The CMake-based build system is only supported on 64-bit versions of Windows.
Introduction
============
ESP-IDF requires some prerequisite tools to be installed so you can build firmware for the ESP32. The prerequisite tools include Git, a cross-compiler and the CMake build tool. We'll go over each one in this document.
For this Getting Started we're going to use a command prompt, but after ESP-IDF is installed you can use :doc:`Eclipse <eclipse-setup>` or another graphical IDE with CMake support instead.
..note::
The GNU Make based build system requires the MSYS2_ Unix compatibility environment on Windows. The CMake-based build system does not require this environment.
ESP-IDF Tools Installer
=======================
The easiest way to install ESP-IDF's prerequisites is to download the ESP-IDF Tools installer from this URL:
The installer will automatically install the ESP32 Xtensa gcc toolchain, Ninja_ build tool, and a configuration tool called mconf-idf_. The installer can also download and run installers for CMake_ and Python_ 2.7 if these are not already installed on the computer.
By default, the installer updates the Windows ``Path`` environment variable so all of these tools can be run from anywhere. If you disable this option, you will need to configure the environment where you are using ESP-IDF (terminal or chosen IDE) with the correct paths.
Note that this installer is for the ESP-IDF Tools package, it doesn't include ESP-IDF itself.
Installing Git
==============
The ESP-IDF tools installer does not install Git. By default, the getting started guide assumes you will be using Git on the command line. You can download and install a command line Git for Windows (along with the "Git Bash" terminal) from `Git For Windows`_.
If you prefer to use a different graphical Git client, then you can install one such as `Github Desktop`. You will need to translate the Git commands in the Getting Started guide for use with your chosen Git client.
Using a Terminal
================
For the remaining Getting Started steps, we're going to use a terminal command prompt. It doesn't matter which command prompt you use:
- You can use the built-in Windows Command Prompt, under the Start menu. All Windows command line instructions in this documentation are "batch" commands for use with the Windows Command Prompt.
- You can use the "Git Bash" terminal which is part of `Git for Windows`_. This uses the same "bash" command prompt syntax as is given for Mac OS or Linux. You can find it in the Start menu once installed.
- If you have MSYS2_ installed (maybe from a previous ESP-IDF version), then you can also use the MSYS terminal.
