MATLAB 2018b cannot find Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 compiler when I run mex -setup

Installed MS Visual C++ 2017 compiler but it does not show up when I run mex -setup

[Kiran Felix Robert]

What error message do you get, when you run the following command ?

mex -v setup

Could you please copy-paste the complete error message from MATLAB ?

[Advait Thakre]

>> mex -setup -v

Verbose mode is on.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2015 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER15' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2015 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2016 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER16' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2016 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2017 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER17' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2017 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2017 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER17' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2017 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2018 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER18' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2018 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2018 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'ICPP_COMPILER18' ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Intel Parallel Studio XE 2018 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'MinGW64 Compiler (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'MW_MINGW64_LOC' ...Yes ('C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset').

... Looking for file 'C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset\bin\gcc.exe' ...Yes.

... Looking for folder 'C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset' ...Yes.

Found installed compiler 'MinGW64 Compiler (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 (C)' ...

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 12.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 12.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 12.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 12.0 ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 (C)' ...

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VC7' 14.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VC7' 14.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VC7' 14.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VC7' 14.0 ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 (C)' ...

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 15.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 15.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 15.0 ...No.

... Looking for registry setting 'HKCU\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VS7' 15.0 ...No.

Did not find installed compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2017 (C)'.

... Looking for compiler 'MinGW64 Compiler (C)' ...

... Looking for environment variable 'MW_MINGW64_LOC' ...Yes ('C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset').

... Looking for file 'C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset\bin\gcc.exe' ...Yes.

... Looking for folder 'C:\ProgramData\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2018b\3P.instrset\mingw_w64.instrset' ...Yes.

Found installed compiler 'MinGW64 Compiler (C)'.

MEX configured to use 'MinGW64 Compiler (C)' for C language compilation.

Warning: The MATLAB C and Fortran API has changed to support MATLAB

variables with more than 2^32-1 elements. You will be required

to update your code to utilize the new API.

You can find more information about this at:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_external/upgrading-mex-files-to-use-64-bit-api.html.

To choose a different language, select one from the following:

mex -setup C++

mex -setup FORTRAN

Answer 1

[Kiran Felix Robert]

Hi Advait

By looking at the output from "mex -v -setup", the issue is caused by the Windows registry entry not pointing to the correct installation folder. Since we have stopped relying on the registry entry from Visual Studio 2019, we should not see such issues with VS 2019 and later versions of VS.

To resolve this issue for Visual Studio 2017 Professional, please reinstall (following the install instructions) in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017" and run "mex -v -setup" in MATLAB.

Install Instructions : https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/443349-how-do-i-install-visual-studio-2017-or-2019-for-use-with-matlab-simulink

[Youssef Elshebani]

followed every step still matlab can't locate the microsoft visual c++ compiler 2019

[Walter Roberson]

Youssef, which MATLAB version are you using?

[Tamer Mellik]

followed every step still matlab can't locate the microsoft visual c++ compiler. 2021b and VS 2017

[Walter Roberson]

@Tamer Mellik which MATLAB release are you using?

Answer 2

[Caspar]

Installing VS fully instead of only the build tools might help, it did for me:

Be sure to install the whole Visual Studio program, not only the build tools (MSVC v142 - VS 2019 C++), as otherwise MATLAB can't find it.

Tried getting MSVC v142 - VS 2019 C++ to work with MATLAB R2021a, running the following:

mex -setup -v C++

Resulted in:

Did not find installed compiler 'Microsoft Visual C++ 2019'.

After uninstalling MATLAB and VS Build Tools 2019, and installing MATLAB again and VS 2019 fully, not only the build tools, it worked out.

[Ben]

I had a similar problem where MATLAB couldn't find MSVC C++ v141, 142 or 143 (I installed all 3 to see if it would fix the problem) and I did not want to install the full build tools.

I found that after installing the Windows SDK component, MATLAB could find the installed compilers. I attached an image of the components that I have installed.

I need some components for other purposes, but for MATLAB you at least need:

• MSVC C++ build tools
• Windows 10/11 SDK