Microsoft C++ porting and upgrading guide (original) (raw)

Transform your legacy C++ applications with confidence. Whether you're upgrading from Visual Studio 2008 or modernizing to take advantage of the latest C++ features, this comprehensive guide provides everything you need for a successful upgrade journey.

C++ logo with an upward arrow and abstract code on a blue background suggesting improvements from upgrading.

🚀 Quick start

Most projects upgrade seamlessly: For projects created in Visual Studio 2010-2017, simply open them in the latest Visual Studio. For Visual Studio 2008 or earlier projects, use our two-step upgrade process.

Binary compatibility: Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2026 build tools are binary-compatible, so you can upgrade without rebuilding library dependencies. Learn more.

CMake projects: For projects using open-source libraries or targeting multiple platforms, consider migrating to CMake. Learn more.

💡 Why upgrade?

🏃‍♂️ Better Performance: Faster execution and build times
🔒 Enhanced Security: Address sanitizers and security features
📐 Standards Compliance: Modern C++ features and conformance
🛠️ Better Tools: Advanced debugging and analysis capabilities

🎯 Choose your upgrade path

📚 Read more case studies

🛠️ Upgrade benefits

Performance & optimization

Faster execution with improved compiler optimizations
Reduced build times through compiler and linker improvements
Better memory usage with modern runtime optimizations

Security & reliability

Enhanced security with address sanitizers and guard checking
Secure runtime libraries with improved CRT security features)
Better error detection with static analysis tools

Developer experience

Modern IDE features with IntelliSense improvements
Advanced debugging with better visualizers and diagnostics
Code analysis with Core Guidelines checkers and Clang-Tidy

Standards & compatibility

Better C++ standards conformance with /permissive- mode
Modern preprocessor for improved code conformance. Learn more
Cross-platform support with CMake integration

🤔 Multitargeting vs. upgrading

Not ready for a full upgrade? You can still use the latest Visual Studio with older build tools and libraries:

✅ Modern static analysis tools including C++ Core Guidelines checkers and Clang-Tidy
✅ Automatic code formatting to improve legacy code readability
✅ Latest IDE features while maintaining compatibility

Learn about native multi-targeting →

🚀 Ready to start?

📊 Assess your current project with our upgrade issues overview
🔄 Follow our step-by-step guide to upgrade from earlier versions
🛠️ Use our IDE tools to streamline the upgrade process
📖 Learn from others with our real-world case studies

Questions? Join the conversation in Microsoft Learn Q&A or check out the C++ Team Blog for the latest updates.