popular editor. Download the version for your operating system—Windows or macOS—from the Visual Studio Code website.

Install the C/C++ extension

Open the Extensions tab in VS Code and search for C/C++. Install the extension to enable C/C++ IntelliSense, debugging, and related features.

The original macOS setup ends here: write your code and use Command + Shift + B to build it.

Editorial note: the extension does not install a compiler. On macOS, this assumes a working C/C++ toolchain is already installed, such as the Xcode Command Line Tools.

Windows setup

For Windows, download MinGW-w64. After installation, locate the MinGW folder containing its executables. In the setup used in this tutorial, it is under Program Files on the C: drive.

Open its bin folder and copy the path. In File Explorer, open the computer's properties, then Advanced system settings → Environment Variables. Select Path, choose New, paste the copied MinGW bin path, and confirm.

Next, install the Code Runner extension in VS Code. Go to File → Preferences → Settings, search for Run In Terminal, and enable Code Runner: Run In Terminal. That completes the setup described in this tutorial.